1.1.2

Accents

Test yourself

Accents in French

It is important to understand how the use of accents changes the sound of words.

Illustrative background for French accentsIllustrative background for French accents ?? "content

French accents

  • There are five different accents in French:
    • ç - the cedilla (la cédille)
    • é - the acute accent (l'accent aigu)
    • â, ê, î, ô, û - the circumflex (l'accent circonflexe)
    • à, è, ì, ò, ù - the grave accent (l'accent grave)
    • ë, ï, ü - the trema (l'accent tréma)
  • It is important to pronounce accents correctly as it is the only way to tell the difference in meaning between some words.
Illustrative background for Use of the acute and grave accentsIllustrative background for Use of the acute and grave accents ?? "content

Use of the acute and grave accents

  • The acute accent is used to stress an 'e' in French.
    • It can only ever be found on an e and is pronounced 'eh'.
  • Eg. 'ferme', means a totally different thing to 'fermé'.
    • 'Ferme' means 'farm', and 'fermé' means 'closed'.
  • The grave accent is used on an 'a', 'e', or 'u'.
    • e.g. 'ou' (or) and 'où' (where)
Illustrative background for Use of the cedillaIllustrative background for Use of the cedilla ?? "content

Use of the cedilla

  • The cedilla is only found under 'c' and changes the pronunciation to an 's'.
  • Cs with a cedilla are only ever found before 'a', 'o' or 'u'. e.g. 'français' or 'garçon'.
  • Cs found before an 'e' or 'i' are pronounced like an 's' anyway.
Illustrative background for Use of the circumflex and tremaIllustrative background for Use of the circumflex and trema ?? "content

Use of the circumflex and trema

  • The circumflex can be found above every vowel and generally doesn't change the pronunciation.
    • A circumflex is used to differentiate between words that are spelt the same but have different meanings. e.g. sur (on) and sûr (sour).
  • The trema can be found above 'e', 'i' or 'u'.

Accents in French

It is important to understand how the use of accents changes the sound of words.

Illustrative background for French accentsIllustrative background for French accents ?? "content

French accents

  • There are five different accents in French:
    • ç - the cedilla (la cédille)
    • é - the acute accent (l'accent aigu)
    • â, ê, î, ô, û - the circumflex (l'accent circonflexe)
    • à, è, ì, ò, ù - the grave accent (l'accent grave)
    • ë, ï, ü - the trema (l'accent tréma)
  • It is important to pronounce accents correctly as it is the only way to tell the difference in meaning between some words.
Illustrative background for Use of the acute and grave accentsIllustrative background for Use of the acute and grave accents ?? "content

Use of the acute and grave accents

  • The acute accent is used to stress an 'e' in French.
    • It can only ever be found on an e and is pronounced 'eh'.
  • Eg. 'ferme', means a totally different thing to 'fermé'.
    • 'Ferme' means 'farm', and 'fermé' means 'closed'.
  • The grave accent is used on an 'a', 'e', or 'u'.
    • e.g. 'ou' (or) and 'où' (where)
Illustrative background for Use of the cedillaIllustrative background for Use of the cedilla ?? "content

Use of the cedilla

  • The cedilla is only found under 'c' and changes the pronunciation to an 's'.
  • Cs with a cedilla are only ever found before 'a', 'o' or 'u'. e.g. 'français' or 'garçon'.
  • Cs found before an 'e' or 'i' are pronounced like an 's' anyway.
Illustrative background for Use of the circumflex and tremaIllustrative background for Use of the circumflex and trema ?? "content

Use of the circumflex and trema

  • The circumflex can be found above every vowel and generally doesn't change the pronunciation.
    • A circumflex is used to differentiate between words that are spelt the same but have different meanings. e.g. sur (on) and sûr (sour).
  • The trema can be found above 'e', 'i' or 'u'.

Jump to other topics

1Phonics/Alphabet/Spellings

1.1Alphabet & Accents

2Family & Home

3Lifestyle

4Education & Future Plans

5Leisure, Free Time & Media

6Wider World

7Grammar

7.1Present Tense

7.2Perfect Tense

7.3Imperfect Tense

7.4Future Tense

7.5Conditional Tense

7.6Passive

7.7Imperative

8Other Grammar

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson