French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "devant" in French?

duh-VAHN — a weak first syllable and a nasal second one, with the "t" silent.

devant /də.vɑ̃/

de-VANT, weight on the second syllable, which is the only one with a full vowel. The word ends on an open nasal, so it fades rather than closing.

Listen: devant

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Sound it out

de A dental "d" plus a weak schwa that often nearly disappears in speech.

van A "v" plus the nasal vowel /ɑ̃/, open and routed through the nose, tongue lying still.

t Silent. It can surface in careful liaison before a vowel, but usually does not.

Hear it in a sentence

On se retrouve devant l'hôtel.

Let's meet in front of the hotel.

Listen: On se retrouve devant l'hôtel.

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"On se retrouve devant l'hôtel" uses a reflexive verb to mean "meet up" — "se retrouver" literally means to find each other again. "L'hôtel" shows elision before a mute "h", and the circumflex on the "ô" marks a lost "s" from the older "hostel". "Devant" needs no preposition after it: never "devant de".

Where English speakers slip

The nasal gets flattened into a real "n" and the "t" gets released, giving "duh-VANT". Neither consonant is pronounced. Learners also give the first syllable a full vowel; it is a schwa. And be careful with "avant" versus "devant": one is about time, the other about physical position, and they differ by a single sound at the front.