Common English mistakes French speakers make

"I am agree", "I have 30 years", the missing third-person "s": the mistakes that give away a French speaker, even at a good level.

Free Updated on September 11, 2026

Frequent mix-ups

Common mistake	Correct	Why
I am agree	I agree	"agree" is a verb in English, not an adjective — no "be" in front
I have 30 years	I am 30 (years old)	age is expressed with "to be", not "to have" (a direct translation of French "avoir")
It depends of	It depends on	fixed preposition after "depend"
Actually used for "actuellement"	Currently / Right now	"actually" means "in fact" — a classic false friend
I am boring	I am bored	"boring" = causes boredom, "bored" = feels boredom

Word order

The adjective always goes before the noun: a red car, never a car red.
In careful writing, questions use auxiliary inversion: Do you like it?, not You like it?

Present perfect vs French "passé composé"

I have lived in Paris for 5 years (started in the past, still true now) does not translate word-for-word from French "j'ai vécu" — it describes an ongoing situation, so "have" stays.
With a specific, finished past date, use the simple past with no "have": I lived in Paris in 2015.

Grammatical false friends

English word	Does NOT mean	Means
eventually	éventuellement (possibly)	finalement (in the end)
library	librairie (bookshop)	bibliothèque (a library)
sensible	sensible (sensitive)	raisonnable, sensé (reasonable)
deception	déception (disappointment)	tromperie (deceit)

The third-person singular "s" in the simple present (she works, he goes) is French speakers' #1 mistake — even at an advanced level. Worth drilling until it's automatic.

Fixed prepositions worth memorising

Expression	The trap
married to (not with)	She is married to a doctor.
good at (not in)	He is good at maths.
interested in (not for)	I am interested in history.
afraid of (not from)	She is afraid of spiders.
listen to (not bare listen)	Listen to me! (unlike French "écouter", used with no preposition)

#Grammar