French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "l'enfant (m. or f.)" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce l'enfant (m. or f.) in French?

l'enfant (m. or f.) is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /lɑ̃.fɑ̃/. It means “child.” lahn-FAHN — two identical nasal vowels, with the article fused on and the "t" silent.

lahn-FAHN — two identical nasal vowels, with the article fused on and the "t" silent.

l'enfant (m. or f.) /lɑ̃.fɑ̃/

l'en-FANT, weight on the second syllable. The "(m. or f.)" note is unusual and real: this noun takes whichever gender fits the child, so you say "un enfant" or "une enfant".

Listen: l'enfant (m. or f.)

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Sound it out

l' The article with its vowel elided before the vowel-initial noun. It could be "le" or "la" underneath — the word takes either gender depending on the child.

en The nasal vowel /ɑ̃/, open and routed through the nose.

fan An "f" plus the same nasal vowel again. Two matching nasals give the word its characteristic hum.

t Silent, but it surfaces in liaison before a vowel — "un enfant intelligent" links across.

Hear it in a sentence

Nous avons deux enfants.

We have two children.

Listen: Nous avons deux enfants.

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"Nous avons deux enfants" carries two obligatory liaisons in five words: "nous avons" is /nu.z‿a.vɔ̃/ and "deux enfants" is /dø.z‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃/, with the silent "x" surfacing as a "z". Skip either and the sentence sounds broken. The plural "s" on "enfants" is itself silent.

Where English speakers slip

Both nasals get real consonants from English speakers, producing "lon-FONT". Nothing should touch at either point. The liaison in "deux enfants" is also routinely missed, which matters because without it the listener cannot tell how many children you have. And the flexible gender surprises people — French has a small set of these nouns.