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A1 noun #500 most common 7 min read

matin

Top 500

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips matin in 30 Seconds

Explanation matin in your Level:

At the A1 level, 'matin' is one of the first time-related nouns you learn. You use it to describe your daily routine and to greet people. You should know that it is masculine ('le matin') and that it is used with 'ce' to mean 'this morning'. You will use it in simple sentences like 'Je mange le matin' (I eat in the morning) or 'Il est huit heures du matin' (It is eight in the morning). The focus is on basic identification and simple temporal placement. You don't need to worry about complex nuances yet, just remember it's the opposite of 'soir'.

At the A2 level, you begin to use 'matin' in more descriptive ways. You might talk about what you did 'hier matin' (yesterday morning) or what you will do 'demain matin' (tomorrow morning). You start using it with reflexive verbs to describe your morning routine: 'Je me lève à six heures le matin'. You also learn the difference between 'matin' and 'matinée' in basic contexts, such as 'J'ai passé toute la matinée à la plage'. You should be comfortable using 'matin' to set the scene for a simple story or to schedule appointments.

At the B1 level, you use 'matin' to express more complex ideas and habits. You might use phrases like 'du matin au soir' (from morning to night) to describe a busy day. You understand more idiomatic uses, like 'de bon matin' (early in the morning). You can describe the atmosphere of a morning using adjectives: 'un matin brumeux' (a foggy morning) or 'un matin ensoleillé' (a sunny morning). Your ability to distinguish between 'matin' and 'matinée' becomes more refined, and you use them correctly in most narrative contexts.

At the B2 level, 'matin' appears in more abstract and literary contexts. You can discuss the 'matin' of a project or a life, using it metaphorically. You are familiar with common idioms and can use them naturally in conversation. You understand the subtle difference in register between 'le matin' and 'au matin'. You can also use 'matin' in complex sentence structures, such as 'C'est le matin que je suis le plus productif' (It's in the morning that I am most productive). You are expected to have perfect control over its gender and associated articles.

At the C1 level, you appreciate the stylistic nuances of 'matin'. You might encounter it in classical literature where 'le matin' represents renewal or the divine. You can analyze the use of 'matin' in poetry, noting how it contrasts with 'nuit' or 'ombre'. You are aware of regional variations, such as the use of 'Bon matin' in Quebec versus its absence in France. You can use the word in sophisticated arguments, perhaps discussing the biological rhythms of the 'matin' versus the 'soir'. Your usage is indistinguishable from that of a native speaker.

At the C2 level, you have a complete mastery of 'matin' and all its derivatives. You understand its etymological roots in the Latin 'matutinus' and how this history influences its modern usage. You can use the word in highly specialized contexts, such as philosophical treatises on time or advanced literary criticism. You are comfortable with archaic or rare expressions involving 'matin' and can play with the word's connotations in creative writing. You understand the deepest cultural implications of the 'matin' in French life, from the 'grasse matinée' to the 'petit matin'.

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips

matin in 30 Seconds

Matin is the French word for 'morning', covering the time from dawn until noon. It is a masculine noun ('le matin').
Use 'le matin' for general habits (in the morning) and 'ce matin' for specific events (this morning).
Distinguish 'matin' (point in time) from 'matinée' (duration of the morning). 'Matin' is much more common for simple scheduling.
Commonly used in greetings like 'Bonjour' and time-telling phrases like 'huit heures du matin' (8:00 AM).

The French word matin is a fundamental noun that translates to "morning" in English. It refers to the earliest part of the day, typically from sunrise until noon. In the French mindset, the day is divided into distinct blocks, and 'le matin' is the first and often most productive of these blocks. Unlike the English word which can sometimes be vague, 'matin' specifically denotes the time period itself as a point on the clock or a general timeframe. It is a masculine noun, always preceded by 'le' or 'un'. Understanding 'matin' is essential for any beginner because it forms the basis of daily greetings and scheduling. When you wake up, you are in 'le matin'. When you eat your first meal, it is 'le petit-déjeuner du matin'. It is used in both literal senses (the time of day) and figurative senses (the beginning of something). For instance, one might speak of 'le matin de la vie' to refer to youth. In daily conversation, it is most frequently used to specify when an action occurs. If you do something 'le matin', you do it during those early hours. It is important to distinguish it from 'matinée', which refers to the duration or the quality of the morning hours. While 'matin' is a temporal marker, 'matinée' is the experience of that time.

Temporal Marker: Used to indicate a specific point in time or a general period before noon. Example: 'Je travaille le matin' (I work in the morning).
Greeting Basis: Forms the root of 'Bonjour' (Good day/morning), though 'Bon matin' is rarely used in France, being more common in Quebec.
Masculine Gender: Always 'le matin' or 'un matin'. Never 'la matin'.

Chaque matin, je bois un café noir en regardant le soleil se lever sur la ville.

Il est arrivé tôt ce matin pour finir son rapport avant la réunion de midi.

Le matin est le moment le plus calme de la journée dans ce petit village provençal.

Demain matin, nous irons au marché pour acheter des fruits frais et du pain.

C'était un beau matin de printemps, avec les oiseaux qui chantaient partout.

Adverbial Use: When used without a preposition like 'le matin', it often acts as an adverbial phrase meaning 'in the morning'.
Specific Times: Used with hours: 'huit heures du matin' (eight o'clock in the morning).

Using 'matin' correctly requires attention to articles and prepositions. Most commonly, it appears as 'le matin' to mean 'in the morning' or 'during the morning'. For example, 'Le matin, je fais du sport' means 'In the morning, I exercise'. Notice that French does not use a preposition like 'in' here; the definite article 'le' carries that weight. If you want to specify a particular morning, you use 'ce matin' (this morning), 'demain matin' (tomorrow morning), or 'hier matin' (yesterday morning). When discussing a repetitive action that happens every morning, you can say 'chaque matin' or 'tous les matins'. The word 'matin' is also used to tell time in a 12-hour format, though the 24-hour clock is more common in official French schedules. You would say 'sept heures du matin' to distinguish 7:00 AM from 7:00 PM (dix-sept heures). In more formal or literary contexts, you might see 'au matin', which often implies 'at the break of day' or 'when morning came'.

Daily Routines: 'Je me lave le matin' (I wash in the morning). The article 'le' indicates frequency or a general habit.
Specific Days: 'Lundi matin' (Monday morning). Note that 'matin' follows the day of the week without a preposition.

Elle préfère lire son journal le matin plutôt que le soir.

À trois heures du matin, toute la ville dort encore profondément.

Tous les matins, le boulanger prépare des croissants chauds pour ses clients.

You will hear 'matin' everywhere in French-speaking countries, from the moment people wake up until the lunch hour. On the radio, news anchors will start their broadcasts with 'C'est l'information de ce matin' (This morning's news). In offices, colleagues ask each other 'Tu as passé un bon matin ?' (Did you have a good morning? - though 'matinée' is more common here). You'll hear it at train stations: 'Le train de huit heures ce matin est annulé' (The 8:00 AM train this morning is cancelled). In schools, teachers might say 'Nous allons étudier les mathématiques ce matin'. It is a word of logistics and routine. In songs and poetry, 'le matin' often symbolizes hope or a fresh start. Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf both used the word to evoke the quiet, often lonely, or sometimes bustling atmosphere of the early hours. In films, a character might say 'Je ne suis pas du matin' to explain that they are not a 'morning person' and are grumpy before their coffee. It is also used in weather reports: 'Du brouillard est prévu pour demain matin' (Fog is expected for tomorrow morning).

Désolé, je suis un peu lent, je ne suis vraiment pas du matin.

The most frequent mistake for English speakers is confusing 'matin' with 'matinée'. While both mean 'morning', 'matin' is a unit of time (like 'morning' in 'this morning'), whereas 'matinée' refers to the duration or the whole span of the morning (like 'morning' in 'I spent the whole morning reading'). If you say 'J'ai travaillé tout le matin', it sounds slightly off; 'J'ai travaillé toute la matinée' is correct because you are emphasizing the duration. Another common error is gender. 'Matin' is masculine, but because it ends in a consonant, some learners mistakenly treat it as feminine. Always remember 'le matin'. Additionally, English speakers often try to translate 'in the morning' literally as 'dans le matin'. This is incorrect. In French, you simply say 'le matin'. For example, 'I run in the morning' is 'Je cours le matin'. Lastly, avoid using 'Bon matin' in France; it is an anglicism (a literal translation of 'Good morning') that sounds very foreign to French ears, except in parts of Canada.

Matin vs Matinée: Matin = point in time. Matinée = duration of time.
Preposition Overuse: Don't say 'dans le matin'. Use 'le matin' or 'ce matin'.

If you want to be more specific than just 'matin', French offers several beautiful alternatives. 'L'aube' refers to the very first light of dawn, while 'l'aurore' is the poetic term for the sunrise itself. 'Le petit matin' is a common expression for the 'wee hours' or 'early morning', typically between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. If you are talking about the whole morning as an experience, use 'la matinée'. For example, 'Passez une bonne matinée !' (Have a good morning!). In a professional context, you might hear 'la première partie de journée'. If you are referring to the start of something metaphorically, you could use 'le début' or 'le commencement'. Comparing 'matin' to 'soir' (evening) is also helpful for context, as they are the two main bookends of the active day.

Aube vs Matin: Aube is the crack of dawn; Matin is the whole period until noon.
Matinée vs Matin: Matinée focuses on the time elapsed; Matin focuses on the time of day.

How Formal Is It?

Fun Fact

The word is related to 'Matuta', the Roman goddess of the dawn. This is why morning prayers in the Catholic church are called 'matines'.

Pronunciation Guide

UK /ma.tɛ̃/

US /ma.tɛ̃/

The stress is equal on both syllables, but slightly more emphasis falls on the final nasal vowel.

Rhymes With

sapin lapin mains train bain vin faim sain

Common Errors

Pronouncing the 'n' at the end like 'ma-teen'.
Making the 'a' sound too long like 'may-tin'.
Failing to nasalize the final vowel.
Pronouncing it like the English word 'mating'.
Adding an 's' sound at the end in the singular.

Difficulty Rating

Reading 1/5

Very easy to recognize in text.

Writing 2/5

Simple spelling but remember the nasal 'in'.

Speaking 2/5

Nasal vowel can be tricky for beginners.

Listening 1/5

Commonly heard and easy to distinguish.

What to Learn Next

Prerequisites

jour soleil bonjour le un

Learn Next

soir nuit midi après-midi matinée

Advanced

crépuscule aube aurore matinal matines

Grammar to Know

Definite article for habits

Le matin, je lis. (Every morning I read.)

Demonstrative adjectives

Ce matin, je lis. (This specific morning I am reading.)

Time telling with 'du'

Il est neuf heures du matin.

No preposition for 'in the'

Je travaille le matin (NOT dans le matin).

Gender agreement

Un beau matin (Masculine).

Examples by Level

Le matin, je bois du thé.

In the morning, I drink tea.

Uses 'le' to mean 'in the'.

Il est sept heures du matin.

It is seven o'clock in the morning.

'du matin' specifies AM.

Ce matin, je vais au parc.

This morning, I am going to the park.

'ce' means 'this'.

Bonjour ! Quel beau matin !

Hello! What a beautiful morning!

Exclamatory use.

Je travaille le lundi matin.

I work on Monday morning.

Day + matin.

Tu aimes le matin ?

Do you like the morning?

Simple question.

Le matin est calme.

The morning is calm.

Subject of the sentence.

Demain matin, je dors.

Tomorrow morning, I am sleeping.

Future time marker.

Hier matin, j'ai mangé un croissant.

Yesterday morning, I ate a croissant.

Past tense with time marker.

Je me lève tôt chaque matin.

I get up early every morning.

Reflexive verb + frequency.

Il fait froid ce matin.

It is cold this morning.

Weather expression.

Le samedi matin, nous allons au marché.

On Saturday mornings, we go to the market.

Habitual action.

Je n'aime pas me presser le matin.

I don't like to hurry in the morning.

Infinitive after negation.

Le petit-déjeuner est le meilleur moment du matin.

Breakfast is the best moment of the morning.

Superlative.

Elle arrive toujours en retard le matin.

She always arrives late in the morning.

Adverb of frequency.

Le soleil brille déjà ce matin.

The sun is already shining this morning.

Present tense.

De bon matin, les oiseaux commencent à chanter.

Early in the morning, the birds start to sing.

Idiom 'de bon matin'.

J'ai passé tout le matin à ranger ma chambre.

I spent the whole morning tidying my room.

Duration with 'tout le'.

Le matin du mariage, tout le monde était stressé.

On the morning of the wedding, everyone was stressed.

Specific event morning.

Il travaille du matin au soir sans s'arrêter.

He works from morning to night without stopping.

Range of time.

C'était un matin d'hiver très sombre.

It was a very dark winter morning.

Noun + prepositional phrase.

Je préfère faire mes courses le matin pour éviter la foule.

I prefer to do my shopping in the morning to avoid the crowd.

Purpose clause.

Le matin, l'air est plus frais et pur.

In the morning, the air is fresher and purer.

Comparative adjectives.

Dès le matin, il pense déjà à son dîner.

Right from the morning, he is already thinking about his dinner.

'Dès le' means 'starting from'.

Un beau matin, il décida de tout quitter.

One fine morning, he decided to leave everything.

Narrative 'Un beau matin'.

Le matin de la vie est souvent plein d'illusions.

The morning of life is often full of illusions.

Metaphorical use.

Elle a une routine bien précise chaque matin.

She has a very specific routine every morning.

Adjective placement.

Le brouillard du matin se dissipait lentement.

The morning fog was slowly dissipating.

Imperfect tense.

Je ne suis pas du tout du matin, j'ai besoin de café.

I am not a morning person at all, I need coffee.

Idiom 'être du matin'.

Le journal du matin annonçait une grande nouvelle.

The morning newspaper announced big news.

Noun complement.

Au petit matin, les rues sont encore désertes.

In the early morning, the streets are still deserted.

'Au petit matin' idiom.

Chaque matin apporte son lot de surprises.

Every morning brings its share of surprises.

Abstract subject.

Le matin blême éclairait la scène d'une lumière crue.

The pale morning lit the scene with a harsh light.

Literary adjective 'blême'.

Il s'éveilla au matin d'une ère nouvelle.

He woke up at the dawn of a new era.

Historical metaphor.

Le travail du matin est souvent le plus fructueux.

Morning work is often the most fruitful.

Formal statement.

Elle contemplait la rosée du matin sur les pétales.

She contemplated the morning dew on the petals.

Poetic description.

Rien ne vaut la fraîcheur d'un matin de printemps.

Nothing beats the freshness of a spring morning.

Negative construction.

Le silence du matin fut brisé par un cri lointain.

The silence of the morning was broken by a distant cry.

Passive voice.

Il avait l'habitude de méditer dès le matin.

He was in the habit of meditating from the morning onwards.

Habitual expression.

Ce matin-là, le destin de la nation bascula.

That morning, the fate of the nation shifted.

Demonstrative suffix '-là'.

L'éclat du matin transcendait la grisaille urbaine.

The morning's brilliance transcended the urban dreariness.

Sophisticated vocabulary.

Il s'interrogeait sur la fugacité de ce matin d'été.

He wondered about the fleeting nature of this summer morning.

Philosophical theme.

Le matin, dans sa pureté originelle, invite à la réflexion.

The morning, in its original purity, invites reflection.

Apposition.

Nul ne savait ce que ce matin fatidique réserverait.

No one knew what this fateful morning would hold.

Literary negation 'Nul'.

L'œuvre fut achevée au petit matin, après une nuit blanche.

The work was completed in the early morning, after an all-nighter.

Complex time context.

Le matin se levait, tel un rideau sur une pièce tragique.

The morning rose, like a curtain on a tragic play.

Simile.

Chaque matin est une promesse que le monde se renouvelle.

Every morning is a promise that the world renews itself.

Philosophical assertion.

Il chérissait ces matins de solitude absolue.

He cherished those mornings of absolute solitude.

Plural use with intensity.

Common Collocations

tous les matins

ce matin

demain matin

hier matin

du matin au soir

de bon matin

au petit matin

un beau matin

le journal du matin

huit heures du matin

Common Phrases

Le matin, je suis fatigué.

— A common way to express morning sluggishness.

Le matin, je suis fatigué avant mon café.

À demain matin !

— A way to say goodbye when you'll see someone the next morning.

Bonne nuit, à demain matin !

C'est pour ce matin ?

— Asking if something is scheduled for this morning.

La livraison, c'est pour ce matin ?

Dès le matin.

— Starting from the very beginning of the day.

Il est en colère dès le matin.

Le matin même.

— On that very morning.

Il est arrivé le matin même de l'examen.

Chaque matin que Dieu fait.

— An old-fashioned way to say 'every single morning'.

Il prie chaque matin que Dieu fait.

Un de ces quatre matins.

— One of these days (soon).

Je passerai te voir un de ces quatre matins.

Le matin du monde.

— The beginning of time or civilization.

C'était comme au matin du monde.

Du matin.

— Used to describe a morning person.

Je ne suis pas du matin.

Au matin de...

— At the start of a specific event or period.

Au matin de sa vie, il était plein d'espoir.

Often Confused With

matin vs matinée

Matin is the time; matinée is the duration.

matin vs demain

Demain means tomorrow; demain matin means tomorrow morning.

matin vs matin (the dog breed)

Un mâtin is also a type of large dog (mastiff), but it has a circumflex.

Idioms & Expressions

"Être du matin"

— To be a morning person; someone who is energetic early in the day.

Ma sœur est très du matin, elle se lève à 5h.

informal

"Un de ces quatre matins"

— One of these days; eventually.

Il finira par avoir un accident un de ces quatre matins.

informal

"De bon matin"

— Very early in the morning.

Nous sommes partis de bon matin pour éviter les bouchons.

neutral

"Faire la grasse matinée"

— To sleep in late (literally 'to do the fat morning').

Le dimanche, j'adore faire la grasse matinée.

neutral

"Le petit matin"

— The crack of dawn or the very early hours.

Le voleur a agi au petit matin.

neutral

"Du matin au soir"

— All day long; from start to finish.

Il râle du matin au soir.

neutral

"Se lever du bon pied le matin"

— To wake up in a good mood.

Elle s'est levée du bon pied ce matin.

neutral

"Prendre le matin pour le soir"

— To be completely confused or disoriented.

Avec ce décalage horaire, je prends le matin pour le soir.

informal

"Rouge au matin, c'est la pluie en chemin"

— A weather proverb (Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning).

Regarde le ciel ! Rouge au matin...

folkloric

"Le matin appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt"

— The early bird catches the worm.

Travaille maintenant ! Le matin appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt.

proverb

Easily Confused

matin vs matinée

Both translate to 'morning'.

Matin is a point in time. Matinée is the whole period or duration. Use 'matinée' with 'passer' or 'toute la'.

J'ai dormi toute la matinée.

matin vs matinal

It's the adjective form.

Matinal describes a person who wakes up early or something related to the morning.

Il est très matinal.

matin vs matines

Sounds similar.

Matines refers specifically to religious morning prayers.

Les moines chantent les matines.

matin vs mâtin

Homophone.

A mâtin is a large dog or an old-fashioned term for a rascal.

Quel mâtin, celui-là !

matin vs main

Visual similarity.

Main means hand. Matin means morning.

Il a une tasse dans la main ce matin.

Sentence Patterns

Le matin, je [verb].

Le matin, je mange.

C'est le [noun] du matin.

C'est le café du matin.

Ce matin, j'ai [past participle].

Ce matin, j'ai couru.

Je me [reflexive verb] le matin.

Je me lave le matin.

Tous les [day] matins, ...

Tous les dimanches matins, je dors.

Du matin au soir, ...

Du matin au soir, il travaille.

Être du matin.

Je ne suis pas du matin.

Au petit matin, ...

Au petit matin, le vent se leva.

Word Family

Nouns

matinée (duration of morning)

matines (morning prayers)

Verbs

matiner (rare: to mix/crossbreed)

Adjectives

matinal (morning-related/early riser)

matinalier (early morning worker)

aube

aurore

petit-déjeuner

réveil

journée

How to Use It

frequency

Extremely high; in the top 500 most used French words.

Common Mistakes

Dans le matin → Le matin
French doesn't use 'dans' for 'in the morning'. The article 'le' is sufficient.
Bon matin → Bonjour
In France, 'Bon matin' is an anglicism. 'Bonjour' is the correct greeting.
La matin → Le matin
Matin is masculine. Always use masculine articles and adjectives.
J'ai travaillé tout le matin. → J'ai travaillé toute la matinée.
When referring to the duration of the morning, use the feminine 'matinée'.
Samedi du matin → Samedi matin
Don't use 'du' when combining a day of the week with 'matin'.

Tips

No 'In'

English speakers always want to say 'dans le matin'. Stop! Just say 'le matin'. It's more natural and correct.

Matin vs Matinée

Think of 'matin' as a clock time and 'matinée' as a movie duration. You watch a movie during the 'matinée'.

Bonjour is King

Even if it's 7 AM, just say 'Bonjour'. 'Bon matin' will mark you as a tourist immediately.

Nasal Power

The 'in' in 'matin' is the same as in 'vin' (wine) and 'pain' (bread). Master this sound!

Time of Day

When using the 12-hour clock, always add 'du matin' to avoid confusion with the evening.

Grasse Matinée

This is the best French idiom. It literally means 'fat morning' and it means sleeping in. Use it often!

Days of the Week

When combining with a day, the day comes first: 'dimanche matin'. No 'de' or 'le' in between.

Listen for 'Ce'

If you hear 'ce matin', the person is talking about today. If you hear 'le matin', they are talking about a habit.

Martin's Matin

Visualize a guy named Martin waking up. Martin = Matin. Easy!

Morning Person

Learn 'Je ne suis pas du matin'. It's a great excuse for being quiet in your French class!

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a 'Mat' in the 'In' (entrance) of your house where you step every 'matin' (morning).

Visual Association

Imagine a bright yellow sun rising over a 'Mat' lying on the grass.

Word Web

soleil café réveil petit-déjeuner travail douche pyjama lumière

Challenge

Try to say three things you do 'le matin' out loud in French right now.

Word Origin

Derived from the Old French 'matin', which comes from the Latin 'matutinum' (morning), the neuter of 'matutinus' (of the morning).

Original meaning: The time of the morning or the early part of the day.

Romance (Latin)

Cultural Context

No specific sensitivities; 'matin' is a neutral temporal term.

English speakers often say 'Good morning' as a greeting. In French, 'Bonjour' covers the whole day, making 'Bon matin' sound strange.

'Le Matin' (newspaper) '37°2 le matin' (Betty Blue film) Claude Monet's 'Impression, soleil levant'

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

At home

Qu'est-ce qu'on mange ce matin ?
Je prends ma douche le matin.
Le matin est calme ici.
Où est le journal du matin ?

At work

On se voit demain matin.
J'ai beaucoup de travail ce matin.
La réunion est à 10h du matin.
Je ne suis pas productif le matin.

Traveling

Le train part le matin.
À quelle heure est le vol du matin ?
Le petit-déjeuner est servi le matin.
Il y a du brouillard ce matin.

Socializing

Tu as passé un bon matin ?
On va au café ce matin ?
Je t'appelle demain matin.
Il fait beau ce matin, non ?

Narrative

Un matin, il se réveilla...
C'était un matin d'octobre.
Au petit matin, ils partirent.
Le matin de sa mort.

Conversation Starters

"Qu'est-ce que tu fais d'habitude le matin ?"

"Est-ce que tu es plutôt du matin ou du soir ?"

"Quel est ton moment préféré du matin ?"

"Tu as bien dormi ce matin ?"

"Qu'est-ce qu'il y a aux infos ce matin ?"

Journal Prompts

Décris ta routine idéale du matin en cinq phrases.

Quel est le plus beau matin dont tu te souviennes ?

Pourquoi certaines personnes n'aiment-elles pas le matin ?

Imagine un matin dans une ville futuriste.

Qu'est-ce qui te motive à te lever le matin ?

Frequently Asked Questions

10 questions

It is masculine. You say 'le matin' or 'un matin'. Never 'la matin'.

Simply say 'le matin'. For example: 'Je travaille le matin'. Do not use 'dans'.

Matin is the time of day (7 AM, 8 AM). Matinée is the duration of the morning. Use 'matinée' when you want to emphasize the time spent doing something.

In France, no. It's considered an anglicism. Use 'Bonjour'. In Quebec, however, 'Bon matin' is common.

Say 'demain matin'. No preposition is needed between the two words.

It means to be a 'morning person'—someone who has energy early in the day.

It is a nasal vowel, similar to the 'an' in 'sang' but with the mouth slightly more closed. Don't pronounce the 'n'.

It refers to the very early morning, usually around dawn (4 AM to 6 AM).

Yes. 'Sept heures du matin' means 7:00 AM.

You can say 'chaque matin' or 'tous les matins'.