Grade by Grade
C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: First Steps

L'alphabet: French Letters and Accents

C1.3 D2.3About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can say the names of the letters of the French alphabet.
  • I can spell my name and short words out loud in French.
  • I can name the French accents: accent aigu, accent grave, accent circonflexe, tréma and cédille.
  • I can copy and write French words with their accents in the right place.
  • I can explain why an accent matters (à and a, où and ou).

Words to know

l'alphabet
The ABCs. French uses the same 26 letters as English.
une lettre
A letter, like A or B.
un accent
A small mark written on a letter. It changes how the letter sounds or what the word means.
accent aigu ( ´ )
A little line that leans to the right. Only on é, like in école.
accent grave ( ` )
A little line that leans to the left: è, à, ù, like in mère.
accent circonflexe ( ^ )
A little roof: â, ê, î, ô, û, like in forêt.
tréma ( ¨ )
Two dots: ë, ï, ü, like in Noël.
cédille ( ¸ )
A little tail under the c: ç, like in français. It makes the c say "s".

Bienvenue! Welcome to French!

This is your very first year of French class. In Ontario, lots of children start learning French in Grade 4. Good news: you already know the letters! French uses the same 26 letters as English. But in French, the letters have different names, and some letters wear little hats and tails called accents.

Look at this word: français (French). Do you see the little tail under the c? That is a French clue. By the end of this lesson, you will know what it means.

A bright, empty classroom with desks, books and a whiteboard, and red and orange maple trees outside the windows.
Many Ontario children start French class in Grade 4 in a classroom like this one. The letters on the board will be the same 26 you know, but with new names and some accents. AI-generated image

The French alphabet (l'alphabet)

Here are the names of the letters in French. The sounds in brackets are English spellings to help you say them. Your grown-up does not need to speak French: just read the bracket part out loud together.

Watch out for the tricky ones:

  • E sounds like "uh" and I sounds like "ee".
  • G and J look like they are swapped: G is "zhay" and J is "zhee". The zh sound is like the middle of the English word treasure.
  • U is a special French sound. Say "ee" and then round your lips like you are going to whistle. That is the French u.
LetterSay it likeLetterSay it like
AahNen
BbayOoh
CsayPpay
DdayQkü (k + French u)
EuhRair (from the throat)
FeffSess
GzhayTtay
HashUü (ee with round lips)
IeeVvay
JzheeWdoo-bluh-vay (double v)
KkahXeeks
LellYee-grek (Greek i)
MemZzed
The French alphabet. W is called "double v" in French, and Y is called "i grec" (Greek i).
Worked example

Let's spell a word together

Spell the word chat (cat) out loud in French.

  1. Look at each letter: c - h - a - t.
  2. Say the French name of each one: c = "say", h = "ash", a = "ah", t = "tay".
  3. Say them together slowly: "say, ash, ah, tay".

chat is spelled "say - ash - ah - tay". (The word itself sounds like "shah". The t at the end is silent!)

Meet the accents (les accents)

In French, some letters wear a mark. The mark is part of the spelling. If you leave it off, the word is spelled wrong, just like leaving out a letter.

There are five marks to know:

NameMarkOn which letters?Example wordMeaning
accent aiguéonly eécole, étéschool, summer
accent graveè à ùe, a, umère, à, oùmother, to/at, where
accent circonflexeâ ê î ô ûall vowelsforêt, gâteauforest, cake
trémaë ï üe, i, uNoël, maïsChristmas, corn
cédilleçonly cfrançais, garçonFrench, boy
The five French accent marks.
éèêëçaigugravecirconflexetrémacédille
One example of each accent: é (aigu), è (grave), ê (circonflexe), ë (tréma) and ç (cédille).

What do accents do?

  1. They change the sound. The é in école sounds like "ay". The è in mère sounds like the "e" in bed.
  2. The cédille makes c say "s". Without it, ca would sound like "ka". With it, ça sounds like "sa".
  3. The tréma says: "say me separately!" In maïs (corn), you say "ma-ees", two sounds.
  4. They can change the meaning. Look:
  • a = has (il a un chien: he has a dog) but à = to or at (à l'école: at school)
  • ou = or but où = where

Saying an accent when you spell

When you spell out loud, say the accent after the letter: é is "e accent aigu", ç is "c cédille".

Worked example

Let's write accents in the right place

Copy the word élève (student) correctly.

  1. Count the letters: é - l - è - v - e. Five letters.
  2. The first e has a line leaning right: that is an accent aigu (é).
  3. The second e has a line leaning left: that is an accent grave (è).
  4. The last e has no accent.
  5. Tip: write the whole word first, then go back and add the accents.

élève = é (aigu) + l + è (grave) + v + e. Spell it: "e accent aigu, ell, e accent grave, vay, uh".

A trick to remember aigu and grave

Think of the accent as a little slide. For é (aigu), the line goes up to the right, like a happy ramp. For è (grave), the line goes down to the right. Draw both in the air with your finger.

eéaccent aigugoes UPto the rightécole, étéeèaccent gravegoes DOWNto the rightmère, élève
The accent aigu (é) slides up to the right. The accent grave (è) slides down to the right.
Hands-on activity

Alphabet name tags

You need: paper, a pencil or markers.

  1. Write your first name in big letters.
  2. Spell it out loud in French, one letter at a time. Use the table to help. (Example: Sam = "ess, ah, em".)
  3. Ask your grown-up to spell their name in French with you.
  4. Now make a mini accent hunt: look on a cereal box, a milk carton or another food package at home. In Canada, packages are in English and French! Find 3 French words that have an accent. Copy them carefully.
  5. Circle each accent and write its name beside it (aigu, grave, circonflexe, tréma or cédille).

Example: on a milk carton you might find lait écrémé (skim milk): three accents aigus!

Just for fun

What did é say to è?

Stop leaning on me! We're going in opposite directions!

Your turn

1

How do you say the letter G in French?

2

How do you say the letter I in French?

3

Spell the word ami (friend) out loud in French.

4

What is the name of the accent in été (summer)?

5

Which letter is the only one that can have a cédille?

6

What is the difference between ou and où?

7

Copy this word with its accents: forêt (forest). Which accent does it have?

More practice: warm-up

1

How many letters are in the French alphabet?

2

What is the French name for the letter W?

3

What does an accent circonflexe look like?

4

Say the letter E in French.

5

Which accent has two dots?

More practice: on your own

1

Spell Noël out loud in French.

2

Why does garçon need a cédille?

3

Find the accent and name it: mère.

4

Il a un chat. Je vais à l'école. Which a means has and which à means to/at?

5

A friend writes ecole. What is missing?

Challenge

1

Spell français out loud in French, including the accent.

2

Which word has an accent grave: été, très, Noël?

3

Write these three words and name each accent: gâteau, maïs, élève.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

How do you say the letter J in French?

2.

Which word has an accent aigu?

3.

What does the cédille do?

4.

Which word means where?

5.

What is the French name of the letter Y?

6.

What does the accent in Noël tell you?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 4 is the first year of Core French in Ontario. The curriculum asks children to read familiar French words with ease (C1.3) and to spell familiar words correctly, including accents (D2.3). Learning letter names now makes spelling, reading and dictionary use easier all year.

You do not need to speak French to help. Use the bracket pronunciations and learn together. Children love being the teacher.

Common difficulties:

  • Mixing up G and J, and E and I. These are the hardest letter names. Practise with short spelling games in the car.
  • Leaving off accents. Treat an accent like a letter: a word without its accent is misspelled. Suggest writing the word first, then adding accents.
  • Mixing up aigu and grave. Use the slide trick: aigu goes up to the right, grave goes down to the right.

At home: Bilingual packaging (cereal, milk, juice) is a free French textbook. Go on accent hunts in the kitchen.