French Grammar Made Simple: Common Mistakes Students Make

Introduction

Learning French grammar can feel like running into the same wall again and again. You finally think you’ve mastered verbs, then a teacher circles yet another agreement mistake. Or you try to speak, but halfway through the sentence you realise you’ve forgotten the right tense.

Here’s the truth: everyone makes grammar mistakes in French, even advanced students. The key isn’t to avoid mistakes completely, but to learn the patterns and practise correcting them.

In this guide, we’ll look at the most common grammar mistakes students make, why they happen, and how you can fix them. By the end, you’ll see that French grammar doesn’t have to be a nightmare, and with the right support (like working with a French grammar tutor online), you can make progress faster than you think.

1. Gender: Le vs La

One of the first hurdles is gender. Why is it le livre (masculine) but la table (feminine)? There’s no clear logic, and memorising every noun feels impossible.

Common mistakes:
❌ la livre instead of le livre
❌ un table instead of une table

Fix:

• Learn gender with the noun (always say “la table” not just “table”).
• Notice patterns: nouns ending in -e are often feminine, but not always (le problème).
• Practise with flashcards where gender is included.

👉 Many students find this problem disappears faster when practising in real conversation with a tutor, because you get immediate correction instead of memorising rules alone.

2. Agreements: Adjectives & Past Participles

French is obsessed with agreement. Adjectives must agree with nouns, and past participles sometimes agree too.

Common mistakes:
❌ une voiture rougeS
❌ elles sont allé instead of elles sont allées

Fix:

• Adjectives: add -e for feminine, -s for plural (un chien blanc, une maison blanche, des maisons blanches).
• Past participles: agree when used with être or with avoir if the object comes before.

Tip: Reading French regularly helps your brain “see” correct agreement and copy it naturally.

3. Verb Tenses: Passé Composé vs Imparfait

Even advanced learners struggle with French past tenses.

Common mistakes:
❌ Hier je faisais mes devoirs (when you mean I did my homework).
❌ Quand j’étais petit, j’ai allé à la plage tous les jours (should be j’allais).

Fix:

• Use passé composé for completed actions.
• Use imparfait for sentence you would translate by was + ing or used to + verb

Example:

• Hier, j’ai regardé un film. (completed)
• Quand j’étais petit, je regardais la télé tous les jours. (habit)

👉 Practising with an online French tutor helps because they can stop you mid-sentence and ask, “Is this a repeated action or a one-off?”, which is the fastest way to learn the distinction.

4. Direct vs Indirect Object Pronouns

Common mistakes:
❌ Je lui vois instead of Je le vois
❌ Je le parle instead of Je lui parle

Fix:

• Use le / la / les for direct objects (I see him → Je le vois).
• Use lui / leur for indirect objects (I talk to him → Je lui parle).

A great trick is to draw two columns in your notes: direct vs indirect. Then practise with short sentences daily.

5. Word Order with Negatives

Negatives in French use ne … pas around the verb.

Common mistakes:
❌ Je pas comprends
❌ Je comprends pas (informal spoken, not exam-friendly)

Fix:

• Always “sandwich” the verb: Je ne comprends pas.
• In exams, always write ne … pas fully, even if spoken French often drops the ne.

6. False Friends (Faux Amis)

Some French words look like English, but don’t mean the same thing.

Common mistakes:
❌ Je suis très excitée (means “sexually aroused,” not “excited”!)
❌ Je demande pour instead of Je demande (to ask).

Fix:

• Make a list of common false friends (excité, actuellement, librarie, collège…).
• Review them before speaking exams to avoid awkward slips.

7. Prepositions: à, de, en, dans

Prepositions are small but tricky.

Common mistakes:
❌ Je vais en le cinéma (should be au cinéma).
❌ Je viens à Paris (should be Je viens de Paris if you mean “from Paris”).

Fix:

• Use à for “to” a city, en for “to” a country (if feminine or starting with a vowel).
• Use de for “from.”
• Remember au = à + le, du = de + le.

8. Questions: Inversion vs Est-ce que

Common mistakes:
❌ Tu es content? (informal, not exam standard).
❌ Est-ce que tu es content ? → correct.
❌ Es-tu content ? → also correct, more formal.

Fix:

• In writing, prefer est-ce que or inversion.
• In speaking, est-ce que is safest for exams.

9. Subjunctive Mood

The dreaded subjunctive terrifies many students.

Common mistakes:
❌ Il faut que je vais instead of Il faut que j’aille.
❌ Bien que je suis fatigué instead of Bien que je sois fatigué.

Fix:

• Use the subjunctive after expressions of necessity, doubt, emotion, or possibility.
• Learn the irregular verbs (être, avoir, aller, faire).

Example:

• Il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs.
• Je doute qu’il vienne.

👉 This is one of those areas where having a French grammar tutor makes a huge difference. They can explain when to use the subjunctive instead of just forcing you to memorise conjugations.

10. Over-Literal Translation

Many mistakes come from translating directly from English.

Common mistakes:
❌ Je suis 16 ans (direct from “I am 16 years old”).
❌ Je regarde pour mes clés (direct from “I’m looking for my keys”).

Fix:

• Remember: French often uses different verbs.
• Correct: J’ai 16 ans. / Je cherche mes clés.

How to Practise and Fix Mistakes

Now that you’ve seen the most common mistakes, here’s how to actually fix them:

1. Notice your patterns. Keep a journal of your most frequent mistakes.
2. Get feedback. You can’t always spot your own errors, that’s where a tutor helps.
3. Practise out loud. Grammar sticks faster when spoken, not just written.
4. Use grammar in context. Instead of memorising rules, practise through conversations, essays, and oral tasks.
5. Don’t fear mistakes. Each one is a chance to improve.

Why a French Grammar Tutor Helps

You can learn grammar alone, but it’s slow. Here’s why students often turn to a French tutor online:

• Instant correction. Instead of repeating the same mistake for months, you get feedback immediately.
• Personalised focus. A tutor spots your weak points (gender, tenses, pronouns) and gives you targeted exercises.
• Confidence boost. Speaking French with a tutor makes grammar natural, not scary.

At French-Exams.com, our tutors specialise in helping GCSE, A-level, IB, and DELF students simplify grammar and apply it directly to their exams.

Conclusion

French grammar isn’t about perfection, it’s about patterns. Once you know the most common mistakes, you can catch them, correct them, and start speaking and writing with confidence.

The fastest way to improve is consistent practice, ideally with a guide who knows where students slip up and how to fix it. That’s exactly what a French grammar tutor can do.

So whether you’re just starting out or aiming for top marks at GCSE, A-level, or IB, remember: grammar mistakes aren’t failures. They’re stepping stones to fluency.