⚠️ 20 Common Mistakes in French to Avoid
When learning French, it’s natural to make mistakes.
But some errors are so common that almost every learner makes them.
By knowing them in advance, you can avoid confusion and sound more natural when speaking French.
Here’s a list of the 20 most common mistakes in French with examples and corrections.
1. Confusing tu and vous
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❌ Tu allez bien ?
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✅ Tu vas bien ? / Vous allez bien ?
👉 Tu = informal / vous = formal or plural.
2. Forgetting Gender (Masculine vs. Feminine)
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❌ Un maison
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✅ Une maison
👉 Always learn nouns with their article (le, la).
3. Misusing Articles (un, le, du)
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❌ Je mange pain.
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✅ Je mange du pain.
👉 French usually requires an article.
4. Mixing c’est and il est
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❌ Il est un professeur.
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✅ C’est un professeur.
👉 C’est + noun / Il est + adjective.
5. Word Order with Adjectives
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❌ Une voiture rouge belle
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✅ Une belle voiture rouge
👉 Most adjectives go after the noun, except BAGS (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size).
6. Wrong Negation
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❌ Je ne pas comprends.
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✅ Je ne comprends pas.
👉 Negatives wrap around the verb: ne … pas.
7. Forgetting Liaison in Speech
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❌ Pronouncing: vous avez → “voo avé”
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✅ Correct: vous avez → “vou-zavez”
8. Confusing bon and bien
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❌ C’est très bon parler français.
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✅ C’est très bien de parler français.
👉 Bon = good (adjective), bien = well (adverb).
9. Wrong Plural Forms
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❌ Des chevals
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✅ Des chevaux
👉 Watch out for irregular plurals.
10. Direct vs Indirect Object Pronouns
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❌ Je lui vois.
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✅ Je le vois.
👉 Voir quelqu’un = direct object, so use le/la/les.
11. Using English Word Order
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❌ Je aime beaucoup Paris.
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✅ J’aime beaucoup Paris.
👉 Adverbs usually go after the verb.
12. Forgetting Verb Agreements in Passé Composé
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❌ Je les ai vu.
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✅ Je les ai vus.
👉 Direct object before the verb → agreement required.
13. False Friends (Faux Amis)
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❌ Je suis actuellement fatigué. → I’m actually tired.
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✅ Je suis en fait fatigué. (actuellement = currently).
14. Using très with Adjectives That Mean “Very”
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❌ C’est très magnifique.
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✅ C’est magnifique.
👉 Some adjectives already mean “very + adjective.”
15. Forgetting Prepositions
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❌ Je vais Paris.
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✅ Je vais à Paris.
16. Wrong Use of a vs à
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❌ Il à une voiture.
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✅ Il a une voiture. (a = has / à = to, at).
17. Mispronouncing Nasal Sounds
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❌ Saying pain like English “pain.”
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✅ Correct: nasal “pan” sound [pɛ̃].
18. Overusing très
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❌ C’est très très très bon.
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✅ C’est délicieux / excellent.
19. Using English Logic with French Tenses
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❌ Je suis 20 ans.
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✅ J’ai 20 ans. (In French you “have” an age, not “are”).
20. Forgetting Silent Letters
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❌ Pronouncing the t in chat → “chat-t”.
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✅ Correct: chat = [sha].
✅ Quick Recap
Common mistakes in French include:
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Mixing tu and vous
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Forgetting gender and articles
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Confusing c’est vs il est
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Misusing pronouns
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Wrong negation and word order
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Ignoring agreements and silent letters
👉 Most mistakes happen because learners apply English logic to French.
🎯 Practice Tip
Take 3–5 of these mistakes that you often make and write correct example sentences. Repeat them until they become automatic.
Conclusion
Making mistakes in French is normal, but by avoiding these 20 common errors, you’ll sound much more natural and confident.
👉 Pro tip: Listen to native speakers and copy their sentence structures. The more you hear correct French, the less you’ll make these errors.
TAGS: common mistakes in French, French learner errors, avoid mistakes in French grammar, French pronunciation errors, beginner French tips