Does it matter - really?

Question

I suppose the real question is does it really matter if you get é or è right. Like, does this actually get use correctly or in a way that most french people would even notice.

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Matthew,
They do matter a great deal! They are both different sounds and to a French ear, they're not interchangeable. With verb endings it matters grammatically and phonetically: the accent tells you how you'll pronounce the conjugated verb and getting it wrong looks like you do not know the conjugation of that specific verb. Finally, in any type of formal communication (an email, an exam, a job application), a wrong or missing é/è does get noticed. Remember: French language is very pernickety!
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !