French nasal vowels

Nasal vowels in French

The sound "an" in "mange" belongs to the French "nasal vowels", which are sounds made by expelling air through the mouth and nose with no obstruction of the lips, tongue, or throat.

Usually, vowels followed by "M" or "N" are nasal. When the nasal consonant is followed by another vowel, the vowel and consonant are both voiced. For example: "un"

/œ̃/ un/um un/parfum

/ɛ̃/ in/im/yn/ym vin/pain/syndicat/sympa

/ɑ̃/ an/am/en/em dans/chambre/en/emploi

/ɔ̃/ on/om mon/ombre

These aren't always nasalized. If there's a double M or N, or if they are followed by any vowel, then the vowel should have an oral sound instead. For instance, un is nasal, but une is not. Also, vin is nasal, but vinaigre is not.

French has 4 nasal vowels:

"en" and "an":

"en": e.g., in "vendre" (to sell). "en" becomes "em" before a "M" and a "P": e.g., in "emporter" (to bring)
"an" becomes "am" before a "B" and a "P": e.g., in "jambe" (leg) and in "camp" (camp)
"oin", "ein", "ain", and "in":

"oin": e.g., in "moins" (less)
"ein": e.g., in "peindre" (to paint)
"ain": e.g., in "pain" (bread)
"in": e.g., in "fin" (fine). "in" becomes "im" before a "M" and a "P": e.g., in "imprimer" (to print)
"on":

"on": e.g., in "garçon" (boy). "on" becomes "om" before a "M" and a "P": e.g., in "pompe" (pump)
"un":

"un": e.g., in "un" (one) or "brun" (brown)