Il est indéniable que l’anglais est la langue la plus répandue et la plus étudiée dans le monde. Cependant, la France semble avoir quelque peu résisté à cette tendance. Des études récentes révèlent que la France est en queue de peloton au sein de l’Union européenne en termes de maîtrise de l’anglais par ses citoyens. En 2022, elle a été classée 34ème dans la catégorie de « compétence moyenne » par l’English Proficiency Index. Paris, l’une des plus grandes villes de l’UE, n’a pas réussi à se hisser en tête, étant surpassée par des villes comme Sofia, Athènes et Bratislava. Pour se démarquer et atteindre un meilleur niveau d’anglais, il est crucial de prendre conscience des erreurs fréquentes commises par les francophones en anglais. Voici les erreurs les plus courantes et comment les éviter

Utilisation incorrecte des prépositions

Prepositions are more context-dependent and nuanced in French than in English. As a result, native French speakers often over-complicate and misuse English prepositions. Common errors include:

• “On” v “In” : French speakers may use “on instead of “in” or vice versa when referring to locations or time. For example, “I live on Paris” instead of “I live in Paris.”
• “In” v “During” : When discussing a specific period, French speakers might use “in” when “during” is more appropriate in English. An example of this is “I will be on vacation in the summer”, when “… during the summer” is better English.

Mauvaise utilisation des temps verbaux

English verbs have different tenses and conjugation patterns, which can cause difficulties for French speakers learning the language. Tenses that tend to be tricky for Francophones are:

• Present Simple: French speakers may misuse this tense when another tense is required in English. For instance, saying “I go to the store yesterday”, when the past simple, “I went to the store yesterday”  is actually correct
• Conditional: It might be difficult for French speakers to understand the nuances of the conditional in English, which can lead to errors such as “ If I will have money, I will buy a new phone”, when “ If I have money, I will buy a new phone” is proper English.

Prononciation incorrecte des mots

The different phonetic systems between English and French can pose difficulties for French people learning English. The main sounds in English that tend to be tricky for native French speakers are:

• “th”, as in this and that. French people when learning English often make the error of pronouncing this sound like a “z”, which would lead to “the” being pronounced like “zee”.
• “r” is a sound that causes problems due to the different placement of the tongue when pronouncing it in English compared to French. In French, the “r” is rolled, which is not that common in English. The best way to achieve the English “r” in words like run, robin, and rocket is simply through listening to it being said and practice, practice, practice!

Also, unlike in French, there are many words in English that contain silent consonants, such as gnome, psychology and debt . These types of words pose challenges for French speakers where these letters would in fact the pronounced in their native language. 

Traduction littérale et les faux amis

This is not a uniquely French issue, everyone when learning a new language tends to translate literally from their native tongue. More often than not though, phrases and idiomatic sayings are structured differently depending on the language.

• “J’ai quarante ans”, when translated literally as “I have forty years” is not proper English. The correct sentence structure in English is “I am forty years old.”
• An example of an idiomatic saying that does not work in English when translated literally from French is “Quand on parle du loup”. Literally, this translates as “When talking about the wolf”, but it actually is the French equivalent to “Speak of the devil.”

Faux amis (false friends in English) are when words from two different languages look or sound similar but actually have different meanings. English and French are rife with faux amis, therefore a learner must be prudent and watch out for them. Examples include:

• “Actuellement” (currently) v “Actually” (en fait, réellement)

• “Éventuellement” (potentially, possibly) v “Eventually” (finalement)

• “Location” (renting, leasing) v “Location” (emplacement, endroit)