Local accents down in the Gard are pretty difficult, too, such huge concentration is needed, for example when bumping into a neighbour. She’s the widow of the late fire chief and each time we see her after arriving several months in the UK it’s nearly as bad as meeting her again for the first time 15 years ago. She sees me floundering and kindly slows down a little for a couple of minutes before continuing like an express train! 

For French friends who enjoy using English in conversation/discussion two of the words most difficult to differentiate are walk and work. Some of the most difficult for English people to hear the difference between are sous and sur - some after many years of studying French at school, evening classes, conversation groups in France and living there for years. 

What French words do any of you find difficult to hear/say, I wonder, such as Jardinière mentioning mais and mets and vous and vu - the latter two being common examples

Most of the time it's obvious from the context which similar sounding word is being used, mais could never be confused with mets I challenge you to compose a sentence where one or the other could be used in the same place, you could even hold a conversation in French using "but" instead of "mais" and it would be clear what you meant.

I have a mental block between au dessus and en dessous I never know which is which, I have to imagine sous-sol being under a maison to know what to say or is being said.

French people can never understand me when I say douille or couilles although the context usually makes the latter clear, no matter how many times its repeated to me with the correct prononciation mine is incorrect but to my ears I am saying it correctly.

Very early on I was mispronouncing les pays making it sound like l’épée again clearly wrong to the listener which was why I was corrected, that was just lazy speech, the difference is clear to my ears.

I find 'imperméabilisant' a bit of a bugger to say quickly Ditto to pcpa's dessus/dessous + it's taken me ages to remember to differentiate the pronunciation....
Then there's 'justificatif'....so very often required as well! You can see why elderly French don't go in for dentures much. The floor would be ankle deep 

My neighbour had me foxed today when I thought the conversation changed suddenly from talking about a problem in a wooden door to alcoholic drink. I misunderstood "une colle à bois" for "un alchool à boire". I think I inadvertently furrowed my brow which I find so disconcerting when French people do it to me when I'm trying hard to speak my best French.




+1

I don't think the correct prononciation of dessus or dessous should be of concern, more important to choose the correct prefix au or en and to pronounce that correctly and emphasise it if necessary.

A friend wanting to buy a female puppy asked the breeder "avez-vous une chiotte" ---- great hilarity allround