Casse-langue: the sound [im] [in] in French

Step-by-step practice to help students understand when the letters 'im' and 'in' are pronounced as a nasal sound and when they aren't.

What's included

• PowerPoint presentation with native speaker audio examples
• Interactive phonics maze activity
• Worksheet for vocabulary practice and sentence construction

The worksheet is available as a free PDF download. The PowerPoint and editable Word document are for Premium subscribers only.

Teaching French sounds — ‘im’ and ‘in’

Use the PowerPoint presentation to introduce the rules with clear explanations and authentic audio examples from a native speaker, allowing students to hear the correct pronunciation. Students can then reinforce their learning through an engaging phonics maze activity that specifically targets words containing 'im' and 'in' sounds. Use the accompanying worksheet to further develop their understanding by focusing on vocabulary and practical usage, enabling students to not only recognise but also actively use these sounds in context.

How to pronounce 'im' and 'in' in French

• When a word starts with ‘im’ or ‘in’ followed by another consonant other than m or n, the sound is nasal, e.g. impossible.
• When a French word starts with ‘i’ + double ‘m’ or ‘i’ + double ‘n’, the sound is like the English ‘ee’, e.g. immédiatement.
• When a word starts with ‘im’ or ‘in’ followed by a vowel, the ‘i’ again sounds like an English ‘ee’, e.g. inoubliable.

Looking for more French pronunciation resources?

Explore our related resources:

• Casse-langue series: ch sounds, i sounds, er/ert endings, and u versus ou
• Additional practice with French expressions and pronunciation exercises

Find more pronunciation resources in our pronunciation and phonics collection.