Peak and calm
In a neutral sentence, the accent falls at the end of the breath group. To set one word against another, that word gets a clear pitch peak. Everything after it is spoken low and flat, almost without accents. It is this drop that makes the contrast audible. Linguists call it désaccentuation. English does something similar, so the principle will feel familiar.
Neutral versus focused
Marie a appelé ce matin.
[ma·ʁi·a·a·pə·le·sə·ma·tɛ̃ ↘]
Marie called this morning.
Neutral, accent at the end.
C'est Marie qui a appelé ce matin.
[sɛ·ma·ʁi ↗ ki·a·a·pə·le·sə·ma·tɛ̃ →]
It was MARIE who called this morning.
Peak on Marie, the rest stays low and flat.
Correcting without rebuilding
In conversation, a quick correction often needs only the voice, no c'est … que. This works especially for objects, times and places. Even small words like sur and sous can take the peak when they are exactly what makes the difference.
Correcting with both poles
J'ai dit vert, pas bleu.
[ʒe·di·vɛʁ ↘ pa·blø ↘]
I said green, not blue.
Je pars mardi, pas jeudi.
[ʒə·paʁ·maʁ·di ↘ pa·ʒø·di ↘]
I'm leaving on Tuesday, not Thursday.
Le dossier est sur la table, pas sous la table.
[lə·do·sje·ɛ·syʁ·la·tabl pa·su·la·tabl]
The file is on the table, not under the table.
After the preposition, la table stays low.
The syllable that makes the difference
When two words differ only at the start, the peak moves to exactly that syllable, even though French otherwise stresses the end of the word. This accent relies on pitch, not on lengthened consonants. It sounds matter-of-fact, not emotional.
Contrast at the start of the word
Il faut exporter, pas importer.
[il·fo·ɛks·pɔʁ·te pa·ɛ̃·pɔʁ·te]
We need to export, not import.
J'ai dit déballer, pas emballer.
[ʒe·di·de·ba·le pa·ɑ̃·ba·le]
I said unpack, not pack.
C'est un problème international, pas seulement national.
[sɛ·tœ̃·pʁɔ·blɛm·ɛ̃·tɛʁ·na·sjɔ·nal]
It's an international problem, not just a national one.
Pronouns in focus
The small pronouns je, tu, il, le, me cannot carry stress. Where English simply says “I said it” with weight on I, French needs a stressable pronoun: moi, toi, lui, elle. For the subject you usually reach for c'est … qui, otherwise you add the stressed pronoun.
Stressable pronouns with a peak
C'est moi qui l'ai dit, pas lui.
[sɛ·mwa·ki·le·di pa·lɥi]
I was the one who said it, not him.
C'est toi qui décides.
[sɛ·twa·ki·de·sid]
YOU decide.
Je l'ai invitée, elle, pas sa sœur.
[ʒə·le·ɛ̃·vi·te ɛl pa·sa·sœʁ]
I invited HER, not her sister.
