204 - The /ɑ̃/ nasal Sound (French Pronunciation Practice)

 
 

In this episode, you’ll practice the French /ɑ̃/ nasal sound (France or blanc) or with a simple listen & repeat exercise. 🎧✨

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Links & Cheat Sheet:

Transcript

Bonjour à tous, hello everyone and welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast!

This is episode number 204, numéro deux-cent-quatre.

In today’s episode, we’re continuing our Listen & Repeat pronunciation series, and this time, we’re focusing on the French nasal vowel sound /ɑ̃/ that’s the sound you hear in words like France or blanc. 🎧✨

So here’s how it works: I’ll say some French sentences where the /ɑ̃/ sound appears, and your job is simple… just listen carefully and repeat after me.

This listen & repeat technique helps you train your ear and build muscle memory, so you can eventually feel more confident when speaking French.

To help you follow along, make sure to download your free cheat sheet. It includes all the sentences and English translations. You’ll find the link in the episode notes!

Let’s start with a few French words that contain the /ɑ̃/ sound:

  • la France (France)

  • les enfants (children)

  • le restaurant (restaurant)

  • blanc (white)

  • entrer (to enter)

Alright, now that we’ve got our words, let’s practice the sound /ɑ̃/ with full sentences! 🎙️

Repeat after me:

  • Mes parents habitent en France. 🇫🇷 (My parents live in France.)

  • Les enfants jouent tranquillement dans le parc. 🛝 (The children are playing quietly in the park.)

  • Je t’attends impatiemment devant le restaurant. 🍽️ (I’m waiting for you impatiently in front of the restaurant.)

  • Elle porte un pantalon blanc très élégant. ⚪ (She is wearing very elegant white trousers.)

  • Laurence entre dans son appartement en chantant. 🎵 (Laurence goes into her apartment while singing.)

Excellent! If any of those sentences felt tricky… feel free to go back and replay them.

Repetition really is the key to improving your pronunciation.

And that’s it for today’s episode!

Don’t forget to download your free cheat sheet, it includes all the French sentences and their English translations to help you follow along more easily.

Merci beaucoup for practicing with me today! I’ll see you in the next episode.

À bientôt, bye!

Mathilde KienComment