68 - How to Pronounce “ENT” at the End of French Words

 
 

Listen to this episode to find out how to pronounce the letters “ENT” a the end of words. 🤓

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Transcript

Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!

Bonjour à tous! Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! This is episode number 68, numéro 68! 

In this episode, you'll learn how to pronounce the letters "-ent" at the end of words. It's about time I talk about this, as I see many students struggling with it.

Now, before we dive into today's episode, a quick note to let you that my pronunciation webinar for complete beginners is back! It's called 5 Steps to Clear French Pronunciation. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so at mathildekien.com/webinar. It's free.

Ok, so let's get started with today's lesson.

There are two ways to pronounce the letters "-ent" at the end of words: 

  1. [ã]

  2. silent

So, the letters "-ent" are pronounced [ã] at the end of words when the word is either a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. 

For example: 

  • Il y a du vent. (It's windy. Word-for-word translation: There is some wind.) "vent" is a noun, so the letters "-ent" at the end of that word are pronounced [ã].

  • Il est très lent. (He's very slow.) "Lent" is an adjective, so the letters "-ent" are pronounced [ã].

  • Evidemment ! (Obviously!) Evidemment is an adverb, so the letters "-ent" are pronounced [ã].

If you're a bit lost about nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and other parts of speech, stay tuned, I'll have a lesson on this coming very soon. 

Ok so the other way to pronounce the letters "-ent" at the end of words is simple: you don't. 

When the letters "-ent" are located at the end of a conjugated verb, at the 3rd person of the plural, you do not pronounce them;

So after "ils" and "elles" (in the plural), the letters "ent" are silent. 

Let's see an example: 

  • Ils mangent des fruits. (They are eating fruits.) Here the letters "-ent" are located at the end of a conjugated verb, the verb "manger" (to eat) conjugated in the 3rd person of the plural, so you don't pronounce them. It's not "ils mangeant"; it's "ils mangent." Very common mistake. 

  • Elles parlent français. (They speak French) Elle parlent français. It's not "elles parlent français."

So quick recap from today's lesson: 

  • when the letters -ent are located at the end of nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, you pronounce them [ã]

  • when the letters -ent are located at the end of a conjugated verb, in the 3rd person of the plural, then you don't pronounce them!

Alright, so now that's the end of today's lesson. If you're interested in learning more about French pronunciation, then register for my free beginner's class: 5 Steps to Clear French Pronunciation. The link is in the episode's notes. 

Thanks so much for your time! I'll chat with you next week. 

Merci beaucoup, et à bientôt! 

 
Mathilde KienComment