10 common French mistakes English speakers make

French and English share thousands of words, which helps a lot. It also tempts us to translate word for word exactly where it does not work. These are the mistakes we see most often, with the correct form and the reason.

1. Age goes with «avoir» (to have)

Je suis 20 ans. → J'ai 20 ans.

In French you «have» years: literally «I have 20 years». The same goes for being hungry or cold: j'ai faim, j'ai froid, j'ai peur (I'm scared).

2. «Je suis excité» does not mean you are excited

Je suis excité pour le voyage. → J'ai hâte de partir en voyage.

«Excité» usually sounds sexual or overexcited. To say you are looking forward to something, use j'ai hâte or je suis impatient.

3. «Je suis fini» means something else

Je suis fini. → J'ai fini.

«I'm finished» translates as j'ai fini (I have finished). «Je suis fini» sounds like «I'm done for».

4. «À le» and «de le» don't exist

Je vais à le marché. → Je vais au marché.

À + le becomes au and à + les becomes aux. The same with de: du and des.

5. No article before jobs

Il est un médecin. → Il est médecin.

After être, jobs and nationalities go without «un» or «une»: Je suis étudiant, Elle est canadienne.

6. You can't drop the article

Je mange pain. → Je mange du pain.

English says «I eat bread», but French almost never leaves a noun alone. Use du, de la or des for an unspecified amount. In negative sentences it becomes de: Je ne mange pas de viande.

7. Countries take «en» or «au»

Je vais à France. → Je vais en France.

Cities take à (à Paris), feminine countries take en (en France) and masculine ones take au (au Canada).

8. Motion verbs use «être» in the past

J'ai allé au cinéma. → Je suis allé au cinéma.

Verbs like aller (to go), venir (to come), partir (to leave) and arriver (to arrive) form the past with être.

9. Don't pronounce every final letter

Most final consonants are silent: Paris sounds like «pa-ree», petit like «puh-tee». A useful rule of thumb: the letters C, R, F and L at the end are often pronounced (think of the word «careful»), most others are not.

10. False friends