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Video 005 :: Explanations::Grammar::Vocabulary
Tu veux prendre quelque chose à la boulangerie ? = Do you want something from the bakery?
Je ne sais pas, regarde ces croissants, ils ont l’air bons, non ? = I don' t know, have a look at the croissant, they look good
Oui…Des croissants? = Yes...Croissants?
Des croissants…ici tu as des sandwichs avec du fromage = Croissant...There you have sandwiches with cheese
Je ne sais pas, j’aimerais plutôt quelque chose de sucré. = I don' t know, I would like something sweet
Tu ne veux pas de pain ? = You don' t want any bread?
Non, je veux du sucré. = No, I want something sweet
Ici, il y a des tartes…et…des petits pains avec du chocolat dedans. = Here there are cakes...and...buns with chocolat in them
Je pense que je vais prendre …une tarte. = I think a take a cake
Une tarte ? Et pas de gâteau au chocolat ? = A cake? And not a chocolate cake?
Non, pas de gâteau au chocolat. = No, a little chocolate cake
Bon, une tarte. =Well, a cake
S’il vous plaît… = Please...
2.2.1.4 Nasal a
The following graphemes indicate a nasal a: en, an, em, am
an
an
= year
mourant
= dying
trancher
= to cut through
paysan
= peasant
manger
= to eat
demander
= to ask
am
ambigüe
= ambiguous
jambon
= ham
en
(une) dent
= tooth
entendre
= to hear, to understand
envahir
= to invade
entrer
= to enter
vendre
= to sell
tenter
= to try
em
embarrassé
= embarrassed
embêtant
= unpleasant, annoying
empêcher
= to hinder
This does not apply (as said before) when after am / an / en / em follows a vowel or another m or n . Then the vowels are spoken like an open a and e.
Examples
ami
= friend
lame
= blade
gamin
= boy, rascal
Also here with the nasal a we suggest to first form a normal, open a and then change it to a nasal one by using the nose as a resonance room.
Try to repeat the following:
Comparison
savane = savannah
savant = savant
both together
It is important that you understand that the sounds are different. The nasal o is formed with cuspidal lips, the tongue is pressed down in the back part of the mouth. The nasal a is formed with the lips more stilted. Some words only differ in this single sound. However, do not give up quite yet. With a bit of practice you will manage. And never forget. People will understand you from the context. Therefore, do not worry too much about it.
sons
sang
both together
long
lent
both together
ton
temps
both together
Following are some more examples of differences between the two sounds. Repeat them and get a feeling for the creation of these sounds. .
