UK.iMaZiR

  
I live in the UK since nearly one year now, and I am able to detect even the best French who is speaking English. The French accent is very noticeable and for several reasons:

•  The English letter “r” is very difficult to pronounce for a French bec ause he must flatten the French “r” which is very strong
• The letters “i” and “e” are a problem for French speaking English. Because in English, “e” is pronounced like “i” in French. As a consequence, French speakers often confuse native English with some mispronounced words.
• Kwown trademarks are also a problem. Let me explain this trough an example. You are a French addicted to cars and you know every brand. Then you want to speak with your English friend about the latest Mercedes. You are used to pronounce “Mèrcédès” in French so you will confuse your friend who will not understand the brand because he is used to hear “Mircidis” (because “e” is pronounced like “i” in French).
• A lot of everyday idioms are very different in French and in English. For example, I was shocked when I first heard about the English verb (which is not slang) used as a synonym of give birth. When a woman is becoming a mother, she delivers her child. Lol :). As a French, I was used to hear this verb for package delivery, or to deliver some goods off the truck :). But I was told that this word was widely used and common. Not in French though.

Beyond letters and habits, London French speak English with a strong accent because during the day, they speak a lot French. As I explained in a previous article, there are a lot of French in London, so when French friends are together, obviously they speak French…Even at work! We have a lot of French in French companies in London and they have a lot of French colleagues…speaking French.

So, how can French improve their English accent?

By always meeting their French friends with an English-only speaker

I tried to speak English with my French friends but it is not working, but when there is an English-only speaker, we are forced to speak English.

Then, try to mimic native English speaker accent, but not your French friends accent. When you speak English too often with a strong accent speaker you mimic some strange accent habits.

Finally, don’t be ashamed to practice the most difficult words in English. In your room don’t hesitate to repeat several time the same word, with an audio example, until you find yourself the right accent.

I am curious to know how difficult is to get a good English accent when you are Spanish, German, Italian etc…Do you have some experiences to share?