10 Everyday French Mistakes English Speakers Make (and How to Fix Them)

When you’re learning French as a French-lover, an expat, or preparing for your big move, you probably expect to make mistakes. But some errors are so common among English speakers that they instantly “give you away” — even if your grammar is great.

Here are my top 10 of the most common errors among English-speaking students — and how to fix them.

1. “Et vous !” instead of “Vous aussi”

Scene: You’re leaving the bakery, and the baker says: “Bonne journée !” (Have a nice day!)

If you answer “Et vous !” (And you!), you’ll probably get a smile... or a raised eyebrow ! Because it sounds unnatural and quite weird too. In French, the polite, natural answer is:
✅ “Vous aussi !” (You too!). And if you give "tu" to the person, go for "Toi aussi ! ".

2. “Il est 2” instead of “Il est 2 heures”

In English, you say “It’s 2 o’clock” or even “It’s 2.”
In French, you can’t drop “heures” when telling the time.
✅ Correct: “Il est 2 heures.”
🚫 Incorrect: “Il est 2.”

3. “Je suis bien” instead of “Je vais bien”

In English, “I’m good” is a natural reply to “How are you?” — but in French, “Je suis bien” means something different, usually it is used like "I am well seated" or "I am well something" to mean “I’m comfortable".
✅ Correct: “Je vais bien” (I’m doing well) because the question is "ça va ?" with the verb "aller".
You might also hear “Ça va bien.”

4. “La vacance” instead of “Les vacances”

In French, holidays/vacation are always plural.
🚫 “J’ai aimé ma vacance.”
✅ “J’ai aimé mes vacances.”

5. “Dans le week-end” instead of “Le week-end”

English speakers often say "dans le week-end" because of the literal translation from English.
But in French, you simply say:
✅ “Le week-end, je vais au marché.”
🚫 “Dans le week-end, je vais au marché.”

6. “Je suis froid” instead of “J’ai froid”

In English, you say “I’m cold,” but in French you “have cold" with the verb "avoir".
✅ “J’ai froid.”
🚫 “Je suis froid.” (which means you are emotionally cold and unsensible to people!)

7. “Je suis 30 ans” instead of “J’ai 30 ans”

In French, you “have” your age, you don’t “be” your age.
✅ “J’ai 30 ans.”
🚫 “Je suis 30 ans.”

8. “Je besoin de” instead of “J’ai besoin de”

Same logic: “I need” in French is literally “I have need of.” So you need to conjugate the verb "avoir".
✅ “J’ai besoin de dormir.”
🚫 “Je besoin de dormir.”

9. “Je regarde pour un appartement” instead of “Je cherche un appartement”

In English, “I’m looking for…” works because "to look for" means you are searching for something. But in French the verb is only chercher. "Regarder" is "look at".
✅ “Je cherche un appartement.”
🚫 “Je regarde pour un appartement.”

10. “J’attends pour toi” instead of “Je t’attends”

French doesn’t use “pour” after attendre.
✅ “Je t’attends.”
🚫 “J’attends pour toi.”

Why these mistakes happen?

Most of these errors come from direct translation — thinking in English and converting word by word. But French has its own fixed expressions, plural forms, and rhythms. Languages evolve, even when they share a common history... and translating directly is not often a good idea!

How to fix them — and sound natural

• Listen: Spend time hearing native French in real contexts (radio, series, podcasts).

• Repeat: Shadow native speakers — copy their intonation, not just their words.

• Practice with feedback: An app can’t tell you your “Et vous !” sounds weird — but I can 😉.

Want to master real-life French as an expat-to-be?

Join my online group or my private lessons, designed for English speakers who want to feel at home in French. ✉️ Contact me: contact@clemenceparis.fr