French speakers lose 200+ TOEIC points on grammar alone—because your L1 rules don't apply here. Learn which mistakes you're probably making without knowing it, and fix them before test day.
Try Amélie free →TOEIC grammar punishes direct transfers from French. When you think "I have worked" maps to passé composé, you're wrong—English present perfect means something entirely different. Or you select "the information" because French always uses the article, but English only uses it in specific contexts. These L1 interference patterns are invisible to most test-takers, but they cost you points in every section. Amélie's adaptive coaching pinpoints exactly which French grammar rules are sabotaging your English, then rewires those patterns with real TOEIC examples.
English present perfect (have + past participle) says the action started in the past and continues or is still relevant now. French passé composé just says it happened. If you see "has worked since," "has lived for," or "has been," the action is ongoing. TOEIC loves this contrast in business emails and reports.
French uses "le" and "un" more often than English uses "the" and "a." In TOEIC, "We discussed the budget" (specific budget, both of you know which one) is different from "We discussed budget issues" (general topic, no specific budget). Spot the difference in each sentence to catch the right answer.
You can't translate French prepositions to English and expect success. "Responsible for" is fixed, not "responsible of." "In accordance with," not "in accordance of." TOEIC packs preposition phrases into every passage. Treat them as fixed collocations you memorize, not rules you derive.
French infinitives work everywhere. English requires gerunds after "avoid," "consider," "suggest," "recommend," and "involve." You'd say "consider to do," but English demands "consider doing." Create a list of gerund-requiring verbs and drill them until they feel automatic.
In French, "le groupe" is singular, so you'd conjugate a singular verb. In English, "the group" can take a plural verb if you're emphasizing the individuals: "The group are divided in opinion." TOEIC tests this subtle choice, especially in complex sentences.
Your French conditional uses different tenses, but English has a strict pattern. Real condition: "If we hire her, we will improve sales." Hypothetical: "If we hired her, we would improve sales." TOEIC conditional questions hinge on tense matching—get the pattern right, and you're home.
French has no phrasal verbs. English fills TOEIC with "look into," "set up," "bring forward," "put off." These aren't deducible from individual word meanings—memorize them with their meaning and the typical object they take. Dedicate 20 minutes a week to phrasal verbs; they're high ROI.
French uses passive voice about as much as English, but English business writing prefers it more often in reports and instructions. "Meetings should be held quarterly" sounds more authoritative than "We should hold meetings quarterly." In TOEIC, passive often signals the correct, formal answer.
Because French passé composé blurs the boundary English makes sharp: completed action (simple past: "I worked there") vs. action still relevant now (present perfect: "I have worked there"). Ask yourself: Is this still true? If yes, use present perfect. TOEIC's reading passages hinge on this distinction, especially in company profiles and employee bios.
You can't derive English prepositions from French—they're lexical, not grammatical. "Responsible for," "in accordance with," "look into," "focus on"—memorize these collocations as whole chunks, not word-by-word. TOEIC tests fixed prepositional phrases in every test; 15 minutes weekly on preposition drilling raises your score by 10–20 points.
French marks definiteness (le/un) more often and more predictably than English. English articles (the/a) signal whether the noun is specific and shared knowledge, or new and general. "We discussed the budget" (the one you both know) differs from "We discussed budget constraints" (the concept, not a specific budget). In TOEIC reading, article choice often signals the answer to inference questions.
Present perfect vs. simple past (timing), gerunds instead of infinitives after specific verbs ("avoid doing," not "avoid to do"), and preposition collocations ("responsible for," not "of"). These three account for roughly 40% of grammar errors on the test. Master these three, and your score jumps immediately.
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