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How To Pronounce And Use “Nom” (Name) In French

How To Pronounce And Use “Nom” (Name) In French

Today we’ll take an in-depth look at how to pronounce and use the masculine noun nom in French, meaning “name”. This seemingly easy word causes a lot of confusion for students. Simply put, nom and non (no) have the EXACT same pronunciation.

nom

name

Pronunciation [nɔ̃]

Nom - French masculine noun meaning "name".

Example sentences

For this first sentence, the term nom de famille means last last name or surname. Note that the French word le surnom is a faux ami (false cognate) meaning “nickname”.

Macron est le nom de famille du président français.

Macron is the French president’s last name.

This second sentence uses the terms prénom (first name) and deuxième prénom (middle name)

Mon prénom est Françoise et mon deuxième prénom est un secret !

My first name is Françoise and my middle name is a secret.

For this sentence, quel (what, which) is an example of a French interrogative adjective. Cette, the feminine form for “this” a demonstrative adjective.

Quel est le nom de cette montagne ?

What’s the name of this mountain?

For this final sentence, le nom refers to the grammatical term “noun”. Se placer (to place, to put) is an example of a reflexive verb being used as a passive voice.

En français, l’adjectif se place pour la plupart du temps après le nom.

In French, most of the time the adjective is placed after the noun.

Special note

To say my name is, use je m’appelle, literally “I call myself”. Saying mon nom est, literally “my name is” would be understood but incorrect when introducing yourself.

Related lessons

Word of the Day archive | Lessons by David Issokson

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David Issokson
David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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