LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "l'avion (m.)" in French?
la-VYOHN — two beats, with a "y" glide into a nasal vowel at the end.
l'a-VION, weight on the second syllable. The "-ion" ending is a single glide-plus-nasal unit throughout French, so "avion", "attention" and "question" all end the same way rhythmically.
Listen: l'avion (m.)
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
L'avion décolle dans une heure.
The plane takes off in an hour.
Listen: L'avion décolle dans une heure.
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"L'avion décolle dans une heure" contains an obligatory liaison: "dans une" is /dɑ̃.z‿yn/, with the silent "s" of "dans" surfacing. Then "une heure" links across the mute "h": /y.n‿œʁ/. Two liaisons in four words. "Décolle" has a doubled "ll" keeping the vowel open.
Where English speakers slip
Learners split the ending into "vee-OHN", three syllables total, when it is two. They also give the nasal a real "n". And the apostrophe often gets a beat of its own. Say "la" then "vyohn" as two clean steps, with nothing touching in the nose at the end.