Almost every error English speakers make in French is predictable — and that means it is also drillable. This page is a catalog of the systematic mistakes that anglophone learners produce, organized by category, with a brief explanation of each and a pointer to a dedicated page where you can drill it. If you find yourself making any error on this list, the next-best step is to spend twenty minutes on the dedicated page until the correct form feels reflexive.
The errors below cluster into three broad sources: transfer errors (importing English structure where French structure is different), register errors (using the wrong level of formality), and fossilized confusions (rules that learners memorized incompletely and now apply inconsistently). All three are normal stages of acquisition, and all three are correctable.
Auxiliary confusion: avoir vs être for the passé composé
English forms its compound past with one auxiliary — to have. French uses two: avoir for most verbs, être for a closed list of about seventeen motion and change-of-state verbs (the maison d'être) and for all pronominal verbs. The transfer error is to use avoir everywhere by default.
❌ J'ai allé au marché ce matin.
Wrong — *aller* takes *être*
✅ Je suis allé(e) au marché ce matin.
I went to the market this morning.
The mnemonic Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp (Devenir, Revenir, Mourir, Sortir, Venir, Aller, Naître, Descendre, Entrer, Rentrer, Tomber, Rester, Arriver, Monter, Partir, plus passer in some senses) covers the canonical list. Pronominal verbs (se laver, se réveiller, s'asseoir) are also always être. See the dedicated drill at errors/auxiliary-confusion.
Avoir for sensations and age, not être
English says I am hungry / I am thirsty / I am hot / I am cold / I am sleepy / I am scared / I am twenty-five years old. French uses avoir for every one of those: j'ai faim, j'ai soif, j'ai chaud, j'ai froid, j'ai sommeil, j'ai peur, j'ai vingt-cinq ans. The literal translation je suis chaud(e) is not just wrong — it has a sexual connotation that will land badly.
❌ Je suis faim.
Not French — *avoir* required for hunger
✅ J'ai faim.
I'm hungry.
This is the single most embarrassing transfer error in beginner French. See the dedicated drill at errors/avoir-vs-etre-sensations.
Wrong or missing prepositions after verbs
French verbs license their own prepositions, and these often do not match English. Three patterns trip up learners constantly:
English preposition, French none — French écouter, attendre, regarder, chercher, demander, payer, habiter take direct objects without prepositions, where English uses to / for / at / out / into.
❌ J'écoute à la radio le matin.
Wrong — *écouter* takes a direct object
✅ J'écoute la radio le matin.
I listen to the radio in the morning.
French preposition, English none — téléphoner à, répondre à, jouer à (a game), jouer de (an instrument), obéir à, plaire à — all require prepositions where English uses bare transitives.
❌ J'ai téléphoné Marie hier soir.
Wrong — *téléphoner* requires *à*
✅ J'ai téléphoné à Marie hier soir.
I called Marie last night.
Different preposition — penser à (think about) vs penser de (think of, in the sense of "what's your opinion"). Parler à (talk to) vs parler de (talk about). The wrong choice produces ungrammatical or differently-meaning sentences. See the dedicated drill at errors/preposition-after-verbs.
Depuis takes the present, not the passé composé
English I have lived here for five years uses the present perfect because the situation began in the past and continues. French uses the simple present for the same situation: j'habite ici depuis cinq ans. Using the passé composé instead — j'ai habité ici depuis cinq ans — would mean I lived here for five years and then stopped, which is not what you want.
❌ J'ai étudié le français depuis trois ans.
Wrong (or means: I studied French for three years and stopped)
✅ J'étudie le français depuis trois ans.
I have been studying French for three years (and still am).
The same logic applies to il y a ... que and ça fait ... que. See the dedicated drill at errors/depuis-tense-confusion.
Si + present, never si + conditional
English allows if I would do X; French categorically forbids si + conditional in the protasis. The si-clause takes either the present (for likely conditions) or the imperfect (for hypothetical conditions); the result clause takes the future or the conditional, respectively.
❌ Si je serais riche, j'achèterais une maison.
Wrong — *si* never takes the conditional
✅ Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison.
If I were rich, I would buy a house.
Memorize the three patterns:
- Si + présent, futur (real condition): Si tu viens, on dînera ensemble.
- Si + imparfait, conditionnel (hypothetical): Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais.
- Si + plus-que-parfait, conditionnel passé (counterfactual past): Si j'avais su, je serais venu.
See the dedicated drill at errors/si-with-conditional.
Vouloir que + subjunctive when subjects differ
English uses an infinitive in I want you to come. French requires a subordinate clause with the subjunctive: je veux que tu viennes. The infinitive is reserved for the same-subject case: je veux venir = I want to come.
❌ Je veux toi venir demain.
Not French — English-style infinitive doesn't work here
❌ Je veux que tu viens demain.
Wrong tense in subordinate clause
✅ Je veux que tu viennes demain.
I want you to come tomorrow.
The same pattern holds for préférer que, demander que, exiger que, souhaiter que, and many other verbs of will. See the dedicated drill at errors/want-someone-to-do.
Manquer is inverted: tu me manques = I miss you
The verb manquer (to be missed by) flips the English subject and object. Tu me manques literally is you are missed by me — meaning I miss you. Reverse it and you say something different.
❌ Je te manque très fort.
Means: you miss me a lot. (Probably not what you intended.)
✅ Tu me manques très fort.
I miss you a lot.
The same inversion governs plaire à (ce film me plaît = I like this film, literally "this film is pleasing to me"). See the dedicated drill at errors/manquer-i-miss-you.
Ne is dropped in spoken French — but not always
In writing and formal speech, French negation is ne ... pas (or ne ... jamais, ne ... rien, ne ... personne, ne ... plus). In casual speech, ne is dropped at extremely high rates — je sais pas, t'inquiète pas, y'a pas de problème. Learners who have been told to "always include ne" sound stiff in conversation; learners who drop it everywhere sound illiterate in formal contexts.
J'ai pas vu le film, mais on m'en a beaucoup parlé. (informal speech)
I haven't seen the movie, but I've heard a lot about it.
Je n'ai pas vu le film, mais j'en ai beaucoup entendu parler. (writing or formal speech)
I haven't seen the movie, but I've heard a lot about it.
Both sentences are correct in their register. See the dedicated drill at errors/ne-drop-confusion.
Subjonctif after negated belief verbs
Je pense qu'il vient (indicative — assertion of fact) flips to Je ne pense pas qu'il vienne (subjunctive — denial of certainty). The same shift applies to croire, trouver (in the opinion sense), and espérer (debated). English makes no such mood shift.
Je pense qu'il viendra demain.
I think he'll come tomorrow. (assertion → indicative)
Je ne pense pas qu'il vienne demain.
I don't think he'll come tomorrow. (denial → subjunctive)
This is one of the productive triggers that keeps the subjunctive alive in modern spoken French. See errors/subjunctive-after-negated-belief.
Gender errors
Every French noun has a grammatical gender, and the gender determines article, adjective, and pronoun forms. English speakers, having no gender system, make systematic errors.
The treacherous nouns are the ones whose gender doesn't match the meaning or the apparent ending: la voiture (car — feminine), le livre (book — masculine), la table, la chaise, la porte (all feminine), le bureau, le lit (masculine), la mer but le port, le silence but la patience, le problème but la solution. Some words even have two genders with different meanings: un livre (book) vs une livre (pound). See the dedicated drill at errors/gender-of-nouns.
C'est vs il/elle est
The distinction is rule-governed, but the rule isn't intuitive for English speakers, who use he is / she is / it is indiscriminately.
- C'est
- noun (with article): C'est un médecin. / C'est ma sœur.
- Il/Elle est
- adjective alone: Il est intelligent. / Elle est française.
- C'est
- adjective for general statements: C'est intéressant. / C'est cher.
- For professions and nationalities used adjectivally without article, il/elle est: Elle est française. But if you add an article, switch: C'est une Française.
❌ Il est un médecin.
Wrong — with the article, use *c'est*
✅ C'est un médecin.
He's a doctor.
✅ Il est médecin.
He's a doctor (no article — also correct).
See the dedicated drill at errors/c-est-vs-il-est.
Imperative pronoun position
In affirmative imperatives, object pronouns follow the verb and are joined by hyphens; me and te become moi and toi. In negative imperatives, pronouns precede the verb in their normal order.
✅ Donne-le-moi !
Give it to me! (affirmative — pronouns after verb)
✅ Ne me le donne pas !
Don't give it to me! (negative — pronouns before verb)
The asymmetry is unusual cross-linguistically and trips up almost everyone. See the dedicated drill at errors/imperative-pronoun-position.
False friends
Hundreds of French and English words share Latin roots but have drifted in meaning. The dangerous ones aren't the obvious lookalikes (you'll quickly learn that librairie is a bookstore, not a library) but the subtle ones:
- actuellement = currently (NOT actually). Actually = en fait.
- éventuellement = possibly (NOT eventually). Eventually = finalement.
- demander = ask (NOT demand). Demand = exiger.
- prétendre = claim (NOT pretend). Pretend = faire semblant.
- assister à = attend (NOT assist). Assist = aider.
- sensible = sensitive (NOT sensible). Sensible = raisonnable.
- passer un examen = take an exam (NOT pass). Pass an exam = réussir un examen.
- attendre = wait (NOT attend). Attend = assister à.
See the dedicated drill at errors/false-friends.
Savoir vs connaître and their passé composé meanings
Both translate as to know in English, but they cover different territory. Savoir = know a fact, know how to do something. Connaître = be acquainted with a person, place, or work.
In the passé composé, both verbs shift meaning to a one-time event: j'ai su = I found out, j'ai connu = I met / made the acquaintance of. To say I knew (ongoing past state), use the imparfait: je savais, je connaissais.
J'ai su la nouvelle hier soir par mon frère.
I found out the news last night from my brother.
Je savais déjà, mais j'ai fait semblant d'être surpris.
I already knew, but I pretended to be surprised.
See the dedicated drill at errors/savoir-passe-compose-meaning.
Aller + infinitive (no preposition)
For the futur proche (the near future), French uses aller + bare infinitive — no preposition between them. English speakers sometimes wrongly insert à by analogy with the aller à + place pattern.
❌ Je vais à partir demain matin.
Wrong — no preposition between *aller* and infinitive
✅ Je vais partir demain matin.
I'm going to leave tomorrow morning.
Participle agreement
With être as auxiliary, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number: elle est partie, ils sont arrivés. With avoir as auxiliary, the participle agrees with a preceding direct object: les pommes que j'ai mangées, but j'ai mangé les pommes (no agreement, since the object follows).
✅ Elle est arrivée hier soir.
She arrived last night. (être — agree with subject)
✅ Les lettres que j'ai écrites sont prêtes.
The letters I wrote are ready. (avoir — agree with preceding direct object)
✅ J'ai écrit deux lettres ce matin.
I wrote two letters this morning. (avoir — no agreement, object follows)
The agreement is mostly silent in pronunciation (the -e is silent), so this rule is largely orthographic — but it matters for writing. See the dedicated drill at errors/participle-agreement.
Common Mistakes (a meta-list)
❌ Memorizing rules but never reproducing them in real time
Knowing a rule passively is not the same as applying it under speaking pressure. Drills exist for a reason.
❌ Treating these errors as embarrassing rather than as data
Every fluent speaker once made all of these. The point is to track which ones you make, not to feel bad about them.
❌ Avoiding the subjunctive entirely because it's hard
The subjunctive is productive in modern spoken French; avoiding it will mark your speech as foreign for the rest of your life.
❌ Writing the way you speak (or speaking the way you write)
The two registers really do differ; pick correct forms for each context.
❌ Translating word-for-word from English
Most of the errors above come from this single habit. Building French sentences directly from a French verb's argument structure is the long-term cure.
Key takeaways
The errors English speakers make in French are systematic, predictable, and finite. The big categories are auxiliary choice (avoir vs être), preposition mismatches after verbs, mood errors (subjunctive triggers, si-clauses), tense errors (depuis + present, savoir/connaître in passé composé), false friends, gender errors, c'est/il-est confusion, and pronoun-position errors in imperatives. Each has a dedicated drill page in this section. The path forward is to identify which errors you personally make most often and drill those specifically until the correct forms become reflexive — that is the difference between knowing about the rule and speaking it correctly.
Now practice French
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Start learning French→Related Topics
- Avoir vs Être: sensationsA1 — English speakers say *I am hungry, I am hot, I am twenty years old* — but French uses *avoir* (to have) for sensations and age, not *être* (to be). A drill for the single most embarrassing transfer error in beginner French.
- Confusion sur l'Auxiliaire (avoir/être)A2 — English uses *to have* for every compound past; French splits the work between *avoir* and *être*. A drill on the maison d'être verbs, pronominal verbs, and the transitive switch that flips the auxiliary back to avoir.
- Préposition Manquante ou Mauvaise après VerbesA2 — The preposition you put after a French verb often differs from the English equivalent — sometimes adding one English doesn't have, sometimes dropping one English requires.
- Depuis et le Présent, pas le Passé ComposéA2 — French uses the present tense with depuis where English would use the perfect — 'I have been waiting for an hour' becomes 'j'attends depuis une heure', not 'j'ai attendu'.
- Les Faux AmisB1 — French and English share thousands of cognates, but a famous handful share spelling without sharing meaning — the false friends that trip up confident speakers.
- Pas de Conditionnel après 'si'B1 — The most stigmatized error in French: putting a conditional after 'si'. The rule is absolute — si never takes a conditional in the if-clause.
- Vouloir + Que + Subjonctif vs Vouloir + InfinitifB1 — Why 'I want you to come' becomes 'je veux que tu viennes' and never *je veux toi venir — the subjects-must-differ rule that English speakers break daily.
- Manquer: 'I miss you' InversionA2 — Why 'I miss you' is 'tu me manques' — the upside-down construction every anglophone gets backwards, with the rule that finally makes it click.
- C'est vs Il/Elle Est: confusionA2 — When do you say *c'est intelligent* and when do you say *il est intelligent*? French keeps the two patterns rigorously separate, while English uses *it is* and *he is* almost interchangeably. Drill the four-quadrant decision.
- Position des Pronoms à l'ImpératifA2 — Affirmative imperatives put the pronoun after the verb with hyphens, negative imperatives put it before — anglophones flip the rule constantly. Drill the asymmetry until it feels automatic.
- Subjonctif après Négation de penser/croireB2 — French verbs of thinking and believing flip mood when negated or questioned — affirmative takes the indicative, but 'I don't think' or 'do you think' triggers the subjunctive.
- Quand Garder ou Supprimer Le NeB1 — Why French speakers say 'j'sais pas' instead of 'je ne sais pas' — the register rules for dropping ne, the order it never breaks, and the traps for English speakers in between.
- L'Accord du Participe PasséB1 — The three rules for past participle agreement — with être, with avoir, and with reflexive verbs — and the order in which native French speakers actually apply them.
- Le Genre: erreurs fréquentesA2 — Anglophones invent the wrong gender for French nouns more often than any other error — a drill of the high-frequency traps, the misleading endings, and the only learning strategy that actually works.