French Podcast Transcripts

Five easy French mistakes to avoid absolutely!

FIVE easy French mistakes to avoid absolutely! You need to know these FIVE common mistakes that every beginner makes.

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FIVE easy French mistakes to avoid absolutely!

You need to know these FIVE common mistakes that every beginner makes. I also recommend you also listen to ‘How to improve your French accent’ episode to gain speed and confidence when talking.

#1 – My name is … / Je m’appelle

Very often, we are tempted to translate from our native language. French don’t say ‘my name is..’ .. mon nom est…. To state your name, you say “Je m’appelle’ (loosely translated by I call myself’) so remember to use ‘Je m’appelle’ when you want to say ‘My name is…’ …. Je m’appelle….

#2 – I am good / Je vais bien

Another common mistake is to answer ‘I am good’ when someone asks you how you are. In fact, to answer that question in French, you reply to the question ‘how’s everything going’ so ‘I am going well’ in French… you say ‘je vais bien‘, ‘ça va bien‘ or just ‘ça va‘ ….

#3 – I am late / je suis en retard.

Think of the adjective ‘tardy’ meaning a late arrival, in French, to state ‘I am late’ do not say ‘Je suis tard’ but instead say ‘Je suis en retard‘ and make sure to link the words together… Je suis en retard.

#4 – It is hot / Il fait chaud

When you talk about the weather and you mean “It is hot’ do not use ‘C’est chaud’… This only applies to food or something hot, instead you say ‘Il fait chaud’… Always use ‘Il fait + adjective’ when you talk about the weather such ‘Il fait chaud’ (it is hot outside), ‘Il fait froid’ (it is cold).. ‘il fait mauvais’ (the weather is bad)

#5 Saying your age

And I kept this one for the end… When you talk about your age, you don’t use the verb ‘to be’ but ‘to have’ in French. I already covered that point in my episode ‘Ten expressions with ‘AVOIR’ you need to know’… In French, we say ‘I have + number of years+ ans’ …if you are 25, you say ‘J’ai vingt-cinq ans’.. if you are 36, you say ‘J’ai trente-six ans’.. if you are are 44, you say ‘J’ai quarante-quatre ans‘ …

Let’s try to put it altogether in a conversation. Let’s pretend that you are talking to a receptionnist or your host:

‘Bonjour, comment ça va ? Je vais bien merci. Excusez-moi, je suis en retard. Il fait chaud aujourd’hui !

Quel âge avez-vous ? Quel âge as-tu ? J’ai vingt-cinq ans (of course, you will use your real age!!)


Allright, you made it!! Now, you know the FIVE easy French mistakes to avoid absolutely. Thank you again, and please share with your friends, comment, and join the Facebook page or Instagram account!

Since you are here, how about listening to how to pronounce French accents?

Thank you again, and please share with your friends, comment, and join the Facebook page or Instagram account!

Merci et à bientôt, Séverine