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    15 Mistakes To Avoid in French

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    Aditi Rane
    1. This document provides 15 common mistakes that English speakers make when speaking French. Some examples include using the wrong pronouns, not pronouncing the last consonant of words, false cognates between English and French words, using the wrong prepositions, and mixing up similar verbs like "visiter" and "rendre visite". 2. It also discusses the differences between concepts like the imperfect and passé composé tenses, the verbs that use "être" vs "avoir", and prepositions like "de" and "des". 3. Finally, it notes some pronunciation issues like forgetting contractions and potentially misunderstood words if vowels are changed. The goal is to review fundamental grammatical and

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    15 Mistakes To Avoid in French

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    Aditi Rane
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    1. This document provides 15 common mistakes that English speakers make when speaking French. Some examples include using the wrong pronouns, not pronouncing the last consonant of words, false cognates between English and French words, using the wrong prepositions, and mixing up similar verbs like "visiter" and "rendre visite". 2. It also discusses the differences between concepts like the imperfect and passé composé tenses, the verbs that use "être" vs "avoir", and prepositions like "de" and "des". 3. Finally, it notes some pronunciation issues like forgetting contractions and potentially misunderstood words if vowels are changed. The goal is to review fundamental grammatical and

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    15 Mistakes to Avoid in French

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    1. This document provides 15 common mistakes that English speakers make when speaking French. Some examples include using the wrong pronouns, not pronouncing the last consonant of words, false cognates between English and French words, using the wrong prepositions, and mixing up similar verbs like "visiter" and "rendre visite". 2. It also discusses the differences between concepts like the imperfect and passé composé tenses, the verbs that use "être" vs "avoir", and prepositions like "de" and "des". 3. Finally, it notes some pronunciation issues like forgetting contractions and potentially misunderstood words if vowels are changed. The goal is to review fundamental grammatical and

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    162 views3 pages

    15 Mistakes To Avoid in French

    Uploaded by

    Aditi Rane
    1. This document provides 15 common mistakes that English speakers make when speaking French. Some examples include using the wrong pronouns, not pronouncing the last consonant of words, false cognates between English and French words, using the wrong prepositions, and mixing up similar verbs like "visiter" and "rendre visite". 2. It also discusses the differences between concepts like the imperfect and passé composé tenses, the verbs that use "être" vs "avoir", and prepositions like "de" and "des". 3. Finally, it notes some pronunciation issues like forgetting contractions and potentially misunderstood words if vowels are changed. The goal is to review fundamental grammatical and

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 3

    15 Mistakes to Avoid in French

    1. Ça va et tu?
    In this case, this is not a regular pronoun but “un pronom tonique.”

    Let’s review them and when to use them:


    moi - me
    toi - you
    lui - him
    elle - her
    nous - us
    vous - you
    eux - them (m)
    elles - them (f)

    After et - and
    Ça va et toi ? I am good and you?

    After pour - for


    C’est pour toi. It’s for you.

    After avec - with


    Je veux venir avec toi. I want to come with you.

    2. Pronouncing the last consonant of the word:


    In French, we don’t pronounce the last letter of the word (most of the time), especially when this one is
    a consonant.

    For example the adjective green - vert, we only pronounce the T when we have the super E at the end.

    Vert - green (masculine)


    Verte - green (feminine)

    3. False friends:
    The list of false friends are long between English and French but here are a few:

    Attendre vs To attend
    To wait - Assister

    Librairie vs Library
    A bookstore - Une bibliothèque

    Blessé vs blessed
    Injured - Béni(e)

    4. Rencontrer vs Retrouver = To meet

    Rencontrer is used when you meet someone for the first time.
    Retrouver is used when you meet someone and you have plans with them.

    J’ai rencontré mes beaux-parents le week-end dernier. I met my in-laws last weekend.
    J’ai retrouvé mes beaux-parents au centre commercial. I met my in-laws at the mall.
    5. Imparfait vs Passé composé
    Remember that the imparfait is for the background, passé composé is for a precise event

    Je regardais la télévision quand le téléphone a sonné. I was watching TV when the phone rang.
    Je regardais la télévision quand le téléphone sonnait. I was watching TV while the phone was
    ringing. = > This one means the phone rang the whole time you were watching TV.

    6. Je suis excité(e)
    This one is also a false friend but I always find it important to make a separate point about it.

    Je suis excité(e) means that you are aroused. Not that you are excited.
    To be excited is Avoir hâte - Être impatient(e)

    7. Avoir vs être
    In French, we use Avoir instead of Être for sensation and feelings.

    J’ai soif - I am thirsty J’ai froid - I am cold


    J’ai peur - I am afraid J’ai chaud - I am hot
    J’ai mal - I am in pain J’ai faim - I am hungry

    8. J’ai allé - J’ai resté


    A list of verbs in French take Être and not Avoir when conjugated in compound tenses such as passé
    composé. Let’s see them again. Use the acronyms DR & MRS VANDERTRAMPP to remember them:
    Devenir - To become Je suis devenu(e) - I became
    Revenir - To come back Tu es revenu(e) - You came back
    &
    Monter - To go up Il est monté - He went up
    Rester - To stay Elle est restée - She stayed
    Sortir - To go out On est sorti(e.s) - We went out
    Venir - To come Nous sommes venu(e)s - We came
    Aller - To go Vous êtes allé(e)s - You went
    Naître - To be born Ils sont nés - They were born
    Descendre - To go down Elles sont descendues - They went down
    Entrer - To enter Je suis entré(e) - I entered
    Rentrer - To go home Tu es rentré(e) - You went home
    Tomber - To fall Il est tombé - He fell
    Retourner - To return Elle est retournée - She returned
    Arriver - To arrive On est arrivé(e)s - We arrived
    Mourir - To die Vous êtes mort(e)s - You died
    Partir - To leave Ils sont partis - They left
    Passer - To pass by Elles sont passées - They passed by

    9. Visiter vs Rendre visite = To visit

    Visiter is only for cities, and museums, not for people.


    Rendre visite is for people.

    J’ai rendu visite à ma grand-mère. I visited my grandmother.


    J’ai visité Paris. I visted Paris.
    10. Connaître vs Savoir
    They both mean know.
    But remember that Savoir translates to To know how to do something and is often followed by a verb.

    Je sais parler français. I know how to speak French.


    Je connais cette chanson. I know this song.

    11. C’est froid for the weather


    C’est froid and C’est chaud are for temperatures, yes but for food, drinks, and sensations, not for
    the weather.

    Il fait chaud. It’s hot.


    Il fait froid. It’s cold.

    C’est chaud. It’s hot. (café - nourriture - touché)

    12. Pas des vs Pas de


    Pas des doesn’t exist in French. It’s always going to be Pas de or pas d’.

    J’ai des gâteaux. I have cakes.


    Je n’ai pas de gâteaux. I don’t have cakes.

    J’ai des idées. I have ideas.


    Je n’ai pas d’idées. I don’t have ideas.

    13. Beaucoup des vs Beaucoup de


    Any reference of quantity in French followed by de will stay de or d’, no matter what.

    J’ai des amis. I have friends.


    J’ai beaucoup d’amis. I have a lot of friends.

    Tu as des plantes. You have plants.


    Tu as beaucoup de plantes. You have a lot of plants.

    14. Forgetting contractions


    Le & LA becomes L’ when followed by a vowel or a silent H

    Le ami = l’ami - the friend


    La eau = l’eau - the water

    15. U and OU
    If you say J’ai pu - J’ai pou - it sounds like you say that you have lice. Obviously, in the sentence,
    everyone is going to understand that you don’t have lice.

    The one that can be a little misunderstood is beaucoup (a lot) - if you say BEAUCU - That means
    Beau Cul - beautiful butt.

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