10 Common Mistakes in French You Won’t Make Anymore
Certain mistakes in French are very common among English speakers. These errors often come from the literal translation of a word or expression from English into French. Several different words in French can have the same meaning in English, which can be tricky.
Others are anglicisms, meaning the English word exists in French but has a different meaning in French. Here are 10 very common mistakes in French you won’t make anymore after reading this article.
1 - Je vais bien
Common mistake: “Je suis bien”
In French, when you want to express that you are doing well, you do not use être (je suis bien), but instead use aller (to go). “Je vais bien” means "I am doing well." “Je vais bien” refers to your well-being (literally, "I am going well"). “Je suis bien “ would imply something more physical or moral, like being in a good state, but it is not used for well-being.
Always remember to use aller to express how you're feeling or doing, not être!
Tu vas bien ? - Are you doing well?
Je vais bien, merci - I am fine, thank you
2 - Occupé
Common mistake: “Le magasin est très occupé”
In French, the adjective occupé is used to describe a person. However, it’s important to note that occupé is not used to describe a place as being busy or crowded. Here is a breakdown:
Describing a person (correct use): When referring to a person, occupé means that they are busy or engaged with something.
Je suis occupé(e) - I am busy
Elle est très occupée aujourd'hui - She is very busy today
Describing a place (incorrect use):
Occupé cannot describe a place as being busy or crowded. For that, French uses different expressions, such as:
Il y a beaucoup de monde ici - It’s busy here
Le magasin est bondé.- The shop is crowded
La rue est animée - The street is lively
3 - Talking about the weather
Common mistake: “C’est froid aujourd’hui”
In English, we say "It's hot" or "It's cold" to describe the weather, but translating this literally into French “C'est chaud “or “C'est froid” is incorrect.
In French, when talking about the weather, the expression “Il fait” followed by an adjective is used. This structure is mandatory when referring to temperature or weather conditions. Unlike in English, “C'est “is not used in these cases.
Il fait chaud aujourd'hui - It's hot today
Il fait froid en hiver - It's cold in winter
Il fait beau - It's nice (weather)
4 - Chercher - To look for
Common mistake: “Je cherche pour un ticket de métro”
In French, the verb chercher (to look for) does not require a preposition like "for" in English. It is directly followed by the object being sought. This is because chercher inherently includes the meaning of "for" in its definition. Therefore, adding a preposition like "pour" would be incorrect..
Je cherche mes clés - I am looking for my keys
5 - Beaucoup - a lot, many, much
Common mistake: “J’ai beaucoup des amis”
One common beginner mistake is always using beaucoup des when expressing a large quantity. Like other adverbs of quantity (un peu, trop, assez, etc.), beaucoup is nearly always followed by de, with no article. Even if the noun following beaucoup is plural, you must use beaucoup de and not beaucoup des.
J'ai beaucoup de livres - I have many books
Tu as beaucoup d'amis - You have many friends
6 - Rendre visite à / visiter
Common mistake: “Je visite mes amis ce week-end”
Visiter is used to talk about visiting a place (e.g., a city, a museum, a monument). It cannot be used for visiting a person.
Rendre visite à is used exclusively for visiting people (e.g., friends, family). It requires the preposition à to link it to the person being visited.
Visiter (a place):
Je vais visiter le Louvre demain - I’m going to visit the Louvre tomorrow
Nous avons visité Paris l'été dernier - We visited Paris last summer
Rendre visite à (a person):
Je vais rendre visite à ma grand-mère ce week-end - I’m going to visit my grandmother this weekend
Elle rend souvent visite à ses amis à Lyon - She often visits her friends in Lyon
7 - Connaître / savoir
Common mistake: “Je connais que tu habites à Paris”
In French, savoir and connaître are two tricky verbs that are often confused because they both translate to "to know" in English.
·Savoir: Used to express knowledge of facts, information, or how to do something.
Est-ce que tu sais utiliser le métro ? - Do you know how to use the subway?
Je sais que tu es américaine. - I know that you are Americ
Connaître: Used to express familiarity with people, places, or things.
Je connais Pierre - I know Pierre
Est-ce que tu connais ce restaurant ? - Do you know this restaurant?
8 - Manquer / Manquer de / Manquer à
Common mistake: “Je te manque”
The verb manquer in French can take on different meanings depending on its construction. Here is a breakdown of the grammar rules and common uses:
1 - Manquer + direct object
To miss something or fail to do something. When "manquer" is followed by a direct object, it means "to miss" in the sense of not attending, not catching, or failing to do something.
J'ai manqué le train - I missed the train
Elle a manqué son rendez-vous - She missed her appointment
2- Manquer de + noun
To lack something. When "manquer" is followed by de and a noun, it means "to lack" or "to be missing something."
Il manque de patience – He lacks patience
Nous manquons de temps pour finir ce projet – We lack time to finish this project
3. Manquer à + person/pronoun To be missed by someone.
This construction creates the most confusion for students learning French. It reverses the subject and object compared to English. The person doing the missing is the object of the preposition à.
Tu me manques - I miss you (Literally: You are missed by me)
Ses enfants lui manquent - She misses her children
8 - Retourner
Common mistake : “je retourne chez moi après les vacances “
To go back (to a place you visited in the past)
The verb retourner is not used to refer to your home or your country but mainly for a place you have been to but which is not necessarily familiar to you.
J’ai adoré le Japon et j’ai envie d’y retourner - I loved Japan, and I would like to go back there
J’ai oublié mon portable au restaurant, j’y retourne tout de suite - I forgot my phone at the restaurant; I'm going back there right away
9 - Actuellement
Common mistake: “Actuellement ce n’est pas vra”
English speakers often misuse actuellement in French because it looks and sounds like the English word actually, leading to a false cognate error. This mistake occurs when English speakers use actuellement when they mean actually, causing confusion.
Actuellement in French
It means currently or at the moment, referring to time.
Je travaille actuellement sur ce projet- I am currently working on this project
2. Actually in English
It means in fact or really, expressing clarification or contrast. In French, the equivalent would be en fait, effectivement, or vraiment.
Actually, I don’t agree- En fait, je ne suis pas d’accord
10 - Assister
Common mistake - "Je veux l’assister"
The verb assister in French can be tricky for English speakers because it looks similar to the English verb "assist," but it has a different meaning. In French, assister means "to attend" or "to be present at" an event, not "to help" (as "assist" does in English).
Assister - to attend, to be present at
Assister à is followed by a noun to describe the event or situation you are attending.
J'ai assisté à une conférence hier – I attended a conference yesterday
Elle assiste à un concert ce soir – She is attending a concert tonight
To express "to help" in French, you would use the verb aider:
Je vais t'aider avec tes devoirs - I will help you with your homework
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