How to Fake a French Accent

French is considered to be a romantic language.

While faking a French accent may seem silly, there are many people who want to learn how to appear to be French - typically actors or actresses or people who do voice-over work. People with the ability to fake an accurate foreign accent can improve their chances of being cast in a role that requires such ability. Other people want to learn to use a fake French accent for novelty purposes. No matter the reason, faking a French accent can be easily done by understanding a few basics tricks.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• French movie (optional)

1. Learn how the French pronounce words. Rent a French movie with English subtitles from your local movie rental store. Listen to the accent of the actors and how words are pronounced. Locate, if possible, a movie with French actors who speak English. Observe the French body language when expressing emotion.

2. Locate a French class to sit in on. Learning how to speak French is not necessary; however, attending the class will give you an opportunity to hear how to recreate French sounds. Borrow or purchase a French language instructional book to learn more about pronunciation.

3. Practice your French accent in a mirror. Avoid pronouncing the last letter in your words. Replace the word "the" in any sentence to the word "lay," as this is commonly done when French natives speak English. Pronounce the English sound made by th as z, and words with the ic sound at the end will be pronounced as ique. Continue practicing your pronunciations until you feel confident enough to test it in public - or publique.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using a fake French accent around French people, as they will recognize it as fake and may find it insulting.

References

• Language Guide: French Pronunciation
• French Language Guide: French Pronunciation
• Understand France: Body Language