M, N, MP, and Assimilated Nasals

Before another consonant, a nasal naturally shifts its place of articulation toward the sound that follows. That is why written n can sound like [m] in un bombó or canvi. Catalan spelling does not transcribe every such adjustment: it combines positional patterns with stable prefixes, roots, and learned sequences.

The central lesson is to separate what the mouth does automatically from what the word's morphology preserves. This page uses only limited phonetic notation because the spelling decisions are more important than fine pronunciation detail; elision and linking treats assimilation in the larger connected-speech system.

The broad positional pattern

The most reliable beginner rules are these:

• Write m before b and p: cambra, ambre, ombra; camp, comprar, company, ampliar.
• Write n before v: canvi, enviar, invent, convidar.
• Before most other consonants, write n: cantar, trencar, pensar, tranquil, angoixa.
• Before m, many learned or prefixed families have mm: immòbil, commoure, Gemma. Before n, spelling may show nn (annex, innocent, connexió) or mn (alumne, somni), according to the word's established structure.

These rules are strong, but morphology creates transparent exceptions. The compound benparlat keeps the prefix ben- even though simple words normally use m before p. Place names and loans such as Istanbul and Canberra also preserve established spellings. Conversely, the main m before v exceptions include tramvia, learned -vir families such as triumvirat, and compounds in circum- such as circumval·lació.

Double nasals preserve structure

Written mm is frequent where a prefix or learned element meets an m-initial base: immòbil, immortal, immersió, commoure. Written nn appears in families such as innat, innocent, connexió, annex, and bienni. In careful speech these sequences can be longer than a single nasal, although the amount of length varies by speaker and register.

Transparent boundaries can block doubling: enmig keeps en- + mig, while tanmateix keeps tan + mateix. The words setmana and cotna can contain long assimilated nasal sounds even though their standard spellings show neither mm nor nn. Spelling records lexical structure, not every phonetic geminate.

Before f: morphology matters more than a single sound rule

Many inherited or learned words use m before f: amfibi, amfitrió, èmfasi, nimfa, simfonia, triomf. However, words beginning with con-, en-, in- generally keep n: conferència, enfrontar, infermeria, informació. The nasal may assimilate in speech, but the established initial element remains visible.

There is no honest sound-only shortcut here. In natural speech, the nasal before f can be labiodental or otherwise assimilated in both sets. Learn simfonia as one lexical stem, but recognize in-formar and its family informació, informatiu, desinformar.

Do not rewrite assimilation across word boundaries

In un pastís, the final n of un is pronounced at the lips like [m] before p. The same happens before b and often before m. Before f—and before /v/ in varieties that distinguish v from b—the nasal is commonly labiodental [ɱ]; in betacist varieties, written n before v can instead be bilabial [m]. The words remain spelled separately and retain their dictionary letters.

Writing um pastís or um bombó would mistake a predictable pronunciation process for a change in the article's spelling. English has similar place assimilation in phrases such as “in Paris,” but English learners must not assume the orthography records it either.

The same principle applies inside words. Canvi is written nv even though many speakers produce an m-like nasal before v. Standard spelling preserves the family and conventional graph.

Learned mp: the p may be silent

Several common words preserve learned mp even when p is not heard. High-value families include:

• compte, comptar, comptable, descompte;
• temps, temporal;
• símptoma, simptomàtic;
• assumpte, assumir, assumpció;
• exempt, exempció;
• redemptor, redempció;
• temptar, temptació, atemptat.

The exact alternation is morphological: assumpte has mpt, assumpció has mpc, but assumir has no p. The family explains the meaning and history, yet each suffix selects its established spelling.

Do not insert a p into every relative: temps → temporal and assumpte → assumir show that the visible sequence can simplify in derivation. Conversely, do not delete silent p from compte or símptoma merely because you cannot hear it.

Compte, comte, conte, and compta

This set is lexical, not merely phonetic:

• compte means an account, a calculation, or “careful!”;
• compta is a form of comptar: “he/she counts”;
• comte is a count, the noble title;
• conte is a tale.

The four forms can be close or identical in parts of their pronunciation, so only meaning and family settle the spelling. Spanish cuenta does not map mechanically to one Catalan form.

Editing exercise

Correct this note: L' infermera diu que el sintoma no es greu, pero hem de demanar l' exempcio al col.legi.

Símptoma and exempció preserve mp; pronunciation alone may not reveal the p. The correction also shows that accent marks, apostrophes, and l·l must be checked independently.

Common Mistakes

Writing n before b or p in a simple word

Changing n to m because of pronunciation

Deleting a silent p

Adding m across a word boundary

Confusing homophonous lexical families

Key Takeaways

• Use m before b/p and generally n before v, but preserve visible morpheme boundaries and established proper names.
• Before f, distinguish lexical mf families from prefixed con-/en-/in- families with nf.
• Nasal place assimilation changes pronunciation, not spelling, including across word boundaries.
• Learned mp often contains a silent p: memorize high-frequency families such as compte, temps, símptoma, and exempció.
• Where sound is neutralized, meaning and related forms—not Spanish spelling—identify the correct word.