| Making Accent Marks in French
TO MAKE ACCENT MARKS ON A PC (Windows machine)
- Hold the ALT key down while you type the corresponding 3 digit number
(see below) on the number pad.
- Make sure Num Lock is on.
Example: to get é, hold down the Alt
key, type in 130.
To get this letter: |
Hold down the Alt key and type the number. |
Example |
Meaning |
à |
Alt + 133 |
à |
to |
â |
Alt + 131 |
pâte |
noodle |
é |
Alt + 130 |
été |
summer |
è |
Alt + 138 |
très |
very |
ê |
Alt + 136 |
bête |
beast |
ë |
Alt + 137 |
Noël |
Christmas |
î |
Alt + 140 |
île |
island |
ô |
Alt + 147 |
bientôt |
soon |
ù |
Alt + 151 |
où |
where |
TO MAKE ACCENT MARKS ON LOWER-CASE LETTERS WITH A MAC
To get this letter: |
1. Hold down the Option key while you type the
letter. |
2. Release both keys and then type: |
Example |
Meaning |
à |
Option + ` (key above tab) |
a |
à |
to |
â |
Option + i |
a |
pâte |
noodle |
é |
Option + e |
e |
été |
summer |
è |
Option +` |
e |
très |
very |
ê |
Option + i |
e |
bête |
beast |
ë |
Option + u |
e |
Noël |
Christmas |
î |
Option + i |
i |
île |
island |
ô |
Option + i |
o |
bientôt |
soon |
ù |
Option + ` |
u |
où |
where |
Remember: Accents are very important in French. They serve two purposes:
- They indicate a difference in meaning. Example: "à"
means to and "a" means he has; "ou"
means or and "où" means where.
- They make a difference in pronunciation.
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