Common English mistakes French speakers make, and how to fix them
If your first language is French, many of your English mistakes are not random. They follow French grammar, French sounds and a long list of false friends. That is transfer from a first language, not carelessness, and each mistake has a clear fix.
The big ones. 1) "I am agree" (je suis d'accord) → "I agree". 2) "I have 30 years" (j'ai 30 ans) → "I'm 30"; "I have hunger" → "I'm hungry". 3) The present with "since" for duration (depuis): "I live here since two years" → "I've lived here for two years", or "since 2015". 4) "The" for general ideas: "the life is beautiful" → "life is beautiful". 5) Adjective after the noun: "a car red" → "a red car". 6) False friends: "actually" ≠ actuellement (say "currently"), "eventually" ≠ éventuellement ("possibly"), "library" ≠ librairie ("bookstore"), "sensible" ≠ sensible ("sensitive"), "deception" ≠ déception ("disappointment"), "attend" ≠ attendre ("wait for"), "assist" ≠ assister à ("attend"). 7) "Explain me", "I am used to do" → "explain to me", "I'm used to doing". 8) Uncountables made plural: "informations", "advices" → "information", "advice". 9) The dropped "h" ("I 'ave", "'appy") and "th" said as s or z ("sink" for "think", "ze" for "the"). 10) Stress and endings: stress moved to the last syllable ("compuTER" → "comPUter"), "-ed" said as an extra syllable ("work-ed" → "workt"), and "ch" said as "sh" ("share" for "chair").
Knowing the rule is rarely the problem: these are speaking habits, so the practice has to happen out loud. With Airi you talk, she answers out loud, shows one small fix at a time and keeps the conversation going. The sections below add the mistakes this list leaves out, the sounds worth practicing and a short routine. Free to start, no card needed.
A quick example with Airi
French phrases that go wrong when translated word for word into English
Each sentence on the left is a correct French sentence carried into English word for word. Learn the English version as a ready-made chunk.
| French speakers often say | Natural English | The French behind it |
|---|---|---|
| You miss me. (to mean "I miss you") | I miss you. | In "tu me manques", the person who is missed is the subject. |
| I am born in Lyon. | I was born in Lyon. | "Je suis né" is built with the present of "être". |
| My uncle learned me to drive. | My uncle taught me to drive. | "Apprendre" means both "learn" and "teach". |
| Can you remember me to call her? | Can you remind me to call her? | "Rappeler" (remind) and "se rappeler" (remember) are one verb. |
| I did a mistake. | I made a mistake. | "Faire" covers both "do" and "make". |
| She wins a good salary. | She earns a good salary. | "Gagner" covers both "win" and "earn". |
| I called for book a table. | I called to book a table. | French shows purpose with "pour" plus an infinitive: "pour réserver". |
| We were five at dinner. | There were five of us at dinner. | "Nous étions cinq": French counts people with "être". |
| It's the first time I come here. | It's the first time I've been here. | "C'est la première fois que je viens" uses the present. |
| It depends of the weather. | It depends on the weather. | "Dépendre de": "de" is usually "of". |
| I'm waiting the bus. | I'm waiting for the bus. | "Attendre" takes its object directly: "j'attends le bus". |
French grammar habits that do not carry over into English
- The passé composé trap. "J'ai vu Paul hier" is built like "I have seen", so out comes "I have seen Paul yesterday." With a finished time, English uses the simple past: "I saw Paul yesterday."
- One French present, two English ones. "Je travaille" is both "I work" and "I'm working", so "Sorry, I can't talk, I work" slips out. For something happening right now, English needs the -ing form: "Sorry, I can't talk. I'm working."
- Future after "when". "Quand j'arriverai" gives "When I will arrive, I will call you." After "when" and "as soon as", English keeps the present even for future time: "When I arrive, I'll call you."
- No article before a job. "Je suis ingénieur" becomes "I am engineer." English needs "a" or "an": "I'm an engineer."
- His and her. "Son" and "sa" agree with the thing owned, so "Marie et son frère" turns into "Marie and his brother." English follows the owner: "Marie and her brother."
- Adverb between verb and object. "Je parle bien anglais" leads to "I speak well English", and "J'aime beaucoup ce film" to "I like very much this movie." English keeps the verb and its object together: "I speak English well", "I like this movie very much."
- "There is" with a plural. "Il y a" is the same for one thing or several, so "Il y a deux solutions" becomes "There is two solutions." English matches the noun: "There are two solutions."
- Comparatives with "more". French builds almost every comparative with "plus" ("plus grand", "plus facile"), which gives "more big" and "more easy". Short English adjectives take "-er": "bigger", "easier".
English sounds and rhythm French does not have, and how to produce them
The dropped "h" and the "th" get most of the attention. (Speakers from France tend to replace "th" with s or z; speakers from Quebec, with t or d.) The habits below deserve the same care, because each one can change the word or hide a piece of grammar.
| What to work on | Practice words | How to make it |
|---|---|---|
| Short i and long ee | ship / sheep, live / leave | French has one "i" sound where English has two, so "ship" tends to come out as "sheep". For "sheep", smile and hold the vowel. For "ship", let the mouth relax and cut the vowel short. |
| The English r | right, really, around | The French r is made at the back of the mouth. For the English one, raise the tongue tip, touch nothing, and round the lips a little. |
| The vowel in "cup" | much, lunch, love | It often comes out like the French "eu" in "neuf", with rounded lips. Keep the lips relaxed and unrounded and open the jaw a little, toward a short "a". |
| Final "s" | she works, two years | A written final "s" is usually silent in French, so plural and he/she/it endings tend to disappear. Say every one: an s sound in "works", a z sound in "years". |
| Weak syllables | a cup of tea, I can do it | French gives each syllable a full vowel at a fairly even pace. English stresses the key words and shrinks the rest: "a CUP-uh TEA", "I kun DO it". |
| Shared words said the French way | nation, culture, village, psychology | These are spelled the same, or nearly the same, in French, so the French pronunciation slips in. In English: "NAY-shun", "KUL-cher", "VIL-ij", and "sy-KOL-uh-jee" with a silent p. |
French-English false friends beyond "actually" and "library"
| French word | Does not mean | In English, say |
|---|---|---|
| passer un examen | pass an exam ("réussir") | take an exam: "I took the exam on Monday and passed." |
| rester | rest ("se reposer") | stay: "I stayed home all weekend." |
| demander | demand ("exiger") | ask for: "I asked for a refund." |
| une formation (at work) | a formation | training: "I did two days of training." |
| un stage | a stage ("une étape", "une scène") | an internship: "I did an internship at a bank." |
| un délai | a delay ("un retard") | a time limit or deadline: "What's the deadline for this report?" |
| une société (a business) | a society | a company: "I work for a software company." |
| prétendre | pretend ("faire semblant") | claim: "He claims he sent the email." |
| une location | a location ("un lieu") | a rental: "We booked a vacation rental." |
| sympathique | sympathetic ("compatissant") | nice or friendly: "My new boss is really nice." |
Take extra care with "demand" at work: in English it means insisting, so "I demand an answer" sounds angry where "demander" is neutral. French has also given some English-looking words meanings of their own. In English, "un parking" is a parking lot, "un footing" is a jog, "un smoking" is a tuxedo, "un planning" is a schedule, and "des baskets" are sneakers.
A short speaking routine with Airi for French speakers
Airi answers out loud and shows one small fix at a time. She does not score or analyze pronunciation, so for the sound pairs use her as a listener. Your free credits last about eight minutes, so keep each step short.
- Tell her what to listen for: "French is my first language. Please point out when I say 'I have seen' with a finished time, or 'since' with the present."
- Have her ask about yesterday, step by step. Every answer needs the simple past: "I got up at seven", "I took the train", "I had lunch with a coworker."
- Tell her how long you have had your job, your home and your phone: "I've worked there for three years", "I've had this phone since March."
- Make three plans with "when" or "as soon as": "When I finish this project, I'll take a few days off."
- End with "live" and "leave": say where you live and what time you leave home. If her answer shows she understood the other word, say the sentence again more slowly.
- When a small fix appears, repeat the corrected sentence aloud once, then carry on.
How to get the most from it
"Avoir" phrases that take "be"
"J'ai 30 ans", "j'ai faim", "j'ai froid" and "j'ai raison" become "I'm 30", "I'm hungry", "I'm cold" and "I'm right".
"For" a length of time, "since" a starting point
"Depuis" covers both. "I've lived here for two years", "I've lived here since 2024": both need "have".
Breathe out for "h"
Start "happy", "house" and "have" with a light breath, as if fogging a mirror. A hand in front of your mouth should feel the air.
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