Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Pronunciation/Accents"

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Revision as of 17:12, 22 July 2017

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Knowing the right French accents (les accents français) is essential for proper spelling in French.

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

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

5 accent marks

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

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.

Here is the chart of French accent marks :

Writing

Name

Example

Pronunciation

é

Accent aigu (acute accent)

étudiant (student)


à, è, ù

Accent grave (grave accent)

où (where), après (after), J'habite à Paris (I live in Paris)


â, ê, î, ô,û

Accent circonflexe (accent circumflex)

forêt (forest), plâtre (plaster), île (island), tôt (early), août (August)


ë, ï,ü

Accent tréma (Diaeresis)

Noël (Christmas), naïve (naïve), aigüe (acute)


ç

Cedille (cedilla)

garçon (boy)


Accent aigu (acute accent)

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

Here are some useful words using the "é":

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

L'accent grave (grave accent)

The grave accent is only used with vowels "a", "e", and "u" like in:

  • Après (after) : Après vous, je vous en prie = After you, please
  • Où (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)

The accent circumflex appear over any vowel and means that an S used to be in the word after the vowel.

  • Forêt (forest) : J'aime marcher dans la forêt = I like to walk in the forest
  • Hôpital (hospital) : Je dois aller à l'hôpital = I must go to the hospital
  • S'il vous plaît (please) : S'il vous plaît, pourriez-vous m'aider = Could you please help me?
  • Embûche (pitfall) : Ce parcours est semé d'embûches = This route is filled with pitfalls.
  • Dégâts (damage) : L'ouragan a fait d'énormes dégâts = The hurricane caused a lot of damage.

Le tréma (the Diaeresis)

The umlaut appears only over the vowels "e", "i" and "u".

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

Words using the accent tréma include:

  • Noël (Christmas) : Je serai à Paris pour Noël = I will be in Paris for Christmas
  • Naïve (naïve) : Elle a l'air naïve = She looks naïve.
  • Capharnaüm (mess). C'est un vrai capharnaüm ici = It's a real mess here

La cédille (cedilla)

The cedilla is also only found under the letter "c".

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

Examples:

  • français (French): Apprendre le français = Learn French
  • ça (this) : ça me semble difficile = It looks hard

Pronunciation

The videos below will help you identify sounds of accents on the E letter :


Type French accent marks on your computer

How can you type the French accents if you don't have a French keyboard?