The Top 10 Mistakes English Speakers Make in French—And How to Fix Them
Avoid common French mistakes English speakers make! Learn how to sound fluent—perfect for learners in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco.
Learning French is a rewarding and empowering journey—one that opens doors to new cultures, travel experiences, literature, and friendships. But if your native language is English, chances are you’ve stumbled into a few French “gotchas.” These little trip-ups are completely normal, and in fact, most English speakers make the same mistakeswhen learning French.
If you live in the Bay Area—especially in Berkeley, Oakland, or San Francisco—you’re in one of the best places in the U.S. to learn French. Whether you’re preparing for a trip to France, brushing up for work, or pursuing your lifelong dream of fluency, it’s incredibly helpful to recognize and fix the most common language pitfalls early on. Many local learners at our school tell us they feel stuck after the basics. They can introduce themselves, order at a café, and maybe follow a slow conversation—but they struggle to sound natural. That’s where this article comes in.
The truth is, sounding fluent isn’t just about vocabulary or grammar drills. It’s about mastering the small details that native French speakers don’t even think about—like gender rules, pronunciation quirks, idiomatic expressions, and false friends (those sneaky words that look English but mean something else entirely). These areas of confusion often cause frustration, embarrassment, and self-doubt—but the good news? They’re all fixable.
This guide breaks down the 10 most common mistakes English speakers make when learning French—and gives you easy, actionable ways to fix them. Whether you're attending in-person French classes in Berkeley, practicing with friends in Oakland, or studying solo in a San Francisco café, this article will help you make immediate improvements in your speaking, listening, and confidence.
And don’t worry—we’re not about perfection here. Making mistakes is part of the process. But being aware of these patterns helps you learn smarter, faster, and with a lot less frustration. So pour yourself a coffee, grab your notebook, and let’s dive in. Your French is about to level up.
1. Translating Word-for-Word from English
Why it happens:
It’s a natural instinct to translate thoughts directly from your native language. But French and English organize ideas differently. French often uses different verbs, sentence structures, and idiomatic expressions. When English speakers translate word-for-word, they end up producing sentences that sound strange, or worse, completely incorrect.
Common example:
❌ Je suis 30 ans.
✅ J’ai 30 ans.
("I am 30 years old" becomes "I have 30 years" in French.)
Other examples:
❌ Je suis fini. (Means "I am dead") — ✅ J'ai fini. (I’ve finished)
❌ Il fait froid dehors? (Correct!), not “Est-ce froid?”
How to fix it:
Start by thinking in French chunks, not individual words. Instead of translating, memorize common phrases as whole units: j’ai faim (I’m hungry), il fait beau (it’s nice outside), je m’appelle (my name is...). This helps you build muscle memory for real French rather than Frankensteined-English.
Work with native speakers, tutors, or a language partner in Berkeley or Oakland who can gently point out translation errors and help you reframe sentences. Over time, you’ll start to recognize and adopt real French syntax naturally.
2. Misusing Gender (Le vs. La)
Why it happens:
Unlike English, every French noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. There aren’t always logical reasons for why a chair (chaise) is feminine and a desk (bureau) is masculine. It confuses learners who haven’t grown up with this system, leading to random guessing.
Common mistake:
❌ La livre (should mean “the book,” but actually means “the pound”)
✅ Le livre (the book)
Other examples:
❌ Le voiture — ✅ La voiture (car)
❌ La problème — ✅ Le problème (problem)
How to fix it:
Treat gender like part of the word. Learn nouns with their articles from the beginning. Use flashcards with color-coded genders: blue for masculine, pink for feminine, or whatever helps you visualize. You can also build your own gender dictionary as you go.
Some endings give clues:
-age, -ment, -eau are usually masculine.
-tion, -ette, -ie are typically feminine.
Still, there are exceptions, so immersion and repetition help more than logic.
3. Silent Letters and Pronunciation Traps
Why it happens:
English speakers are used to pronouncing most letters, but in French, pronunciation rules are quite different. Final consonants are often silent, nasal vowels are unique to French, and the infamous “French R” can throw even advanced learners off.
Common traps:
Vous parlez → [voo par-lé], not [par-lez]
Pain (bread) has a nasal sound, nothing like "pan"
Final consonants like t, s, x are silent in most cases
How to fix it:
The best remedy is listening and mimicking native speech. Use shadowing techniques (repeat audio immediately after hearing it), watch French TV with subtitles, and practice tongue twisters. Focus on one sound at a time—like nasal vowels (on, in, an) or the r sound in rue vs. roue.
Work with a teacher who can give you personalized pronunciation tips. Bay Area learners in Berkeley and Oakland can benefit greatly from live correction and oral repetition.
4. Overusing "Très" Instead of Natural Intensifiers
Why it happens:
“Très” is one of the first intensifiers taught to beginners, and it translates directly to “very.” But native speakers don’t use it constantly. English speakers tend to overuse "très" when they don't yet know stronger or more idiomatic expressions.
Common mistake:
❌ C’est très très bon. (Sounds childish or awkward)
✅ C’est délicieux. / C’est succulent.
Other options:
Vraiment bon (really good)
Franchement excellent (honestly excellent)
How to fix it:
Broaden your vocabulary of intensifiers and descriptive adjectives. Try:
Vraiment (really)
Carrément (totally)
Plutôt (rather)
Affreusement (awfully)
Learn intensifiers that fit with emotions, weather, food, and everyday situations. This not only improves your fluency but makes your French feel more expressive and native-like.
5. Skipping Liaison Rules (Or Overusing Them)
Why it happens:
Liaisons—the practice of linking the final consonant of one word to the first vowel sound of the next—are completely foreign to English. Learners often skip them, making speech sound robotic, or use them incorrectly, confusing listeners.
Common errors:
❌ Ils ont pronounced as "il ont" — ✅ [il-zont] with liaison
❌ Saying liaison after et: un homme et un enfant → no liaison
How to fix it:
Learn when liaisons are obligatory, optional, or forbidden:
Obligatory: Between pronoun + verb, article + noun (e.g., les amis → [lez-ami])
Forbidden: After et, or before words starting with an aspirated ‘h’
Optional: In formal speech or reading aloud
Practice aloud with phrases like:
Vous avez, Nous avons, Les enfants
Use recordings and mark your texts with liaison reminders.
6. False Friends: Words That Look Familiar but Aren’t
Why it happens:
English and French share many Latin roots, leading to words that look similar but have very different meanings. These “faux amis” (false friends) cause confusion and sometimes hilariously incorrect sentences.
Common pitfalls:
Actuellement = currently (not "actually")
Prétendre = to claim (not "pretend")
Demander = to ask (not "demand")
How to fix it:
Make a running list of false friends in your notebook or flashcard app. Quiz yourself regularly. Here are more tricky pairs to watch out for:
Attendre = to wait (not to attend)
Réaliser = to realize (not to produce)
Memorizing these in context is key. For example:
Je prétends que c’est vrai = I claim it’s true
J’assiste à un concert = I’m attending a concert
7. Using “Tu” and “Vous” Incorrectly
Why it happens:
English has only one "you," so many learners default to either "tu" or "vous" without knowing when to switch. This can result in being unintentionally rude or too formal.
Common slip-ups:
Using tu with a professor or colleague
Using vous with a close friend or a child
How to fix it:
Learn the social rules behind tu and vous:
Use tu with friends, kids, pets, and peers
Use vous with strangers, elders, professionals
In the Bay Area, French-speaking communities may be more relaxed than in Paris, but it’s still good to default to vousunless told otherwise.
When in doubt? Ask! Say, On peut se tutoyer ? (Can we use "tu"?)
8. Forgetting Prepositions (Or Choosing the Wrong One)
Why it happens:
Prepositions are often used differently in French, and direct translations rarely work. Even advanced learners stumble here because the rules are full of exceptions.
Common issues:
❌ Je pense à tu. — ✅ Je pense à toi.
❌ Je vais à maison. — ✅ Je vais à la maison or chez moi
How to fix it:
Study prepositional phrases as whole units. Focus on verbs that require prepositions and memorize them together:
Penser à, parler de, s’intéresser à, rêver de, etc.
You can also categorize by theme: prepositions for location (dans, sous, sur), direction (vers, en, jusqu’à), and time (depuis, pendant, il y a).
9. Neglecting Verb Tenses Beyond Present
Why it happens:
The present tense is taught first and feels safest. Learners often hesitate to branch out because past and future tenses require more conjugation and agreement rules.
Common error:
❌ Hier, je vais au marché.
✅ Hier, je suis allé au marché.
How to fix it:
Start small: master passé composé (for completed past events), futur proche (for immediate plans), and imparfait (for ongoing past situations).
Use daily journaling to write simple past or future sentences:
Aujourd’hui, j’ai mangé une crêpe.
Demain, je vais visiter un musée.
Reinforce grammar with storytelling, real conversation, and guided writing in class.
10. Speaking Too Fast Without Enough Grammar Awareness
Why it happens:
Many English speakers equate fluency with speed. They try to speak quickly to sound advanced, but this often leads to slurred pronunciation, grammar errors, and confusion.
How to fix it:
Fluency is not about speed; it’s about clarity and control. Speak slowly and deliberately. It’s better to form correct, understandable sentences than rush through a string of mistakes.
Record yourself and listen back. Focus on pronunciation, verb agreement, and sentence structure. You’ll find that even slow French can sound elegant and confident when spoken correctly.
Final Thoughts: Making French Work for You in the Bay Area
Whether you’re studying French in Berkeley, practicing in a café in San Francisco, or chatting with native speakers in Oakland, avoiding these common mistakes will make your journey smoother and more rewarding. Don’t be afraid of making errors—just make sure you learn from them and keep moving forward.
At Polyglottist Language Academy, we help learners like you turn these mistakes into milestones. With friendly, flexible classes and expert guidance, you can build real confidence and fluency.
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