French accents

In French, different accents modify the sound

The acute accent when it is on the vowel e.
Eg. : L'été ; un éléphant.

The grave accent : You'll find it on e - a - u.
Eg. : Le frère ; là ; où.

The circumflex accent is possible on all the vowels except y.
Eg. : La tête ; le râteau, mûr ; drôle ; l'abîme.
This accent often comes from the the old French language and substitutes for a missing –S-:
la fête was written: la feste.

Generally, the –S- is back in some words of the same family:
Eg : La bête -> La bestiole - L'hôpital – hospitalier / hospitalisé.

Sometimes grave and circumflex accents can be used to make two homonyms different:
Eg : a and à, - ou and où - sur et sûr...

When is an accent necessary?

In order to know it, you have to separate the group of phonemes syllable

If a sounded - é/è - syllable ends with a consonant, there is no need to insert an accent.

Eg. : ter/ ri/ ble - ef / fer/ ves /cen/ ce - pa/ ter/ nel com/ plet

If a sounded - é/è - syllable ends with a vowel, you have to insert an accent.

Eg. : in /té/ res/ sant sé/ ré/ ni/ té fer/ me/ té com/ plè/ te brè/ ve

Acute accent ' é ' or grave accent ' è ' ?

Take a look at the syllable at the end of the following words.

If the syllable ends in a mute - e - , the grave accent - è – is necessary.

Eg. : pè/ re - der/ niè/ re - chè/ vre
Mystère - trèfle, lèpre, mère, frère…..

And sometimes you'll find it in the middle of the word:
Eg : enlèvement

In the other cases you'll insert an acute accent -é -.

Ex. : é/ lé/ phant l'hé/ té/ ro/ gé/ né/ ité

Mélodie, répétition, clémentine, générique……

The words ending in -s -

When a grave accent is necessary in a unique or last syllable, the word ends by -s - :

- après, près, exprès, auprès, très, procès, excès...

- dès = preposition (to differentiate it from - des - article)