You can study French for decades, labor over your subjonctif conjugations, learn how to read French newspapers, and ace your exams… And still freeze and panic when listening to real everyday spoken French like: “T’as vu ce truc avec les meufs, dans la manif ? Les flics étaient complètement à l’ouest, c’était le bordel j’te jure.”
That’s because, often, your French-learning curriculum has a big gaping hole on “how to actually communicate with real French people.”
1 - Why the system doesn’t teach real everyday spoken French
Textbooks and teachers need to teach you correct official French. It’s the one that you would find in serious publications, official speeches and French exams. Including the immigration exams to France! It’s how we think you’re “supposed to write” according to the official textbooks.
Here’s why teachers couldn’t fix this even if they wanted to: the tests.
Standardized French exams measure:
- Grammar accuracy (formal rules)
- Vocabulary recognition (textbook words)
- Reading comprehension (formal texts)
- Writing ability (correct French style)
They don’t measure:
- Conversation ability
- Movie comprehension
- Cultural communication
- Natural speech patterns
Teachers were forced to “teach to the test.” If they spent time on real conversational French, their students would fail the official exams. Or their students would go overboard with the informality, and wouldn’t learn the rules.
Yes, your teacher was probably aware that everyday spoken French is much more informal than “correct” written French. Informal spoken French might be a better goal for you if you want to actually communicate with French people – but it’s moving target. Informal trends come and go and depend on the region.
Meanwhile, “correct” written French is easy to grade, and you really need to learn it anyway at some point.
2 - “Textbook” French vs “Real” French: Vocabulary
Texbook French: “Avez-vous vu ce qui s’est passé avec les jeunes femmes lors de la manifestation ? Les policiers étaient totalement dépassés, c’était le chaos, je vous assure.”
Real French: “T’as vu ce truc avec les meufs, dans la manif ? Les flics étaient complètement à l’ouest, c’était le bordel j’te jure.”
(= “Did you see that thing with the girls at the protest? The cops were totally out of it, it was a complete mess, I swear.” )
Textbook French: “Je suis fatigué de mon travail, j’ai envie d’abandonner.”
Real French: “J’en ai marre de ce boulot, j’ai envie de tout plaquer.”
(= I’m fed up with this job, I feel like dropping everything.)
Textbook French: “Connais-tu la situation de Marc ? Sa partenaire l’a quitté.”
Real French: “T’es au courant pour Marc ? Il s’est fait larguer par sa copine.”
(= Did you hear about Marc? He got dumped by his girlfriend.)
Textbook French: “Ce plat est vraiment délicieux, je vous remercie.”
Real French: “C’est super bon, merci !”
(= This is really tasty, thanks!)
Textbook French:
“As-tu vu à quel point nous sommes déjà en retard ?”
“Je t’avais dit que j’avais quelque chose à faire, aujourd’hui.”
“Quelle chose devais-tu faire ? Est-ce que tu devais jouer à des jeux vidéo avec tes deux amis idiots ?”
“Tu m’avais pourtant dit que je n’étais pas obligé de venir…”
Real French (from Le Règne Animal (2023)):
“T’as vu le retard qu’on a déjà ?” (= “Have you seen how late we already are?”)
“J’t’avais dit qu’j’avais un truc à faire aujourd’hui.” (= “I told you I had something to do today.”)
“Quel truc ? Jouer à la console avec tes deux potes débiles ?” (= “What thing? Playing video games with your two idiot buddies?”)
“T’avais dit que j’étais pas obligé d’venir…” (= “You said I didn’t have to come…”)
In real everyday spoken French, we also use words like:
- “Un pote” instead of “un ami” (a friend)
- “Bosser” or “taffer” instead of “travailler” (to work)
- “Un gamin” for “un enfant” (a kid)
- “Capter” for “comprendre” (understand)
- “Un truc” for “quelque chose” (something)
These are informal words, but they aren’t really slang either. They’re the normal words French people use every day in normal situations!
To be clear, we still use the correct words a lot, even in everyday spoken French.
You shouldn’t use these informal words too much, and you especially shouldn’t use them in a French exam.
But all French people will drop informal words like these in their everyday life.
3 - “Textbook” French vs “Real” French: Pronunciation
The French that you learned in school doesn’t simply skip and miss some vocabulary. It also gave you a wrong idea of French pronunciation. You’re taught to pronounce your words clearly and carefully – often more clearly than French people actually speak.
That’s a great way to be understood by the class, and to check that the student actually knows what they’re saying. But again, that’s not how French people actually speak.
For instance, teachers will ask you to say: “Je ne sais pas” – with four distinct syllables. (= “I don’t know”)
But in everyday speech, French people usually say: “J’sais pas” or “Ché pas” – just two syllables.
Same with “Il n’y a pas de problème” – taught as seven syllables. (= “No problem”)
In real life, people say: “Y’a pas d’problème” or even just “Pas d’problème.”
It’s like saying “I’m gonna go” in English class instead of “I’m going to go” – it’s not the correct official grammar, but you need to know what it means if you want real conversations in English.
4 - “Textbook” French vs “Real” French: Grammar Guidelines
Grammar is really the main difference between correct written French, and real everyday French. All these pointy grammar rules get sanded down, when we speak fast and freely.
So your teacher would make you learn the formal question structures, like: “Que voulez-vous ?” (= what do you want.)
But that would sound way too formal when speaking. Instead, French people would rather ask: “Vous voulez quoi ?” (= You want what? literally). Or “Tu veux quoi ?” with friends, of course.
Similarly, the textbook would show you formal negations: “Je ne veux pas venir.”
But French people say: “J’veux pas venir.” We almost always cut the “ne” in real spoken French!
And finally, the system tried to make you understand the different rules about “le participe passé” or le subjonctif, and that’s good to know, but even French people often make mistakes about that. Meanwhile, you’ll never learn about essential everyday expressions like: “J’en ai marre.” (I’m fed up) “Je m’en fous.” (= I don’t care) or “T’inquiète !” (= Don’t worry about it!)
Unfortunately, your teacher had to prioritize correct grammar over practical communication; this system turned French into a math problem, instead of helping you actually talk to people.
5 - “Textbook” French vs “Real” French: Conversation Gap
Most French programs teach vocabulary and grammar—but skip over how real conversations actually work. Students learn how to build perfect sentences, but not how to jump into a conversation, hold the floor, or sound natural when reacting to something.
Real spoken French relies on rhythm, interaction, and tone. That means:
– Interruptions and reactions: “Nan mais…” (= No, but, wait..) / “Bah…” (= well…) / “Justement…” (= Yeah, that’s why…)
– Filler words: “Euh,” (= hum), “bon,” (= alright, well) “tu vois, (= you see, you know?), “voilà“(= that’s it, yup)
– Emphasis words: “Carrément,” “grave,” “trop” (= informal for “exactly” or “a lot”)
Textbook dialogues are clean and polite. But actual French is full of hesitation, overlap, and sudden shifts in tone. It’s common to cut people off, or to start a sentence and change direction halfway through. That’s not bad French—it’s fluent French.
The curriculum taught students how to be correct. But it didn’t show you how to sound alive.
6 - Fixing the Gaps
Now that you’re an adult and you’re free from the rigid guidelines of the school systems, it’s your time to start learning real everyday spoken French!
For example, you can start fixing the gaps in your French education with:
Essential everyday expressions:
“C’est trop chouette !” (It’s so cool.)
“Ça me soûle.” (I’m fed up, it’s so annoying.)
“J’ai la dalle.” (= I’m starving.)
“Laisse tomber.” (Forget it)
“Ça déchire grave.” (= That slaps, that’s really cool.)
Practical communication skills:
– How French people actually greet each other
– What French people say when frustrated
– How French people ask questions naturally
– What French people say in cafés, shops, with friends
Real pronunciation patterns:
– How sounds disappear in natural speech
– How words blend together
– How contractions work in real life
Cultural communication:
– How to sound natural, not robotic
– How to understand movies and TV
– How to have real conversations
So how do you fix years of miseducation caused by an outdated system?
Step 1: Understand it wasn’t your fault (or your teacher’s). It’s OK, the education system just had to prioritize testing over actual communication.
Step 2: Bridge the gap yourself. Learn the conversational French that the curriculum missed.
Step 3: Train your ear on real French. Stop relying on educational materials. Listen to how French people actually speak.
Step 4: Practice real patterns. Learn the contractions, dropped sounds, and natural rhythms that programs ignored.
Step 5: Embrace informal registers. Add casual French to your formal foundation instead of replacing it.
Step 6: Learn cultural context. Understand not just what words mean, but how and when French people use them.
The goal isn’t to abandon what you learned – it’s to complete your French education with what the system left out.
Your foundation in ‘correct’ French is truly valuable. We just need to build the rest of the house. To do that, you need the chapters your textbook left out. That’s why I put them together for you in a personalized weekly action plan, that you can download right now, for free!
Click here to take a look at your Personalized Weekly Action Plan
I designed it to help you quickly bridge the gap between the formal French you know and the real, everyday French you need. It will force you to build a clear, step-by-step plan to finally understand movies, participate in conversations, and feel the joy of connecting with the language, not just conjugating it.
Get your free ‘missing manual’ and start completing your French education!
Click here to take a look at your Personalized Weekly Action Plan
À très vite, see you in the next lesson!
I’m sure most of you will not agree with me! Thank goodness, when I lived in Paris 50 years ago, I had no problem speaking formal “old” French. It’s too bad this beautiful language is being ruined! I thought the French used the “real” new French among themselves at home but that is obviously not the case. I try not to use slang but correct English, for instance “I am going to” and not “I’m gonna” since I do not want to sound uneducated. However, I don’t mind dropping some letters in French when I speak because it seems to come naturally, like “J’en veux pas venir” instead of “Je ne veux pas venir”. But I really hate hearing “Che pas” for “Je ne sais pas”! It does not even sound French! I enjoy the lessons but I am not interested in learning “real” French. So sorry, Geraldine!!
Merci madame
Thank you for an important lesson
To be fair in the case of the UK, that was in effect the late Queen’s French and thus how we should speak in diplomacy and to the French President!
… and to learn French prior to university