Which one should you use?
While mon français est mauvais is a direct way to state your lack of ability, you can use mon français est limité to be more polite and less self-deprecating. If you want to sound more formal, you can say Je ne parle pas bien français (I do not speak French well), Ma maîtrise du français laisse à désirer (My mastery of French leaves something to be desired) or J'ai du mal à m'exprimer en français (I have difficulty expressing myself in French). In informal settings, you might say Mon français est nul (My French is terrible), Je suis nul en français (I am terrible at French) or Je galère en français to indicate you are struggling or having a hard time.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, use Je ne parle pas bien français, Ma maîtrise du français laisse à désirer or J'ai du mal à m'exprimer en français. If you wish to be more polite and less harsh on yourself, use mon français est limité. In informal or casual situations, you can use Mon français est nul, Je suis nul en français or Je galère en français.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase mon français est mauvais, the adjective mauvais must be in the masculine singular form to agree with the masculine noun français.
Did you know?
- The informal phrase je galère used to describe struggling with the language comes from the word for a 'galley' ship, referring to the grueling labor of the rowers.
- In France, admitting mon français est mauvais can sometimes be seen as a 'false modesty' tactic used by fluent speakers to lower expectations before surprising their listener.
- In the word est, the 's' is silent in speech but remains in the spelling, a rarity in modern French. Aside from the name of 'Jésus-Christ', it is the only common word that maintains this silent internal 's' from its Latin roots.
Examples in context
- Mon français est mauvais.My French is bad.This sentence demonstrates how to use the phrase mon français est mauvais.Tatoeba #9159306 by Julien_PDC, translation #6440603 by CK
Example conversation
Hugo meets Emma for the first time in Paris.
- HugoBonjour ! Comment allez-vous ?Hello! How are you?
- EmmaJe vais bien, merci. Et vous ?I am doing well, thank you. And you?
- HugoÇa va, mais mon français est mauvais.I'm okay, but my French is bad.
- EmmaNe t'’inquiète pas, Hugo, c'est normal.Don't worry, Hugo, it's normal.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries est, français, mauvais, mon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
