5 Common Mistakes English Speakers Make When Learning French (And How to Fix Them)
Are you making these classic errors? We analyzed the top discussions from French learners on Reddit to bring you the 5 most common mistakes English speakers make—and how to fix them.
Simply French Team
Learning French is a beautiful journey, but for English speakers, it can sometimes feel like navigating a minefield. One wrong vowel, and you’ve accidentally insulted someone’s grandmother!
We recently scoured a popular thread on the r/French subreddit, where hundreds of learners and native speakers discussed the most persistent stumbling blocks for English natives.
If you are just starting your journey on gosimplyfrench.com, watch out for these five classic errors.
1. The "Tu" vs. "Vous" Trap
In English, "You" is universal. You say it to your dog, and you say it to the Queen. In French, this distinction is social dynamite.
The Mistake:
Many beginners default to Tu (informal) with everyone because it feels friendlier. However, using tu with a stranger, a shopkeeper, or a boss can come across as rude or uneducated.
The Fix:
When in doubt, always use Vous.
- Tu: For children, close friends, family, and pets.
- Vous: For strangers, elders, authority figures, and groups of people.
Wait for the native speaker to invite you to use "tu" ("On peut se tutoyer?") before switching.
2. "Je suis" vs. "J'ai" (The Temperature Trap)
This is perhaps the most famous—and potentially embarrassing—mistake discussed in learning communities.
The Mistake:
In English, we use "to be" for physical states: "I am hot" or "I am hungry."
If you directly translate "I am hot" to "Je suis chaud," you aren't saying the temperature is high. You are using a slang term implying you are… sexually aroused.
The Fix:
In French, you "have" these sensations.
- Correct: J'ai chaud (I have heat).
- Correct: J'ai faim (I have hunger).
3. False Friends (Les Faux Amis)
French and English share a lot of history, which means we share a lot of words. But beware: looks can be deceiving.
The Mistake:
Using a French word that looks like an English word, assuming it means the same thing.
- Actuellement: This does not mean "Actually." It means "Currently."
- Attendre: This does not mean "To attend." It means "To wait."
The Fix:
Context is key. If you want to say "Actually," use En fait. If you want to say "To attend," use Assister à.
4. The Gender Guessing Game
English nouns are gender-neutral. A table is an "it." In French, everything has a gender, and English speakers often ignore this or guess randomly.
The Mistake:
Using Le or Un for everything. This affects adjectives, pronouns, and past participles later on. If you call a table le table (it is la table), a native speaker will understand you, but it sounds jarring.
The Fix:
Don't learn the word Table. Learn the chunk: Une table.
Whenever you learn new vocabulary on simplyfrench, always memorize the article (le/la/un/une) attached to the noun as if it were one single word.
5. Pronouncing the Silent Letters
English has silent letters (like the 'k' in Knight), but French takes it to a new level.
The Mistake:
Pronouncing the last letter of every word. For example, pronouncing the 's' in Paris or the 't' in Chat.
The Fix:
Generally, if a French word ends in a consonant (especially D, P, S, T, X, Z), don't pronounce it unless the next word starts with a vowel (liaison).
- Paris sounds like "Pa-ree."
- Chat sounds like "Sha."
Ready to Stop Making Mistakes?
Recognizing these errors is the first step toward fluency. The second step is consistent practice with a structured method.
At simply french, we focus on fixing these specific "English speaker" hurdles right from the start. Don't just memorize words—understand how the language works.