Tutorial · beginner
What is an Accent Aigu in French?
Learn the French accent aigu (é): what it looks like, how it sounds, common words, and interactive practice.
What is an accent aigu?
As a French beginner, you may be wondering why there is a small diagonal line slanting upward to the right just placed above the letter e? (é) Well, it’s called l’accent aigu in French.
The meaning of aigu is “sharp” or “acute”.
There is only one simple rule for é in the French system:
Accent Aigu Only Ever Appears on E
Simply speaking, it will never appear on any other vowel.
So you won’t see vowels a, i , o, u appear with an aigu accent.
Words you will meet early:
What Does It Do?
The primary job of the aigu accent is to change the sound of E. Without the aigu, the letter e just pronounces as what it is, a soft unclear “uh” sound. However, when adding the accent aigu, it becomes a clear and bright “ay” sound. Let’s see some examples:
le → "luh" (no accent, weak sound)
les → "lay" (no accent needed here, but similar to é)
café → "caf-AY" (accent aigu, bright closed sound)
How does é sound?
é is a closed e sound — close to the “ay” in English “café” or “day,” but shorter and clearer. It is different from è (more open, like “eh”).
| Spelling | Sound feel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| é (aigu) | closed “ay” | café, été, école |
| è (grave) | open “eh” | père, mère, très |
| e (no accent) | often mute or /ə/ | petite, je, le |
Where you will see é
Beginners meet the accent aigu in everyday vocabulary and in verb forms.
| Use | Examples | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nouns | café, école, été, élève | very common spellings |
| Verbs (infinitive) | écouter, étudier, préférer | é in the stem |
| Past participles (-ER) | parlé, mangé, aimé | remove -er, add -é |
| Adjective endings | fatigué, occupé | often from past participles |
Below are some very common French words for beginners. You may have already seen it before but just didn’t notice the accent.
French | Pronunciation | Meaning |
étudiant | ay-too-DYON | Student |
école | ay-KOL | School |
écrire | ay-KREER | To write |
écouter | ay-koo-TAY | To listen |
téléphone | tay-lay-FON | telephone |
Mark past participles of -ER verbs
Another function of using accent aigu is to change the word to be past participle. You may refer to my conjugation tutorial with a full explanation on how it works. In short, by replacing -er with -é will change the verb form.
This is one of the most useful tips about the accent aigu. So next time when you see a verb ending in -é, your brain should immediately recognise it as a past participle.
Let’s practice with some of the common examples:
Infinitive Form | Past Participle | Example |
parler | parlé | J'ai parlé. (I spoke.) |
manger | mangé | Il a mangé. (He ate.) |
habiter | habité | Elle a habité à Paris. (She lived in Paris.) |
réserver | réservé | J'ai réservé une chambre. (I booked a room.) |
Don’t confuse é and è
Both accents sit on e, but they are not interchangeable. Wrong accent = wrong spelling (and often a different sound).
| Correct | Wrong look-alike | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| été (summer) | ète | needs accent aigu |
| café | cafè | ends with é, not è |
| père | pére | needs accent grave |
| très | trés | needs accent grave |
Exercise 1 — Type the Word with é
Type the correct spelling with the accent aigu.
Add the accent aigu
Type the full correct word (including accents): café, école, été, élève, parlé, or écouter.
- 1.Je prends un.
- 2.Les enfants vont à l’.
- 3.En, il fait chaud.
- 4.C’est un bon.
- 5.J’aifrançais.
- 6.J’aimede la musique.
Exercise 2 — Choose the Correct Spelling
Pick the form with the right accent.
Choose the correct form
Tap the correct option for each sentence.
1. Je voudrais un ___. (coffee)
2. Elle va à l’___. (school)
3. J’aime l’___. (summer)
4. Nous avons ___ une pizza. (eaten)
5. Mon ___ est gentil. (father — watch the accent!)
What to learn next
Practice with café, école, and été. Review the accent grave if you still mix up é and è. After that, you may learn some useful phrases like Je ne sais pas.
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