Advice on how to pronounce properly 'en un', 'en un an', etc

Question

I know that for, e.g. 'en un an' the pronunciation is

ɑ̃n‿ɛ̃n‿ɑ̃

with the liaisons between the words and the nasal sounds, but I cannot figure out how to sound closer to a native.

Answer 1

The first liaison (en un) is optional and rare, the second one (un an) always done, no exception.

Un can be realized as either /ɛ̃/, /œ̃/ or other variants, depending on the region.

The most common pronunciation around me (Paris area) is :

En un an /ɑ̃ ɛ̃n‿ɑ̃/

but the alternative /ɑ̃n‿ɛ̃n‿ɑ̃/ is nevertheless valid.

Note also that the first liaison is expected, and even mandatory in fixed expressions, when the word following un starts with a consonant, so isn't itself subject to a liaison, e.g.:

En un mot, merci ! /ɑ̃n‿ɛ̃ mo/