What Learning French Teaches You About English (Yes, Really!)
Learning French won’t just improve your French—it will change how you understand English. Discover how studying French sharpens your grammar, vocabulary, and cultural insight into your native language.
Introduction: Seeing Your Native Language Through New Eyes
When people start learning French, they usually have a clear goal in mind: travel, conversation, culture, or work. What they don’t expect—at least not right away—is how much learning French teaches them about English.
It’s an odd but fascinating phenomenon. You go into French class thinking you’re there to conjugate avoir, master gendered nouns, and survive French bakery etiquette. But somewhere along the way, strange things start to happen. You find yourself wondering why English doesn’t have a future tense marker. You suddenly notice how many English words end in -tion. You start understanding what a “direct object” actually is—not just in French, but in your own language.
Learning French is like holding up a mirror to English. It forces you to look at your native tongue with fresh eyes, revealing hidden structures, forgotten history, and cultural assumptions you didn’t know you had. It helps you become more precise, more reflective, and even more articulate in English.
In this article, we’ll explore the surprising and often delightful ways that learning French deepens your understanding of English. Whether you're just starting out or already fluent, this journey will give you a newfound appreciation for both languages—and for the power of contrast as a learning tool.
Part 1: Grammar Wake-Up Call — Understanding English by Learning French
1. You Actually Learn What a Subject, Object, and Verb Are
Many native English speakers speak fluently without ever consciously understanding how their own language works. Ask someone to define a “direct object” or explain the difference between an adverb and an adjective, and you’ll often get a blank stare.
But French demands clarity. From day one, you're parsing:
le sujet (subject)
le verbe (verb)
le complément d’objet direct (direct object)
You start asking: What’s the verb here? What’s being acted upon? What is modifying what?
🔍 What you gain: You finally understand the nuts and bolts of sentence structure—and that knowledge transfers back into your English writing and communication skills.
2. You Discover That English Actually Has Tense and Mood (Sort of)
French verbs are famous for their complexity—past tenses, future tenses, conditional, subjunctive. English seems simpler… until you realize that it, too, expresses time and mood, just in subtler ways.
Learning French helps you recognize:
The role of auxiliary verbs (I would go, I have gone)
How mood works in English (subjunctive: If I were you...)
Tense consistency (He said he would go vs. He said he goes)
🔍 What you gain: A better grasp of nuanced time references and hypothetical speech—something every writer or speaker in English benefits from.
3. You Learn the Difference Between Formal and Informal Language
French is highly conscious of social register. From tu vs. vous to formal vs. colloquial vocabulary, French makes you aware of how tone and context shape communication.
This trains you to be more intentional with English:
When to say “Hi” vs. “Dear Sir or Madam”
The difference between “ask” and “inquire”
Why “gonna” and “shall” don’t belong in the same sentence
🔍 What you gain: A sharper sense of tone, register, and audience in your English writing and speech.
Part 2: The Vocabulary Connection — English is Half-French (Literally)
1. You Realize English Is Packed With French Loanwords
Did you know that 30–45% of English vocabulary is derived from French? After the Norman conquest in 1066, English absorbed a massive number of French words.
Examples:
Justice, government, court, beauty, courage, doubt, restaurant, entrepreneur
As you study French, these words start popping out everywhere in English. But there’s more: you begin to see how they often denote more formal or refined concepts.
Compare:
Ask (Germanic root) vs. inquire (French root)
Help vs. assist
Start vs. commence
🔍 What you gain: A better command of register and an expanded vocabulary in English. You begin to sense when a French-derived word is more appropriate for formal writing or abstract discussion.
2. You Understand False Friends and Precision
French teaches you to be wary of faux amis—words that look similar in both languages but have different meanings.
Examples:
Actuellement ≠ Actually (means “currently”)
Demander ≠ Demand (means “to ask”)
Assister ≠ Assist (means “to attend”)
But it also sharpens your attention to subtle distinctions in English vocabulary that might otherwise go unnoticed.
🔍 What you gain: Greater awareness of word choice and a keener sense of language precision—skills that improve writing, reading, and even SAT scores.
Part 3: Spelling, Pronunciation, and the Great Language Reveal
1. You See Why English Spelling Is So Weird
If you’ve ever wondered why chef has an “f” sound instead of “ch,” or why rendezvous has a silent “s,” the answer lies in French. Many of English’s most unusual spellings are direct imports.
Learning French:
Explains why we say “ballet” as [ba-leh]
Helps decode English pronunciations like “croissant,” “debut,” and “bizarre”
Gives insight into why English has so many silent letters (thanks, Norman French)
🔍 What you gain: You stop seeing English spelling as random, and you start understanding it as historical.
2. You Become More Phonetically Sensitive
French pronunciation is subtle and demanding. You must tune your ear to nasal vowels, soft consonants, silent endings, and fluid liaisons.
As a result, you develop:
Sharper listening skills
Better awareness of mouth and tongue placement
Improved clarity in your own speech (in both languages)
Many French learners report becoming better English speakers as they refine their pronunciation habits across both languages.
🔍 What you gain: Improved enunciation, auditory perception, and verbal confidence in your native tongue.
3. You Understand How Writing Systems Reflect Culture
French forces you to think about accents, spelling reforms, and the gap between written and spoken language.
This helps you appreciate:
English’s lack of gendered nouns
The absence of diacritical marks in English
The role spelling plays in both languages’ cultural identity
🔍 What you gain: A broader linguistic worldview and a deeper appreciation for how language systems evolve and encode social norms.
FAQs: Learning French, Understanding English
Q: Can learning French really improve my English writing?
A: Absolutely. It builds awareness of grammar, vocabulary precision, and sentence structure—all of which translate into better English skills.
Q: I already speak English fluently. Why do I need to analyze it?
A: Native speakers often speak instinctively. Studying a second language makes the rules of your own language visible—and improves conscious usage.
Q: Are there other languages that reveal English like French does?
A: French is unique in its deep historical relationship with English. But Latin, German, and even Spanish can offer similar insights into English structure and vocabulary.
Q: Will I start confusing the two languages?
A: At first, maybe. But over time, your brain learns to compartmentalize them—and you’ll actually become more mentally agile as a result.
Q: Is learning French easier for native English speakers?
A: Yes! Because of the shared vocabulary and alphabet, English speakers have a head start in reading and recognizing many French words.
Learn French. See English Differently. Join Polyglottist Language Academy.
At Polyglottist Language Academy, we don’t just teach French—we open your mind to how languages work. Our classes help you:
Deepen your understanding of both French and English
Learn French grammar in a way that clarifies English grammar
Discover the shared history of two global languages
Develop stronger writing, thinking, and communication skills
Whether you’re in Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, or online, our small-group and private classes are designed to connect language with real insight.
👉 Ready to see your own language in a whole new light? Sign up for a French class today and unlock the double benefit of bilingual thinking.