Accents and pronunciation

1 Accents

1.1 The acute accent

The acute accent (´: accent aigu) is used over é as in été to transform the normal French e sound (pronounced like the vowel sounds in the English words book or get, depending on its situation in a word) to create a lengthened sound similar to that in the English word eight.

1.2 The grave accent

The grave accent (`: accent grave) is used over à, è and ù. With è it tends to indicate a lengthened vowel (a little like the vowel sound in the English word there): Je me lève (I get up).

With à and ù it doesn't tend to affect the pronunciation but rather is used to differentiate between words, for example à (to) and a (has), où (where) and ou (or).

1.3 The circonflex

The circumflex accent (^ : accent circonflexe) is used over any of the vowels . It can indicate a lengthened vowel (a little like the vowel sound in the English word coat): la vôtre (yours).

Alternatively, like the grave accent it can be used to differentiate between words: sûr (sure), sur (on).

1.4 The cedilla

The cedilla (ç: cédille) indicates that the c is pronounced like an s. It is only used before a, o and u: ça (that), garçon (boy), reçu (received).

If there isn't a cedilla before these vowels the c will be hard like a k: car (coach), conférence (conference), culture (culture).

1.5 Diaeresis

Diaeresis or two dots over a letter (¨: tréma) indicates that the vowel is to be pronounced separately: Noël (pronounced "No-well" - Christmas), Israël (pronounced "Isra-el" - Israel).

2 Pronunciation

In French there is often a big difference between the way a word is written and the way it is pronounced. Here is a list of some of the most common difficulties:

2.1 The letter s

The letter s at the end of a word is generally not pronounced:

2.2 The letters z and x

The letters z and x at the end of a word are generally not pronounced:

2.3 The letter h

The letter h is always silent. Generally it is treated like a vowel (l'hôtel - hotel) but it is occasionally treated like a consonant (le hasard - chance).

2.4 The letters ent

The letters ent at the end of a verb are not pronounced:

2.5 The letter t

The letter t is generally not pronounced at the end of a word:

2.6 The letter n

The letter n is generally not pronounced at the end of a word:

2.7 The letters au, eau

The letters au, eau are pronounced like o in go:

2.8 The letters er

The letters er at the end of a verb (as in donner ) are usually pronounced the same as é.

2.9 The letters oi, ui

The letters oi, ui are pronounced as if beginning with a w:

2.10 The letters ais, ait, aient

The letters ais, ait, aient are pronounced the same as è as in très:

3 Liaison

Liaison is the linking of words for ease of pronunciation. It occurs when a usually silent final consonant such as -s, -t, -z or -x is pronounced in front of a vowel .

Les enfants ont beaucoup aimé le film

The children really enjoyed the film

Elle est allée en ville

She's gone into town

J'aime bien dîner chez eux

I like eating at their house

On a visité le musée des beaux arts

We went to the art gallery

4 Elision

In written French the final e or a of certain words is dropped (or elided) and replaced with an apostrophe (') in front of vowels , an h treated as a vowel or the word y :