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B1French·20 cards

French Traps English Speakers Fall Into

Say the everyday things English speakers usually get wrong in French: age, feelings, false friends and missing prepositions.

French people are used to English speakers' typical slips and will usually correct you kindly, especially at a tandem or language-exchange evening, which you'll find in most French cities. The classic traps are using être instead of avoir for age, heat and hunger, false friends like librairie, actuellement or excité, and copying English prepositions after chercher, attendre or dépendre. Fixing a handful of these makes you sound far more natural very quickly.

Two men enjoying a conversation at an outdoor bar, captured in black and white.
Photo: AG Z on Pexels
  1. 1

    J'ai trente ans.

    I'm thirty.

    Tip: Age uses the verb 'to have', not 'to be'.

  2. 2

    J'ai chaud.

    I'm hot.

    Tip: With 'to be' it means you're keen or flirty, not warm.

  3. 3

    Je n'ai plus faim.

    I'm not hungry any more.

  4. 4

    J'ai trop hâte de partir en voyage.

    I'm really excited about the trip.

    Tip: The look-alike adjective sounds sexual or hyperactive in French.

  5. 5

    Je suis trop gêné.

    I'm so embarrassed.

  6. 6

    Tu me manques.

    I miss you.

    Tip: The sentence is built backwards: the person missed is the subject.

  7. 7

    Je suis d'accord avec toi.

    I agree with you.

  8. 8

    Je vais à la bibliothèque.

    I'm going to the library.

    Tip: The word that looks like 'library' is a bookshop.

  9. 9

    Je cherche mes clés.

    I'm looking for my keys.

  10. 10

    En fait, je suis canadien.

    Actually, I'm Canadian.

    Tip: The look-alike adverb means 'currently'.

  11. 11

    J'habite ici depuis deux ans.

    I've been living here for two years.

  12. 12

    Je vais chez le médecin.

    I'm going to the doctor's.

  13. 13

    Ça dépend du temps.

    It depends on the weather.

  14. 14

    J'attends le bus.

    I'm waiting for the bus.

  15. 15

    Je suis infirmière.

    I'm a nurse.

  16. 16

    J'ai pris une décision.

    I've made a decision.

  17. 17

    Je descends au prochain arrêt.

    I'm getting off at the next stop.

  18. 18

    Bonne soirée !

    Have a nice evening! (when leaving at 7 pm)

    Tip: The 'good night' phrase is only for bedtime.

  19. 19

    Désolé, je suis en retard.

    Sorry, I'm late.

  20. 20

    Je suis allé voir un ami.

    I went to visit a friend.

    Tip: The look-alike verb is only for visiting places.