French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "demain" in French?

duh-MAN — a weak first syllable and a nasal second one, with the "n" never actually pronounced.

demain /də.mɛ̃/

de-MAIN, weight firmly on the second syllable, which is the only one with a full vowel. The word is two beats with a strong rise at the end.

Listen: demain

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

de A dental "d" plus a weak schwa, so light it can nearly vanish in fast speech.

main An "m" plus the nasal vowel /ɛ̃/ — an open "eh" routed through the nose, tongue never rising. This is the word "main" (hand) by coincidence of spelling, though the origins differ.

Hear it in a sentence

À demain !

See you tomorrow!

Listen: À demain !

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"À demain !" is a complete farewell on its own — "until tomorrow" — and it shows the pattern French uses for goodbyes: "à" plus a time expression, as in "à bientôt", "à lundi", "à tout à l'heure". The "à" links straight into the schwa, so the whole thing is three quick syllables: a-duh-MAN.

Where English speakers slip

The "-ain" ending gets read as English "main" or "rain", giving "duh-MAYN" with a real "n". It is a nasal vowel with nothing touching. Learners also give the first syllable a full "day" or "deh", when it is a schwa. Compare "demain" with "matin" — both end in the same nasal, which makes "demain matin" a useful pair to drill.