Common English mistakes that French speakers make
During our many years, we had the opportunity to teach English to many French speakers, and even though French and English share a lot of vocabulary, how the words are used, pronounced and spelled is very different.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the most common mistakes French speakers make when learning English and give tips on how to fix them.
Pronunciation
‘TH’ sound
In French, the ‘th’ sound doesn’t exist. So when they see it in words in English, they tend to pronounce it like a ‘z’ or a hard ‘t’. For example:
● ‘This’ can sound like ‘zis’
● ‘Think’ can sound like ‘tink’
In English, the ‘th’ sound is made by putting your tongue between your teeth. Learn how to make the sound here:
The letter ‘H’
The letter ‘h’ causes problems because it’s not pronounced in French. They call it ‘le h muet’. This leads to two common mistakes:
● Not pronouncing it when you should
Hospital becomes ‘ospital’
hotel becomes ‘otel’
● Overemphasising it
In English, the ‘H’ at the start of words like hotel, hospital, hot, hat, happy, hurricane and help must be pronounced.
The letter ‘R’
The letter ‘I’
Vocabulary
Faux amis or False Friends
● attendre ≠ attend → attendre means to wait in French. To attend in English means to be there at an event or a party
Grammar
Is table masculine or feminine?
✅ The plant is very pretty.
✅ The pen is functional.
Adjectives
✅ A red car
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As an American who’s lived in London for a few years now, I really appreciated this breakdown. The subtle differences in vocabulary, like “boot” for “trunk,” still trip me up sometimes. Your point about the pacing and rhythm of the speech is spot-on—it’s something you don’t fully grasp until you’re immersed in it.
As someone who learned American English but now works with a UK-based team, this was a helpful read. I’m still getting used to saying ‘lift’ instead of ‘elevator’ in meetings! The point about different vocabulary leading to genuine confusion is so true.
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As an American who lived in London for a year, I really appreciated this breakdown. The subtle differences in vocabulary, like “boot” for “trunk,” were the most surprising and often led to funny misunderstandings. It’s fascinating how two versions of the same language can evolve such distinct flavours.
As an American who’s lived in London for a few years, I really appreciated this breakdown. The point about collective nouns often taking a plural verb in British English (e.g., “the team are playing”) was something that confused me at first, but now it feels perfectly natural. It’s these subtle grammatical differences, beyond just vocabulary, that are so interesting.