A Guide to the Southern French Accent
The Southern French accent, or accent du Midi, brings a charming and melodic twist to the French language. Spoken in the sunny regions of southern France, this accent is influenced by languages like Provençal, Occitan and Catalan.
Today, we’ll explore this unique accent and learn how to sound like a native of southern France.
Contents
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What Does the Southern French Accent Sound Like?
The Southern French accent is known for its open vowels and rhythmic flow, giving it a unique sound that sets it apart from the Parisian accent (also known as the standard French accent).
It’s often called l’accent chantant, or “the singing accent” because people of the South generally speak in a warm, loose and friendly manner that sounds like they’re singing.
This differs from the standard French accent, which tends to sound harder or tougher. Here’s a comparison of the two accents:
Where Is the Southern Accent Typically Heard?
While it’s most often associated with Marseille, there are at least six regions where a Southern French accent can be heard. Within those six regions are main cities and small countryside towns where accents and dialects are often thicker and more exaggerated.
Here’s a list of all the regions and main cities where a Southern French accent can be heard:
- Region of Aquitaine: Bordeaux and Bayonne
- Region of Languedoc-Roussillon: Carcassonne, Montpellier, Narbonne, Nîmes, etc.
- Region of Midi-Pyrénées: Toulouse, Lourdes, Blagnac, Albi, etc.
- Region of Poitou-Charentes (southern half): Cognac, Rochefort, etc.
- Region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA): Marseille, Nice, Cannes, Arles, Antibes, etc.
- Region of Rhône-Alpes: Lyon, Annecy, Saint-Étienne, etc.
You can hear the accents from these regions (and more) in this video, starting in the North and moving south:
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How Can I Imitate the Southern French Accent?
There are a few unique characteristics of the Southern French accent, including:
- Pronouncing the “t” in some words as “tch.” For example, ticket might be pronounced “tchiket.”
- Accentuating the “e” at the end of words where it would normally be silent in a standard accent, such as bonne (good).
- Adding a soft, nasal “g” sound to certain words, especially those ending in -ain. For example, pain (bread) is pronounced “pang.”
- Exaggerating each syllable of words or adding additional syllables. For example, baguette is pronounced “bah-get” in the North and “bah-get-uh” in the South.
This video gives you a good overview of the unique characteristics of the Southern French accent, and you can watch it with subtitles in English or French:
Words with a Soft “G” Sound
Southerners tend to add a soft “g” sound to the end of many French words. This is completely different from a standard accent, which sounds more like you’re swallowing certain syllables and words.
This soft “g” at the end of certain words sounds like the “ing” we make in English. It’s often added to French words that end in ain, en, in, ent, gne and gue.
For example, you might hear it in words like pain (bread), demain (tomorrow), main (hand), bain (bath), bien (good), accent (accent), tellement (very), champagne (champagne), besoin (need), matin (morning) and machin (thing).
But that’s not to say there aren’t times when French Southerners add it to other words. You can hear this phonetic characteristic in this video, featuring various people from the south of France talking about the Marseille accent:
Words Pronounced with Extra Syllables
Here’s a breakdown of some words that are said with more syllables in the Southern French accent compared to the standard accent. Don’t forget to add a soft “g” sound to the end of some of them!
| French Word | Southern French | Standard French |
|---|---|---|
| Lentement (slowly) | len-te-ment (3 syllables) | lente-ment (2 syllables) |
| Parfaitement (perfectly) | par-fai-te-ment (4 syllables) | par-faite-ment (3 syllables) |
| Samedi (Saturday) | sa-me-di (3 syllables) | sam-di (2 syllables)* |
| (Je) monterai (I will go up) | je-mon-te-rai (4 syllables) | j'mon-t'rai (2 syllables) |
| Jambe (leg) | jam-be (2 syllables) | jambe (1 syllable) |
| Dire (to say) | di-re (2 syllables) | dire (1 syllable) |
| Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? (What's going on?) | qu'est-ce—qui—se—passe (4 syllables) | qu'est-ce—qui—s'passe (3 syllables) |
| Monde (world/everyone) | mon-de (2 syllables) | monde (1 syllable) |
| Femme (woman/wife) | fem-me (2 syllables) | femme (1 syllable) |
| Comprendre (to understand) | com-pren-dre (3 syllables) | comp-rendre (2 syllables) |
*Note: Notice that the middle vowels in some of the standard pronunciations are completely absent. This is an improper spelling, meant to show the way the word is more typically pronounced.
Vocabulary Used in Southern France
Beyond the phonetic characteristic of the Southern French accent, there are also some words and expressions you’re likely to hear in certain areas of the South. These can vary from region to region.
| French Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Une chocolatine | If you go to any bakery in the south of France, you'll need to know how to properly order this popular chocolate bread, which is called pain au chocolat in the North. | Ce matin, j'ai pris une chocolatine avec mon café. (This morning, I had a chocolate bread with my coffee.) |
| Une poche | This word typically means "pocket." In southern France (especially the Southwest), it's used to ask for a bag in a shop or supermarket (called sac plastique in the North). | Il faut payer les poches en France. (You have to pay for plastic bags in France.) |
| Les minots | Instead of les enfants, you might hear kids referred to as minots in the South. You might also hear pitchoune to refer to a small child. | Les minots jouent au parc. (The kids are playing in the park.) |
| Cagnard | This word refers to the heat or le soleil (the sun) when it's very hot. It's used mostly in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. | Quel cagnard ! (It's so hot!) |
| Gâté(e) | This is an term of endearment similar to chérie. In English, it's like "sweetheart" or "darling." | Bonjour ma gâtée. (Good morning, my darling.) |
| Collègue | In Northern France, this word is used to refer to a co-worker. In southern France (especially in Marseille), it can be used to mean "friend" and collègue de travail is used to specify a coworker. | Je vais sortir ce soir avec mes collègues pour prendre un verre. (I’m going out with my friends for a drink tonight.) |
| Peuchère | This means "poor thing" or "poor guy" (like le pauvre) and is used to express compassion for someone. | Peuchère, tu dois être fatiguée. (Poor thing, you must be tired.) |
| Degun | This word means "nobody" and is used in Marseilles and Provence. | On craint dégun ! (We fear no one!) — One of the unofficial mottos of the Olympique de Marseille soccer club |
| Fada | This means the same thing as the French word fou (crazy). | T'y es fada. (You're crazy.) |
| Botch | Similar to fada, botch is used to describe someone who's nuts, particularly in Marseille. | Il est complétement botch. (He's completely nuts.) |
| Tarpin | This word can mean "very," "so" or "too." | Tu es tarpin sympa ! (You're so nice!) |
| Tcharer | This word doesn't exist in the standard French repertoire. It's entirely Southern, and it means to chat, to talk or to discuss. | On a passé l'après-midi à tcharer de tout et de rien. (We spent the afternoon chatting about everything and nothing.) |
| Chaler | This means to transport someone from one place to another, and is popularly used in Provence. | Je te chale sur mon booster. (I'll bring you on my motor-scooter.) |
| Maronner | This verb means to grumble, sulk or complain (similar to rouméguer). It's used most often in Marseille. | Arrête de maronner. (Stop whining.) |
| Péguer | This word is commonly used on the southern French coast. It refers to being sticky or sweaty from the hot sun. | Avec cette chaleur, je pègue de partout. (With this heat, I'm sticky everywhere.) |
Here are some expressions you might hear in the south of France:
- Oh fan de chichourle ! — This expression is used to express surprise, admiration or astonishment.
- Oh pauvre ! — This is another expression to express surprise in the south of France.
- Ça va — This phrase is used to express agreement, similar to “Ok” or “Alright” (or d’accord in standard French).
- Faire la chouille ! — This is another way to say faire la fête ! (Let’s party!).
- Il me tarde — This phrase means “I can’t wait.” You’ll probably hear the equivalent j’ai hâte in other parts of France.
Now you know the pronunciation of the Southern French accent and have some vocabulary used in the south of France. It’s time to start practicing so you can speak like a true Southerner!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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