Everything you need to know about the French cedilla

A cedilla (cédille in French) is a small hook that goes beneath a letter. In some languages, a cedilla can be used with several letters, but in French, the cedilla is only used with the letter “c”. In French, when a cedilla is beneath the letter “c”, this indicates that the sound is soft, like an …

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A Guide to the accent aigu, accent grave and other French E’s

When you’re studying a language, it’s important to learn about words and culture, but what about individual letters?  The French language has an interesting relationship to some of them. French vowels, as you’ve probably noticed, are sometimes topped by accents. These can serve an important purpose, but sometimes…not so much. And while many French people …

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How to Easily Type and Pronounce the 5 French Accents (With Audio)

French accents are sneaky creatures. They wait in the dark, looking for an innocent letter to jump onto and transform. But what do they want exactly? I mean, sure, they look stylish with their cute little shapes, but are they really necessary? Can’t you just, you know, forget about them? That’s what you’re about to …

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Where do people speak French – and what do they sound like?

“Regarde cette vidéo!” (Watch this video!) a friend from Quebec told me, holding up her phone. “Tu vas rire!” (You’re going to laugh!) But I didn’t laugh. I didn’t understand a word of what was being said, even though the people on the screen were speaking French. The problem was, they weren’t speaking the French …

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French Audio Dictionaries Put to the Test: Which One Should You Use?

When you learn a new French word, it’s tempting to read it before you hear it pronounced. Unfortunately, most French words sound nothing like the way they are written and reading them before hearing their pronunciation is a recipe for disaster because you’ll naturally pronounce French words the way you think they should be pronounced …

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7 French Pronunciation Tips to Avoid Sounding Like a Tourist

Have you ever pronounced a French sentence only to realise that native speakers can’t understand a word you say? Frustrating, right? Luckily, mastering French pronunciation isn’t that complicated. All you need to do is follow these 7 tips! 1.Avoid simplified French pronunciations Lots of textbooks and French courses show you how to pronounce French words …

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