How to Improve a French Accent

As you study French grammar and vocabulary, it is equally important that you learn the French accent. Of course, you'll want to talk to a native French speaker with some amount of savoir faire. And even if you don't get the accent down perfectly, you might get points for making an effort. Here are some ways to better pronounce the world's sexiest language.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Download or invest in some recordings designed to improve your accent. These exercises are extremely simple but very helpful if practiced regularly. Simply listen and repeat, preferably when nobody is around to laugh at you.

2. Join your local Alliance Française, and find out once and for all how to pronounce the "c" with the funny looking tail on it. This organization has chapters all over the world for the purpose of bringing people together to speak French. They also specialize in testing and certifying students for French proficiency.

3. Watch French movies and listen to French radio as often as possible. If you hear the language spoken correctly, you'll have a better ear for the cadences native speakers use even if you aren't paying much attention. Keep it on in the background while you clean the house or do your math homework.

4. Read French books, poetry or magazines out loud. After you've spent time listening to the language, you might find you can pronounce it with flare even if you don't know what you are saying. Just get used to things like emphasizing the final syllables of words, making liaisons and lowering the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence.

5. Speak French with people who have a better accent. It can be awkward to watch yourself sweat and stammer in front of a fluent speaker, but it's a good way to challenge yourself to say the words correctly.

6. Go to France and throw yourself into the language cold turkey. If your accent is off when you try to buy une baguette or une crêpe, a French person won't be shy about letting you know. And if you start getting hungry, it's a good bet you'll learn a better French accent, quick.

Resources

• A blog that feels your pain.
• The Alliance Francaise, the authority on all things French.

[frenchwriter]

on 11/16/2008 Or you can go and take lessons from Michel de La Bassee
www.myngle.com frenchteacher4u A good way also is to listen to Radio France www.radiofrance.fr
You can listen to great classical music concerts and hear native speakers. The key is to immerse yourself in that culture. Good points here to help understand "la langue de Victor Hugo".

Bien amicalement and by the way, I know how to flip crepes...just fun.