French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "pendant" in French?

pahn-DAHN — the same nasal vowel twice, and the final "t" is silent.

pendant /pɑ̃.dɑ̃/

pen-DANT, weight on the second syllable. Because both vowels are the same nasal, the only thing distinguishing the syllables is the consonant and the beat placement.

Listen: pendant

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Sound it out

pen An unaspirated "p" plus the nasal vowel /ɑ̃/. The spelling shows an "e" but the sound is an open "ah" through the nose.

dan A dental "d" plus the identical nasal vowel again. Two matching nasals give the word a distinctive hum.

t Silent.

Hear it in a sentence

J'ai dormi pendant le vol.

I slept during the flight.

Listen: J'ai dormi pendant le vol.

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"J'ai dormi pendant le vol" uses "pendant" for duration, which is its main job — during a period, or for a length of time. "Vol" means both flight and theft, distinguished only by context. "Dormi" is the past participle, dropping the infinitive's "r": dor-MEE. Note that "pendant que" is needed before a clause.

Where English speakers slip

Two identical nasals is a lot of nasalization for an English mouth, and learners typically produce real "n" consonants in both, giving "PEN-dant". Nothing should touch at either point. The final "t" also gets released. Practise by humming the vowel: "ahhhn" through the nose, twice, with a "p" and a "d" in front of each.