un cure - a cure mais - but ou - or
un curé - a priest maïs - corn où - where
Now you can see how a sentence like the one below can be easily avoided :
Hier, j'ai mangé du mais pour souper. (Yesterday, I ate some but for supper.) ;)
There are two ways to type accents on a PC.
A. You can use the international keyboard, which requires a simple control panel configuration - there is no keyboard to purchase or software to download. In order to use one of these alternate keyboard layouts, you need to add it to Windows. Once you've done this, you can either set it as your default keyboard, or use alt plus shift to toggle between two or more layouts. The way to do this is slightly different for each operating system.
Windows Vista
1.Open your Control Panel
2.If in Classic View, click Control Panel Home in upper-left corner
3.Under Clock, Language, and Region, click Change keyboards or other input methods
4.Click Change keyboards
5.Click Add
6.Scroll down to the layout you want to add*
7.If you don't see a list including the keyboard you want, click + to expand
8.Choose your layout
9.Click OK in each dialog window.
Windows XP
1.Open your Control Panel (via Start menu or My Computer)
2.Double-click Regional and Language Options
3.Click Languages
4.Click Details
5.Click Add
6.Under "Input Language" pick the language you want to add*
7.Under "Keyboard layout/IME" make your selection
8.Click OK in each dialog window.
Windows 95, 98, ME, NT
1.Open your Control Panel (via Start menu or My Computer)
2.Double-click Keyboard
3.Click Language
4.Click Properties, Settings, or Details (whichever you see)
5.Click Add
6.Pick the layout you want to add*
7.Click OK in each dialog window.
Windows 2000
1.Open your Control Panel (via Start menu or My Computer)
2.Double-click Keyboard
3.Click Input Locales
4.Click Change
5.Click Add
6.Pick the layout you want to add*
7.Click OK in each dialog window.
B. You can use the accented characters with ALT codes, which use the ALT key and a 3 or 4 digit code. However, ALT codes only work with the numeric keypad, NOT the row of numbers across the top of your keyboard. So they won't work on a laptop unless you hit number lock to activate the number pad "built into" the right-side of your keyboard, which might be tricky because then the letters won't work. Bottom line, if you're using a laptop, use the different keyboard setting instead of the ALT codes.
To type accents with ALT codes, hold down the ALT key, then on the numeric keypad type the three or four digits listed here. When you release the ALT key, the character will appear.
a with "accent grave"
à ALT + 133 À ALT + 0192
a with "accent circonflexe"
â ALT + 131 Â ALT + 0194
a with "tréma"
ä ALT + 132 Ä ALT + 142
c with "cédille"
ç ALT + 135 Ç ALT + 128
e with "accent aïgu"
é ALT + 130 É ALT + 144
e with "accent grave"
è ALT + 138 È ALT + 0200
e with "accent circonflexe"
ê ALT + 136 Ê ALT + 0202
e with "tréma"
ë ALT + 137 Ë ALT + 0203
i with "accent circonflexe"
î ALT + 140 Î ALT + 0206
i with "tréma"
ï ALT + 139 Ï ALT + 0207
o with "accent circonflexe"
ô ALT + 147 Ô ALT + 0212
u with "accent grave"
ù ALT + 151 Ù ALT + 0217
u with "accent circonflexe"
û ALT + 150 Û ALT + 0219
u with "tréma"
ü ALT + 129 Ü ALT + 154
French quotation marks
« ALT + 174 » ALT + 175
