LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "lent" in French?
lahn through the nose — a light "l" plus a nasal vowel, with both the "n" and the "t" silent.
One nasal syllable ending in open air. Four letters, two sounds — and the adverb built from it, "lentement", adds two more nasal-ish syllables: lahnt-MAHN.
Listen: lent
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Le service est lent ici.
The service is slow here.
Listen: Le service est lent ici.
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"Le service est lent ici" places the adjective before "ici", so the nasal vowel is followed by a vowel-initial word — but no liaison happens, because "lent" is an adjective standing after its noun rather than before it. "Service" ends in a silent "e" that keeps the "c" soft: ser-VEES.
Where English speakers slip
English speakers say "lent" as in the season, with a real "n" and a released "t". French has neither: nothing in the mouth closes, and the word simply fades into a nasal hum. It is also easy to confuse with "long" — both are nasal one-syllable adjectives — but "lent" uses the open /ɑ̃/ while "long" uses the rounded /ɔ̃/. Say them alternately to fix the difference.