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Tu ne fais pas ça - French Mistake

French mistakes analyzed and explained

By , About.com Guide

Mistakes will always be made in French, and now you can learn from them.

Wrong: Tu ne fais pas ça

Right: On ne fait pas ça

Explanation: In English, we can say "you" to refer to people in general, as in "You just don't do that" or "You never know." In French, however, using vous or tu is personal, so when you say Tu ne fais pas ça or Vous ne savez jamais, the person you're talking to will believe that you are talking about him or her. In French, to talk about people in general, you have to use the indefinite subject pronoun on: On ne fait pas ça or On ne sait jamais.

I have a story about when I made this very mistake a few years ago - read about it on my French blog

Related lessons: On (indefinite subject pronoun) | Tu vs Vous
 

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