Beginner French Mistakes That Can Stick Forever
(And how to get rid of them)
The mistakes you make as a beginner? Yeah the ones you’re just thinking about … Well they don’t just disappear. They stick like eggs in that old frying pan you’re keeping just in case or like that one song you didn’t even like… but now you know all the lyrics.
I’ve had students come to me after years of learning French. Great level. Good vocabulary.
And then:
Je suis 30 ans
J’ai expériencé beaucoup de choses.
Je suis fini
And I’m like… Good job but let’s do some work!
Here’s the thing: beginner mistakes are normal, but if no one corrects them… they become habits
And habits? Very hard to kill cause now they feel right in your mind.
So let’s fix some of them now, before they follow you forever. Yes forever, ever.
1. “Je suis + âge” (no… just no)
This one is everywhere : je suis 25 ans
I know why you say it. Good logic but … Wrong!
In English: I am 25 → So in your brain: Je suis 25.
Instead: J’ai 25 ans.
Why?
In French, we “have” + age, we don’t “be” it. Don’t ask. Just accept. BUT Repeat it until it sounds right (because it is).
2. Translating EVERYTHING
We all did it when learning a language. Even you! The classic beginner move.
You think:
“I miss you” → Je manque toi
Absolutely not dear.
Instead:Tu me manques
Yes, it’s reversed. Yes, it’s weird, cause it’s like saying “you are missed by me”. Yes, you’ll get used to it. If it makes you feel better, I had to learn the English way so you can do it too!
Same problem with:
❌ Je fais une décision
✔️ Je prends une décision
And there are many other examples!
If you translate word for word… your French will always sound off.
3. Ignoring gender (it’s not optional)
I get it, it feels random, so you guess. Bold strategy, +1 for trying.
❌ un table
❌ une problème
And suddenly your sentence sounds… Well it’s not a big mistake to be honest, but just one tip to help you in the future :
Learn words WITH their gender. Memorize la table instead of just table.
Always together, like a package deal.
4. Saying every letter
You see a word… you pronounce everything. Respectable cause sometimes you’re going into unknown combination of letters.
But, (yes, there’s always a but) remember, we write a lot we pronounce… less. You can practice phonetic alphabet to help you in case of doubt.
5. Being too “safe”
This one is sneaky. You only use what you’re 100% sure about.
So you say:
Je vais au restaurant.
Je mange.
C’est bien.
Is it correct? Yes. Is it enough? Not really. You need to up your game to move to fluency.
Instead: take small risks (come on, you can do it)!
Try:
Je suis allé au resto hier et c’était super bon. J’ai vraiment adoré
Will you make mistakes? Yes.
Will you improve faster? Also yes.
Will you expend and learn new & improved structures? You know it, yes.
So… why do these mistakes stick?
Not because you’re bad. But because:
You repeat them → no one corrects you → they become automatic → your brain goes: “this works” → keeps it forever.
The good news
Yes finally a good news! If you fix these early, everything becomes easier later: speaking, understanding, sounding natural, cooking eggs, …
Want to avoid building bad habits?
Because yes… you can learn alone, I know you are strong and independant!
But (here it comes) at the beginning, what you really need is (without ordering you):
👉 correction
👉 guidance
👉 someone to tell you “no… not like that” (kindly)
That’s exactly what I do with my students.
If you’ve ever thought:
“I don’t want to learn things wrong”
“I want to speak correctly from the start”
“I don’t want to sound awkward forever”
Good.
You’re thinking ahead. 👉 Work with me and let’s build your French on strong bases from day one
