Do I need to pronounce ę at the end of a word?

Pronounce it as plain [e] with no nasality. Correct: idę → [ide], się → [sie]. Do not add “-em”.

How is ę different from ą?

Both can be nasal, but the base vowel differs (ę from “e”, ą from “o”). Neighbour rules are similar; word-final ę loses nasality, while ą often keeps a nasal colour.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce ę — nasal “e”

IPA[ɛ̃ ~ em/en/eń; конец = e]

Inside a word, ę follows the next consonant: before p/b → [em] (zęby), before t/d → [en] (będę), before ć/dź → [eń] (będzie), before k/g → [eŋ] (ręka, dziękuję). At the end of a word, ę is always plain [e]: idę, robię, się — no nose, no final “m”.

Typical mistake

Learners keep a full nasal at the end or add “-em”. Learner norm: word-final ę = [e] (piszę → [pisze], się → [sie]).

How to make the sound

01Inside the word, choose em / en / eń / eŋ from the following consonant.
02At the end, use a short plain [e] — no nasality and no “m”.
03Practice: zęby, będę, będzie, ręka, dziękuję, idę, się.

Practice words

Pick a teacher — the word plays in their voice · Mirosław

zęby
teeth
[zemby] — teeth
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będzie
will be
[beńdzie] — will be
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dziękuję
thank you
[dzieŋkuje] — thank you
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idę
I go
[ide] — I go
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Questions

Do I need to pronounce ę at the end of a word?: Pronounce it as plain [e] with no nasality. Correct: idę → [ide], się → [sie]. Do not add “-em”.
How is ę different from ą?: Both can be nasal, but the base vowel differs (ę from “e”, ą from “o”). Neighbour rules are similar; word-final ę loses nasality, while ą often keeps a nasal colour.

Check ę out loud

Record a phrase with this sound — the AI teacher will tell you if you landed it.

Open Practice