---
title: Funny French sounds: nasal vowels, the French r and u — how Mova does on the tests · French
description: Lesson 2 of the french course of Mova's primary school: 7 of 12 tests right, exam 3 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/) / [French](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/french/) / 2

# Funny French sounds: nasal vowels, the French r and u

<!-- .vintro -->
**Tests:** 7 of 12 right · **Exam:** 3 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 6 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

<!-- .vabout -->
Lesson 2 of the french course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/).

<!-- .vabout -->
Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/).

<!-- div qa no -->

### Test 1 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t1}

<!-- .q -->
Harry in Swansea moans, "That's tamping, I can't say bon." ("Tamping" means fuming.) What tip would help?

- **1.** Add an e at the end: "bonnay" — no support
- **2.** Say the n twice as loud as normal — score 1
- **3.** Hold your nose lightly and feel the buzz — **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **4.** Say it in English, the French won't mind — **← Mova's choice** · score 6

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 4 with score 6, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2, line 2: «Nasal vowels send the air up through your nose: hold your nose lightly, say bon, and if you feel a buzz, you have it; the n itself is not really said.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «say» (+4); the same thing acted on «bon» (+4). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 3, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t1/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Test 2 · ★ · right ✓ {#t2}

<!-- .q -->
Sophie argues, "bare people say Fraance like a dance move." ("Bare" means lots of.) How should France sound in French?

- **1.** "FRAHNSS", with "ahn" through the nose — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 10
- **2.** "FROHNS", rhyming with "bones" — no support
- **3.** "FRAN-see", with an extra sound — no support
- **4.** "FRANCE", with a flat a and a clear n — score 10

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask what something is like. It chose option 1 with score 10, tied with another option at 10 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 2, line 18: «Slang here: "tamping" (Wales) means very cross; "bare" (London) means lots of; "yeah nah" (Australia) means no; "yinz" (Pittsburgh) means you all; "howay" (Nor…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «bare» (+4); the same action «mean» (+3); the same thing acted on «lots» (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t2/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Test 3 · ★ · right ✓ {#t3}

<!-- .q -->
Ruby in Dublin says the French r is "like gargling, sure I'll choke." Is she wrong?

- **1.** Not really: it is a soft scrape at the back, like a gentle gargle — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Yes, the French r is rolled at the front, like in Spanish — no support
- **3.** Yes, French r is always silent, so you skip it — no support
- **4.** Not really, but it is done with the lips — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t3/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Test 4 · ★ · right ✓ {#t4}

<!-- .q -->
A cartoon cat says "Je m'appelle Jam" with a hard "j", as in "jam". What is wrong?

- **1.** French j is silent at the start of words — no support
- **2.** Nothing, j is said the same in both languages — no support
- **3.** French j is soft, like the "s" in "measure" — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8
- **4.** French j is always said "y", as in "yes" — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2, line 5: «Some letter pairs have fixed sounds: ch says "sh", j says the "zh" in "measure", qu says "k" and th says "t", so le chat (the cat) is "luh SHA".», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «j» (+4); the same place «measure» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t4/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Test 5 · ★ · right ✓ {#t5}

<!-- .q -->
Leo's mate in Toronto goes, "Bud, quatre is like a quarter." What is the truth?

- **1.** qu says "kw", so it is "KWAT-ra" — score 3
- **2.** Yes, it is "KWOR-ter", like 25 cents — no support
- **3.** It is "CHAT-ra", with a soft ch — no support
- **4.** qu says just "k", so it is "KATR" — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 6, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2, line 15: «qu almost always says "k" in French: quatre (four) is "KATR", qui (who) is "KEE".», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «say» (+2); the same doer «qu» (+2); the same thing acted on «k» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t5/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa no -->

### Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

<!-- .q -->
Freya in Bristol says, "Proper job, but where's the th in thé?" ("Proper job" means great.) What should she know?

- **1.** French th is just a plain t sound — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** The th is said like "this" in English — **← Mova's choice** · score 3
- **3.** French people forgot to say it long ago — no support
- **4.** The th is said like "thing" in English — score 3

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask where. It chose option 2 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 2, line 5: «Some letter pairs have fixed sounds: ch says "sh", j says the "zh" in "measure", qu says "k" and th says "t", so le chat (the cat) is "luh SHA".», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «say» (+2); the same doer «th» (+2). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t6/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa no -->

### Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t7}

<!-- .q -->
Aiden in Philly says chat is "chat, like texting, yinz know." ("Yinz" means you all.) What does the French word mean?

- **1.** a talk, said "CHAT" — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** a cat, said "SHA" — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** a chick, said "SHATT" — no support
- **4.** a hat, said "SHAT" — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t7/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Test 8 · ★ · right ✓ {#t8}

<!-- .q -->
Jack in Brisbane says "fill" for fille. "Yeah nah, it's 'fee'," says his mum. ("Yeah nah" means no.) Who is closer?

- **1.** His mum: fille is "FEE-y", with a little y — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5
- **2.** Jack: fille rhymes with "Bill" — no support
- **3.** Neither: fille is "fee-LAY" — no support
- **4.** Both: either way is fine — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2, line 12: «ille usually says "ee-y": la fille (the girl or daughter) is "la FEE-y" and la famille is "la fa-MEE-y"; ville (town) and mille (thousand) are odd ones that ke…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «fille» (+2); the same thing acted on «la fee y» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t8/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa no -->

### Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t9}

<!-- .q -->
Mia goes, "Howay, je is like Jeremy, innit." ("Howay" means come on.) What sound should she use?

- **1.** "yuh", as in "yes" — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** "chuh", as in "church" — no support
- **3.** "zhuh", like the middle of "treasure" — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** "jee", the same sound as at the start of "Jeremy" — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t9/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Test 10 · ★ · right ✓ {#t10}

<!-- .q -->
What would happen if you said le pain like the English word in a French bakery?

- **1.** You would sound wrong, and pain still means bread in French — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Nothing at all, it sounds exactly the same — no support
- **3.** They would give you a window pane — no support
- **4.** They would think you were hurting and fetch you a plaster at once — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t10/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Test 11 · ★ · right ✓ {#t11}

<!-- .q -->
★★★ Lily writes down how she heard four words: "SHA", "zhuh", "KATR", "TAY". Which list of spellings matches them in order?

- **1.** chat, je, quatre, thé — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** sac, je, quatre, thé — no support
- **3.** chat, jaune, quatre, thé — no support
- **4.** chat, je, quatorze, thé — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t11/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa no -->

### Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t12}

<!-- .q -->
★★★ In which group does every word have a nasal vowel?

- **1.** pain, rouge, vin — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** chat, main, France — no support
- **3.** bon, tu, maman — no support
- **4.** bon, maman, pain — **✓ the right answer** · no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/t12/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Exam question 1 · formal language · right ✓ {#e1}

<!-- .q -->
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the pronunciation of the French word bon?

- **1.** The vowel is nasalised and the terminal n is not articulated as in English — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** The vowel is pronounced as in the English word "bone" — no support
- **3.** The terminal n is doubled and pronounced with considerable emphasis — no support
- **4.** The word is pronounced identically to the German city of Bonn — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/e1/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa no -->

### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2}

<!-- .q -->
Identify the meaning, in the French language, of the noun pain.

- **1.** Physical suffering — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** A substance for painting — no support
- **3.** Bread — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** A sheet of glass — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/e2/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3}

<!-- .q -->
Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the French consonant r.

- **1.** It is articulated at the rear of the mouth — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** It is invariably omitted in speech — no support
- **3.** It is articulated by rolling the tip of the tongue — no support
- **4.** It is articulated between the lips — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/e3/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div qa ok -->

### Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓ {#e4}

<!-- .q -->
It is given that the words deux and douze are frequently confused. Ascertain their respective numerical values.

- **1.** Two and twelve respectively — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** Twelve and two respectively — no support
- **3.** Two and twenty respectively — no support
- **4.** Both denote the number two — no support

<!-- .why -->
**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/french/2-funny-french-sounds-nasal-vowels-the-french-r-and-u/e4/)

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [1. Silent letters: why French doesn't say everythin…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/french/1-silent-letters-why-french-doesnt-say-everything-it-writes/)
- next →: [3. Accents: é, è, ê, ç and friends](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/french/3-accents-e-e-e-c-and-friends/)
- ↑ back to [French](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/french/)