Learn French: Ils ont une maison en Espagne. - They have a house in Spain.

We use en because Espagne (Spain) is a feminine country. In French, countries that end in the letter 'e' are generally feminine, and they always use en for 'in' or 'to'.

Where did the word for 'the' go? Shouldn't it be en l'Espagne?

When you use the preposition en with a feminine country or a country starting with a vowel, you drop the article (the word for 'the'). So it is just en Espagne, never en l'Espagne.

Is there a linking sound (liaison) between Ils and ont?

Yes! Because ils ends in an 's' and ont starts with a vowel, you link them with a 'z' sound. It sounds like 'eel-ZON'. This is crucial because it helps you hear the difference between ils ont (they have) and ils sont (they are, which is pronounced with an 's' sound).

Does en Espagne also have a linking sound?

It does! Since en ends in an 'n' and Espagne starts with a vowel, you carry the 'n' sound right into the next word. It sounds like 'ah-Nespagne'.