« Like this », with a space on each side, and never "like this".
French quotation marks are not " " but « », called guillemets. They take a space inside each mark, and French has its own habits for dialogue and for a quote inside a quote.
This guide shows how to use French quotation marks, how to type them on any device, and the mistakes English speakers make when they switch.
A French quotation opens with « and closes with », two small double chevrons that sit on the line. A space separates each mark from the quoted words: « Bonjour ». The straight quotes of English, " ", are not used in careful French writing.
| Language | Quotation marks | Example |
|---|---|---|
| French | « » with a space inside | Il a dit : « Je viens. » |
| English | “ ” with no space | He said, “I'm coming.” |
| German | „ “ with no space | Er sagte: „Ich komme.“ |
| A quote inside a French quote | « … “ … ” … » | « Il m'a dit “non” hier. » |
The space after « and before » is a non-breaking space: it keeps the mark on the same line as the word next to it. With an ordinary space, a closing » can end up alone at the start of a new line, which looks like a typo.
The same space comes before : ; ! and ? in French. Our guide to French punctuation spacing covers all of them.
Most keyboards have no key for guillemets, but every system has a shortcut.
| Device | « | » |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Alt + 0171 | Alt + 0187 |
| Mac, US keyboard | Option + \ | Option + Shift + \ |
| Mac, French keyboard | Option + 7 | Option + Shift + 7 |
| iPhone and Android | hold the " key | hold the " key |
In Word, set the document language to French and AutoCorrect usually turns straight quotes into « » with the space. For accented letters, see how to type French accents.
The rule is about what belongs to the quote. When the quotation is a full sentence with its own final punctuation, that punctuation goes inside: Elle a répondu : « Je ne sais pas. » When you only quote a word or a phrase, the punctuation of your own sentence goes outside: Il parle d'un « petit souci ».
A colon usually introduces a quoted sentence, and the quotation then starts with a capital letter.
In French novels, a dialogue often opens with « and closes with » only at the end of the exchange. Each new speaker starts a new line with a dash instead of new quotation marks:
Short phrases such as demanda Léa stay inside the dialogue, without closing the guillemets. Many modern books drop the guillemets and use only the dashes.
When a quotation contains another one, French keeps « » outside and uses English curly quotes inside: « Il m'a dit “non” sans me regarder. » Some publishers use a second pair of guillemets instead. Either way, keep the same system through the whole text.
The apostrophe has its own rules too: our guide to the apostrophe in French explains them.
In French, quote « like this », with a non-breaking space on each side, curly quotes for a quote inside a quote, and the final punctuation inside only when the whole sentence is quoted.
What are French quotation marks called?
They are called guillemets: « to open and » to close. In English they are also known as angle quotes or chevrons.
How do you type guillemets on a keyboard?
On Windows, Alt + 0171 gives « and Alt + 0187 gives ». On a US Mac, use Option + \ and Option + Shift + \. On a phone, hold the quotation mark key.
Do you put a space inside French quotation marks?
Yes. French puts a non-breaking space after « and before », so the mark never ends up alone at the start of a line.
How do you write quotes within quotes in French?
Keep « » outside and use curly English quotes “ ” inside. Some publishers nest a second pair of guillemets instead; pick one system and keep it.
How is dialogue punctuated in French?
The dialogue usually opens with « and closes with » at the end of the exchange. Each change of speaker starts a new line with a dash.
Apostrophe· reads you a sentence, corrects it word by word, and explains the exact rule behind each mistake.
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