NOTE that we also use the dieresis on the e that follows the vowel u following the consonant g in feminine adjectives in which the u should be pronounced as it is in the masculine.Įx.: Un prétexte ambigu (masc.) = an ambiguous excuse. Ë, ï: The dieresis (tréma) is mainly used to indicate that two vowels that are together are pronounced separately.Įx.: maïs = maize Noël = Christmas, héroïque = heroic. It is also used to distinguish du (the contraction of de + le) from dû, the past participle of the verb devoir = to be obliged to, to owe. With the a and o, it may give a slightly different pronunciationĮx.: -Anne (common first name) âne = donkey
Ê, î, ô, û: The circumflex accent (accent circonflexe) when used with the e gives it the same pronunciation as the grave accent.Įx.: tête = head être = to be fête = party fenêtre = window maîtriser = to master paraître = to appear île = island sûr = certain. In this case, it doesn’t change the pronunciation, but it may distinguish between two different words with the same spelling or that are pronounced the same. À, ù: The grave accent is also used on the vowels a and u. protéger = to protect. Elle protège son bébé = She protects her baby. discret (masc.), discrète (fem.) = discrete discrètement = discreetlyģ) It can replace a é in some conjugations of verbs ending in “er”, or can be added to a simple e.Įx.: -céder = to give up. Je cède = I give up. Note that the infinitive of the verb carries a é: compléter.
Here is when you have to use it:Įx.: père = father collège = college progrès = progress scène = scene après = after très = very.Ģ) It can appear at the end of an adjective to mark the feminine, and also on an adverb that derives from an adjective.Įx.: - complet (masc.) complète (fem.) = complete complètement = completely. È: The grave accent (accent grave) can be also used with the e and changes the pronunciation to something similar to the “e” in the English word “bed”. hygiène = hygiene hygiénique = hygienic. repère = landmark repérer = to notice, to detect. = They sang the whole night.ģ) It can also be used to replace the è in some words, adjectives or verbs that derivate from other words.Įx.: -grève = strike gréviste = striker. Chanter = to sing: Ils ont chanté toute la nuit. Here is when you have to use it:ġ) It can be found in many words, verbs, and some adjectives and adverbs.Įx.: école = school congé = vacation découverte = discovery écrire = to write réparer = to repair téléphoner = to give a phone call agréable = pleasant délicieux = delicious léger = light déjà = already malgré = in spite of immédiat = immediately.Ģ) It appears on the last letter of the part participle (participe passé) of verbs ending in “er”, especially when they are used in the conjugation of one of the main past tenses: passé composé.Įx.: Aller = to go: Je suis allé. É: The acute accent (accent aigu) is only used on the vowel e and gives it the same sound that you find in the English word “hay”. The various French accents marks The acute accent We also give a few details on the spelling reform in France, that affects the use of a few accent marks.
Accent grave in french how to#
How to use French accent marks, on which letters, how they affect pronunciation… This is certainly one the mysteries of the French Language that usually puzzles many students who speak a language in which accents do not exist! And yet, they are very important as they definitely change the pronunciation of the words, and can even change their meaning.
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