Option 8 is the key combination on a US keyboard, but it is not clear if you are using a US keyboard layout or some other language. I suggest using Keyboard Viewer to see what key combinations are available on your system. Open the International Preference Pane, click on the Input Menu tab & click the box next to Keyboard Viewer. This will make this available in your menu bar by clicking the flag icon. Select "Show Keyboard Viewer" from the flag menu & you will see a layout of the keyboard. You can then hold down the shift key, the option key OR shift + option to see all the possibilities. The highlighted ones are the accents than you can apply to letters. To get "é" type option-e (nothing will appear), then type e. This accent could be place over most letters. You can change the font in the drop-down menu. Not all fonts will have all characters. Keyboard Viewer places the typing directly into the top, open document.
