Unit 3: 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:

les garçons	tu donnes	très
the boys	you give	very

 

 

2.2 The letters z and x

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

le riz	la paix	des cheveux
rice	peace	hair

 

 

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:

Ils donnent	Elles finissent
They give	They finish

 

 

2.5 The letter t

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

il finit	le chat	tôt
he finishes	the cat	early

 

 

2.6 The letter n

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

bon	le vin	enfin
good	wine	at last

 

 

2.7 The letters au, eau

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

au-dessous	le bateau	de l'eau
below	boat	water

 

 

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:

je suis	un oiseau	une boisson
I am	a bird	a drink

 

 

2.10 The letters ais, ait, aient

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

je sais	elle était	ils demandaient
I know	she was	they asked

 

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:

 

» to top of page