en
/ɑ̃/
en is the name of the letter N in French.
In this context, en refers specifically to the name of the letter N.
Meaning: name of the letter N, n (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃/
Did you know?
- While en names the letter N, the word is also a pronoun used to avoid repeating a noun, a function that has no single-word equivalent in English.
- The word en is a relative of the English word 'in', as both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁én.
- In French orthography, en is often the start of a 'nasal vowel' combination, where the 'n' is not pronounced as a consonant but instead changes the sound of the preceding vowel.
Examples in context
- Les secours sont en chemin.Paramedics are en route.Tatoeba #13874974 by gillux, translation #12314105 by CK
- Tom est en route vers Boston.Tom is en route to Boston.Tatoeba #6996963 by Aiji, translation #5745348 by CM
- Bill est en route pour New York.Bill is en route to New York.Tatoeba #15101 by Selenyt, translation #1266420 by shekitten
- J'en ai beaucoup.I have a lot of it.
- Je suis en vacances en France.I am on vacation in France.
- Je suis sorti en courant.I went out running.
- Tu veux des pommes ? Oui, j'en veux.Do you want some apples? Yes, I want some.
- Il parle avec sa bouche pleine.He's talking with his mouth full.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo is helping Chloé spell a word.
- HugoQuelle est la prochaine lettre ?What is the next letter?
- ChloéC'est un en.It is an n.
- HugoUn en ou un m ?An n or an m?
- ChloéC'est bien un en, Hugo.It is definitely an n, Hugo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry en, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
