"I just speak a little French" : How to change that.

Every time someone asks you which languages you can speak, you always say : “I just speak a little French”? Maybe you’ve been studying for a while or even lived in a French-speaking country, but you still don’t feel confident claiming the language.

That “just” is doing a lot of damage. It minimizes what you’ve worked or are working hard to learn and, it keeps you stuck in a mindset that’s not helping. Apart from the fact that French feels like a difficult language, a big part of you saying that comes from your own self-confidence and self-awareness.

Over six steps, I’ll help you having a realistic look at your situations, understanding where your insecure feelings might be coming from and I'll give you achievable tasks to help you feel better.

(⬇️This article is the written version of a series of 6 videos called " I just speak a little French : Debunk" , if you prefer listening than reading, check them out on TikTok: @speak.fluench )

Step 1 : Visualize what your skills are, realistically

First things first : let's understand where you're really at with your French skills.

Your task is the following : Grab a piece of paper, use a whiteboard, or even your phone—whatever works best for you. The more visual, the better. Now, make two columns:

In the first column, list everything you can do in French, starting each sentence with “I can.”
Examples:

- “I can order a coffee.”

- “I can talk about the weather.”

- “I can describe my family.”

- “I can share my opinion.”

In the second column, list what you can't do yet:

- “I can't make friends in French.”

- “I can't go to the doctor.”

- “I can't argue.”

Check out this list of French skills to give you inspiration :

Now look at both columns. The second column is probably why you keep saying you don’t speak French.

Want to feel better about yourself? Start working on one thing from the “I cannot” column. For example, if you feel stuck on how to go to the doctor in French, look up some key phrases and vocabulary, or ask a French-speaking friend for advice. This is how you start addressing the problem and moving forward.

Step 2 : Understand why you feel that way

There are a few reasons why you might feel like you “just” speak a little French, let's see 3 main factors:

1. Group classes in school

If you studied or are studying French in school, you probably didn’t get to speak much. Maybe your teacher asked you to answer a question here and there, but that’s not enough to feel confident. You have lacked, or generally lack real and frequent opportunities to practice the language. By real and frequent, I mean authentic spoken French that serves a purpose, not just task-based French, but functional French.

2. Living in a French-speaking country

If you live in a French-speaking country, you might have absorbed the language by listening, which makes you very good in some situations (most common and predictable). While immersion is amazing, it also makes you realize pretty brutally how much you don’t know. When you’re surrounded by French all the time, you notice all the gaps in your knowledget. You pay attention to the difficult situations, you know when your French is failing you and everyone just generally speaks better than you. This creates a general feeling of no being enough, never being enough, and naturally at the end you'll end up repeating over and over that you just speak a little.

3. Perfectionism

Some people say, “I just speak a little French,” and then when they start talking, they can’t stop. The problem isn’t their skills—it’s how they perceive themselves. The more you know, the more you're willing to admit what you don't know. This intellectual ability often leads to imposter syndrome.

Here’s the truth: what matters most in communication is that the person in front of you understands what you’re saying. If you make mistakes, it’s okay. You can't privilege perfection over efficiency, it's not viable long term.

Step 3 : Make yourself talk

If your learning environment doesn't allow you to actually speak French, you can create that opportunity for yourself.

Find a French video on YouTube—an interview, a podcast, anything that interests you. Listen to a few sentences you like, then record yourself repeating them. Try to mimic the tone, pace, and sounds. You can find authentic content recommendations right here.

Play it back and repeat until your voice is as close as possible to what you heard. This will change the way you listen and speak—and it’s exactly what you need.

A variation to this task would be to film yourself speaking French and post it on social media. This is a very popular trend : "learn French with me" where french learners share the content of their French courses, their tips and tricks to practice, and record themselves speaking on a daily basis. User @baguettebeginner on Tiktok is a real inspiration :

Step 4 : Embrace the mistakes

School kills your self confidence, think about it : grades, assessments,points, corrections, sanctions. Your behavior is watched, your work is graded, your parents received notice when you did something wrong. Everything you do is looked at and if you make mistakes, it’s because you "haven’t studied", you are "a little slow", you aren't "focused", you are "distracted". You see people around you that just get it in a second, and you end up hating them and feeling less and less. It’s absolutely normal, we are forced to strive for excellence because we live in a capitalist productive world where making a mistake is not accepted.

If you want to speak a language, in that case French : you’re gonna have to make a whole lot of mistakes. Without mistakes, you can't move on, you can't progress, you can't understand how the language works.

The learning process is not linear, it's extremely normal to go over the same things again and again. Mistakes help you figure out what works and what doesn’t. Everyone makes them, even native speakers. The key is to chill out and keep speaking no matter what.

Step 5 : Develop your French vocabulary

“I don’t know enough vocabulary” is one of the most common complaints I hear from students. But guess what? I’m a native speaker, and I don’t know all the words either!

You don’t need to know everything, just focus on the vocabulary you actually need, or really love. Vocabulary comes with experience, not from memorizing endless lists. Words come to you when you experience life in the world.

When you deeply enjoy a topic, learning new words and expressions stop feeling like extra work. If you love astronomy, find a French YouTuber who talks about planets. If you love baking, follow French recipes or chefs online. You need to find creators in your interests' niche.

Here are few niche creators recommendations that you can find on YouTube :
Gardening & growing food : @TomLeJardinier
Indoor plants : @Vertbobo
Crochet : @Soulmate_crochet
Roller skate : @kissmyskates
Fashion & Lifestyle : @LenaSituations
Cooking : @JustIncooking & @hervecuisine

When it comes to necessary vocabulary, the words you really need to know for your general progression or a test in French class, try to look up more active ways of acquiring French vocabulary. We all know that learning lists of words simply doesn't work. They will leave your mind as fast they entered, and this is not what we want in a long-term learning process. The internet is full of flashcards and vocabulary games to make your learning time enjoyable, take advantage of them.

Step 6 : Your shyness shouldn't stop you

I’ve heard people say "I speak just a little French" while in reality it has nothing to with French. They just speak a little, even if it’s their own language. Being talkative is a strong personality trait while learning a new language because our strong desire to express yourself will probably motivate to speak more and more. But you don't have to be a talker to speak your mind and develop your French skills.

If you’re not super talkative, that’s okay. Writing is another great way to practice expressing yourself.
Get a notebook you love, decorate it, and make it your French journal. Every day, pick a topic and write something simple: describe today's weather, recall an argument with your best friend, list what you bought at Lidl and what you’re going to cook for dinner...

It doesn’t have to be perfect : just write. You’ll probably end up looking up some words or phrases that you can start using in the safe space that is notebook.

Conclusion : write your own story.

Saying, “I just speak a little French,” sells yourself short. Every single “I can” is proof that you’re not just a French learner, you're a French user.

Take what you’ve learned in this article and try to apply it. Visualize your skills, embrace your imperfections, and take small, deliberate steps to grow and feel better. Celebrate every new word, every successful conversation, and even every mistake—they’re all part of your journey.

To dive into your personal relationship with the French language, the French & You workbook will definitely be a great (and free) companion!

French isn’t a test to pass; it’s a story to write. Drop the “just” and say it loud: “I speak French!”