Handy Guide for Typing French Accents (For USA users)

Libre Forum en français (Open Forum in French)
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Once you have the Microsoft International keyboard activated, you can use the following codes to get all the accents you need for French and will be able to easily make all of the following: à â ç è é ê ë î ï ô ù û ü

à type the accent grave key (to the left of the 1) and then type a

â Hold shift key and 6 at same time. Then type a

ç apostrophe key then c

è type the accent grave key (to the left of the 1) and then type e

é apostrophe key then e

ê Hold shift key and 6 at same time. Then type e

ë Hold shift key and apostrophe key at same time. (same as what you do to get quote key, which looks a lot like umlaut) Then type e.

î Hold shift key and 6 at same time. Then type i

ï Hold shift key and apostrophe key at same time. (same as what you do to get quote key, which looks a lot like umlaut) Then type i

ô Hold shift key and 6 at same time. Then type o

û Hold shift key and 6 at same time. Then type u

ù type the accent grave key (to the left of the 1) and then type u

ü Hold shift key and apostrophe key at same time. (same as what you do to get quote key, which looks a lot like umlaut) Then type u.

To get the international keyboard, follow these instructions:

Go to “Control Panel\Clock, Language, and Region\Language” click on English (United States) … “options”, then “Add an input method”, search for [QWERTY] United States-International Touch Keyboard layout (in my case) or similar; then “Add”.

Once it shows up the international sort, REMOVE the default English input method.

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Lol, you’re right - it definitely only works for Americans…

I just use the Microsoft French keyboard; if I type the “accent grave key” as you put it, it doesn’t put the accent directly above the letter, etc. I must be biased, because I never want to set my English as “United States” - haha! :)~

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Type French accents without a French keyboard: http://french.typeit.org/

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Thânks so mœch, mfr. Thæt ïs fâbùlôüs, pàrtïcÿûlarlÿ fœr ànÿônè wïth a bîîîg désktôp dïsplæÿ. Plus, I just like pressing those buttons.

It’s nice to have a number of techniques listed in this thread, as each of us has different concerns, different equipment, different scenarios. I need to be able to do it all on my laptop keyboard, because nothing else makes sense when I do the Dictation Flashcards.

’Fraid I can’t do anything to help Julz611, (so you never want to set your English as “United States”, hunh?) LOL! A European keyboard makes more sense for someone that might have to write about the € and the British Pound, anyway. Before I figured out where the US international keyboard was buried, I was considering using the Canadian International keyboard, which would be closer to what I need.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

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Oh, poor US keyboard users. On my German keyboard, the only French letter that is not easy to type is the “ç”.

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Here is a good guide for typing with a German keyboard.

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Grinning here:)

I should point out that I touch-type, not finger-pick, so I do prefer using the Windows French keyboard so I can simply keep on touch-typing as usual. I’ve been touch-typing for over 30 years, (no, I wasn’t a secretary^^) so it suits me to a T. It didn’t take too long to pick up, and I only have to remember that the q and a are swapped around, where the m was, etc. The grave accents é è à & ç are typed simply from the number keys, and I use the ’ [ ’ key to type anything with a circumflex: ê, â (but type a ‘q’ for the ‘a’) . The speech key gives ù. For a tréma I type shift ‘{’: ö ü ä ë, etc, remembering to type a ‘q’ when I want an ‘a’. ‘Soeur’ changes to “Sœur” as soon as one hits the space bar. The only weird thing for me is getting used to pressing shift comma to get a full stop, & using shift to type numbers. Easy peasy ^^.

Interestingly, I did notice that it’s easier to type on the Windows German keyboard than the French one ^^.

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My head is SPINNING! Wow. I guess once you get used to it, it’s pretty easy though. (I have to get my instructions internalized so that I won’t be having to look them up all the time when I want to say stuff like Voilà!

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@Colin - Hilarious!: “You are sinkink, ‘Vat is zis schtinkink sink?’” ^^

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LOL!!!

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You’re right. But in MS Word it is easy too: Strg+“,”, then “c”.

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Ouf, I am touch typing as well, and in France typing on a azerty keyboard. But, oh problem, I am struggling when back in Holland and needing to type again on a qwerty keyboard. I need to use the backspace too much in those cases… And about the point with a shift, I never understood, poor programmers in France…

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merci

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merci

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i need it so much

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There is something called," On-Screen Keyboard". It’s already installed on windows 8.