Editing Language/French/Pronunciation/Accents

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[[File:french-accents-les-accents-français.png|thumb]]
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Knowing the right French accents (les accents français) is essential for proper spelling in French. 

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Accent marks in French change the pronunciation and meaning of the word. 

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In this lesson, we will explain how to use French accents.

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The French uses many accents, and their prounounciation is quite particular.
Here's the list of the accents used in French :


==5 accent marks == <!--T:4-->

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There are four French accents for vowels and one for a consonant, the letter "c".

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The letter "é" is not pronounced the same as the letter "è". If you are able to hear the difference, you'll also know how to spell a word.

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Here is the chart of French accent marks :

{| class="wikitable" 
 
  !|
'''Writing'''
  
  !|
'''Name'''
  
 ! |
'''Example'''  
!Pronunciation 
 |-
  |
é
  
  |
Accent aigu (acute accent)
  
  |
'''é'''tudiant (student)  
| <player>French-accent-aigu.mp3</player>
 |-
  |
à, è, ù
  
  |
Accent grave (grave accent)
  
  |
o'''ù''' (where), apr'''è'''s (after), J'habite '''à''' Paris (I live in Paris)  
| <player>French-accent-grave.mp3</player>
 |-
  |
â, ê, î, ô,û
  
  |
Accent circonflexe (accent circumflex)
  
  |
for'''ê'''t (forest), pl'''â'''tre (plaster), '''î'''le (island), t'''ô'''t (early), ao'''û'''t (August)  
| <player>French-accent-circonflexe.mp3</player>
 |-
  |
ë, ï,ü
  
  |
Accent tréma (Diaeresis)
  
  |
No'''ë'''l (Christmas), na'''ï'''ve (naïve), aigu'''ë''' (acute)  
| <player>French-accent-trema.mp3</player>
 |-
  |
ç
  
  |
Cedille (cedilla)
  
  |
gar'''ç'''on (boy)  
| <player>French-accent-cedille.mp3</player>
|}
===More examples===
*â : [a]. Examples : château, gâteau.
*à : [a]. Examples : Je vais à l'école, déjà.
*ç : [ss]. Used to make the "[ss]" sound before "a", "o" and "u". "ce", "ci" and "cy" are already sounding "[ssi]" without any accent (called "cédille" [sedi:]). Examples : ça, garçon.
*é : [e]. Examples : chéri, j'ai mangé.
*è, ê : [ä]. Examples : fête, tête, Grèce.
*ë : [ø]. This letter, used as the female mark of adjectives finishing with an [-u] as an exception. Example : ciguë, exigu (male) --> exiguë (female), contigu (male) --> contiguë (female). The two forms have the same pronounciation ("[ägzigü]").
*î : [i]. Examples : île, aîné, gîte.
*ï : [i/j]. The pronounciation can be different for different words. Examples : naïf, laïc.
*ô : [o]. Used to make a word sound [o] instead of [ɔ]. Examples : tôt, rôti.
*œ : [ə]. Examples : œuf, sœur, cœur.
*û : [ü]. Examples : dû, mûre, goût.
*ü : [ɔ]/[Pronounciation of the original word in the source language]. Letter coming from other languages, except one word. Examples : capharnaüm.
*ÿ : [j]. Letter used in some town names. Examples : L'Haÿ-les-Roses.

===Accent aigu (acute accent)=== <!--T:8-->

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The acute accent is very frequent and can only be used with the letter "e". 

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Here are some useful words using the "é":

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*'''é'''crire (to write) : J'aime écrire des lettres = I like writing letters
*'''é'''t'''é''' (summer) : Cet été j'irai à la plage = This summer I will go to the beach
*'''é'''cole (school) : Son école n'est pas loin d'ici = His school is not far from here

===L'accent grave (grave accent)=== <!--T:12-->
The grave accent is only used with vowels "a", "e", and "u" like in:

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*Apr'''è'''s (after) : Après vous, je vous en prie = After you, please
*O'''ù''' (where) : Où habites tu ? = Where do you live?
*'''À''' (to) : Je suis allé à Paris = I have been to Paris

===L'accent circonflexe (accent circumflex)=== <!--T:14-->
The accent circumflex appear over any vowel and means that an S used to be in the word after the vowel.

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*For'''ê'''t (forest) : J'aime marcher dans la forêt = I like to walk in the forest
*H'''ô'''pital (hospital) : Je dois aller à l'hôpital = I must go to the hospital
*S'il vous pla'''î'''t (please) : S'il vous plaît, pourriez-vous m'aider = Could you please help me?
*Emb'''û'''che (pitfall) : Ce parcours est semé d'embûches = This route is filled with pitfalls.
*Dég'''â'''ts (damage) : L'ouragan a fait d'énormes dégâts = The hurricane caused a lot of damage.

===Le tréma (the Diaeresis)=== <!--T:16-->
The umlaut appears only over the vowels "e", "i" and "u". 

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You have to pronounce each vowel separately when you see this accent.

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Words using the accent tréma include:

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*No'''ë'''l (Christmas) : Je serai à Paris pour Noël = I will be in Paris for Christmas
*Na'''ï'''ve (naïve) : Elle a l'air naïve = She looks naïve.
*Capharna'''ü'''m (mess). C'est un vrai capharnaüm ici = It's a real mess here

===La cédille (cedilla)=== <!--T:20-->
The cedilla is also only found under the letter "c". 

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It changes a hard C sound (like K) into a soft C sound (like S).

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Examples:

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*fran'''ç'''ais (French): Apprendre le français = Learn French
*'''ç'''a (this) : ça me semble difficile = It looks hard



<!--T:30-->
{{#seo:
|title=How do you use and pronounce accents in French?
|keywords=souds, accent, letters, words, circumflex, acute, grave, aigu
|description=Accent marks in French change the pronunciation and meaning of letters and words. This lesson will teach you all about French accents! Enjoy...
|og:image=https://polyglotclub.com/wiki/images/9/96/Learn_french_accents.gif
}}
</translate>

[[Category:Accents]]
[[Category:French/Beginner]]

==Videos==
===Pronunciation===
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The videos below will help you identify sounds of accents on the E letter :
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<youtube> 8DRz9gpBb5g</youtube>
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<youtube> 6L3opwbpVxk</youtube>
===Type French accent marks on your computer=== 
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How can you type the French accents if you don't have a French keyboard?
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<youtube> hZ_2OFZFt0E</youtube>
===French accents - part 1 (French Essentials Lesson 17) - YouTube===
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VOhQ2V4E14</youtube>

==Related Lessons==
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/How-to-pronounce-R|How to pronounce R]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/Liaisons|Liaisons]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation|Alphabet and Pronunciation]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation|Alphabet and Pronunciation]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/Silent-Final-Consonants|Silent Final Consonants]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/France-Regional-Accents|France Regional Accents]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/Accents-(advanced-level)|Accents (advanced level)]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/Aspirated-VS-non-aspirated-h|Aspirated VS non aspirated h]]
* [[Language/French/Pronunciation/b-and-p|b and p]]