If a grave accent appears above an “a” or “u”, it does not affect pronunciation. The grave accent is found above an “a,” “e,” or “u” (à/è/ù). For example, “reçu” is the past participle of “recevoir.” Since it has a cedilla, the “c” in both words sounds the same.

In English, the letter “c” makes a soft “s” sound when positioned between the letters “e,” I and “y,” and a hard “k” sound when it is before the letters “a,” “o,” and “u.” In this case, it works the same way in French as it does in English.Īnother use of the cedilla in French is to ensure proper pronunciation in their verb tenses. In French, the cédille is used to alter the pronunciation of the letter “c.” The cedilla transforms a hard “c” into a soft “c.” In terms of pronunciation, this is pretty a straightforward symbol: a ç (c with a cedilla) is pronounced like an “s.” In French, the cedilla is represented by a small squiggle beneath the letter “c”: “ç.” You will only find this accent mark with the letter “c”-it does not appear with any other letter.

E with an accent mark french