Tutorial · beginner
What is an Accent Grave in French?
Learn the French accent grave (à, è, ù): what it looks like, how it changes meaning and sound, with tables and practice.
What is an accent grave?
Let’s talk about accents today. As a french beginner, sometimes you may be curious: Above a letter, there is a small diagonal line slanting downward to the right. (e.g. très, problème)
It is called l’accent grave in French.
This is important in both writing and speaking as they affect the pronunciation and the meaning. But you can remember one important rule: The accent grave only ever appears on three vowels (à — è — ù) in French. Note that accent grave behaves so differently depending on which vowel it sits on.
Let’s take a look of some examples:
French | Pronunciation | Meaning |
ère | “air” | Era |
la mère | "mair" | The mother |
le père | "pair" | The father |
la frère | "frair" | The brother |
très | "treh" | Very |
après | "ah-PREH" | After |
problème | "pro-BLEM" | Problem |
The accent grave changes the original pronunciation.
Moreover, it can actually change the meaning of the French words. For example, the à and a are pronounced exactly the same, however, they represent two different meaning:
French | Meaning |
a | has |
à | to / at / in (preposition) |
Words you will meet early:
Which letters can take it?
| Letter | With accent grave | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| a | à | preposition: to / at (à Paris) |
| e | è | open e sound (père, très, après) |
| u | ù | almost only in où (where) |
It can change the meaning
Sometimes the accent grave is the only difference between two words. Learn these beginner pairs carefully.
| Without accent | With accent grave | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| a (has — from avoir) | à (to / at) | verb form vs preposition |
| ou (or) | où (where) | choice vs location |
| la (the / her) | là (there) | article/pronoun vs place |
è changes the sound
On e, the accent grave usually marks an open e sound — closer to “eh” than a closed “ay.” Compare words you already know:
| Word | Meaning | Listen for |
|---|---|---|
| très | very | open è |
| père | father | open è |
| mère | mother | open è |
| après | after | open è |
| déjà | already | è + à |
Take a look on some examples:
Il a un chien.
(He has a dog.) (Use it as verb)
Je vais à Paris.
(I am going to Paris.) (Use it as preposition)
Elle a faim.
(She is hungry.) (verb)
On mange à midi.
(We eat at noon.) (preposition)
How about Ù?
The fun fact is, the accent grave on u exists in only ONE word in the entire French language. And the word is “où” which means “Where” in English.
French | Meaning | Example |
ou | Or | Café ou thé ? (Coffee or tea?) |
où | Where | Où habites-tu ? (Where do you live?) |
Exercise 1 — Type the Accented Word
Type the correct word with the accent grave.
Add the accent grave
Type the full correct word (including accents): à, où, là, très, père, or déjà.
- 1.Je vaisParis.
- 2.est la gare ?
- 3.Le livre est.
- 4.C’estbien !
- 5.Monhabite ici.
- 6.J’aimangé.
Exercise 2 — Choose the Correct Spelling
Pick the form with the right accent (or no accent).
Choose the correct form
Tap the correct option for each sentence.
1. Il ___ un frère. (has)
2. Nous allons ___ Lyon. (to)
3. Café ___ thé ? (or)
4. ___ habites-tu ? (where)
5. Ma ___ est gentille. (mother)
What to learn next
Practice with où, très, père, and mère. Next, learn the accent aigu (é) — the most common French accent mark.
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