Some time ago, an interesting story circulated on the internet: at one of the English-language conferences (the story does not specify the exact place and time), the speaker actively used the word “sheet.” One of the native speakers could not resist and said, “Please, say PAGE.” It sounds funny, but unfortunately, it leads to a number of problems: a lack of respect for the speaker, the audience’s attention shifting from the presentation to the curiosity, and a boost to the presenter’s self-doubt. In other words, after such a joke, someone’s day clearly didn’t go well. And if you understood the joke, then you probably already guessed that we will now talk about the most common mistakes in English that show that you are not a native speaker. And if you didn’t understand, then scroll down, it will be interesting.
Top 10 tricky mistakes in English
We won’t write that your accent, grammatical errors, or stress will immediately give away that you are not a native speaker. So, let’s imagine for a second that you’ve gotten rid of the most common problems and look at the most frequent, striking, and sometimes even the most piquant semantic mistakes that will instantly ruin your communication with a native speaker.
Before reading the explanation, try to answer for yourself: which of the options are correct and which are not.
– How does it look like?
– How does it look?
– What does it look like?
Do you think the mistake is in the first option? Well done!
It’s very easy to remember: if you want to ask for more information about how something looks, say “On WHAT (WHAT) it’s similar” in Russian. Otherwise, there is no point in using “like.”
– Normal.
– I’m ok.
The first option is a very common mistake for our mentality. Let’s face it, we always answer “normal” when asked how our day is going or how life is in general. If you want to say that nothing special is happening in your day or life, then “I’m ok” or “I’m good” is the best way to do it.
What’s more, many native speakers don’t even use that favorite expression of school teachers and textbooks: “How are you?” For native speakers, this phrase sounds very ‘bookish’ and emotionless, so they often resort to “How’s your day going?” or “How have you been?”
– My English is not very well.
– My English is not very good.
“Not very well” rather means that your English is sick, has a cold, or feels nauseous. Is that possible? Hardly. Moreover, such a warning will immediately show that you are not a native speaker, and the listener will begin to pay even more attention to your mistakes. So don’t do that.
– My sister and I understand it.
– I and my sister understand it.
– We with my sister understand it.
Here it is important to remember a few rules: first, unlike Russian, where “I” is the last letter of the alphabet and always comes first, native English speakers put “I” in the background. So grammatically, your friend, sister, brother, or anyone else comes first. Second, “my sister and I” sounds to a native speaker like “me, my sister, and some other people.” This is also a number that reflects our worldview and immediately reveals your mindset. So the first option in this case sounds correct.
– Have you ever been in Spain?
– Have you ever been to Spain?
It seems that we hear such phrases from the first grade, but in everyday speech, our native “in Spain/France/Germany” still pops up instead of the correct “to.” That’s how a simple two-letter preposition can prevent you from becoming a successful foreign spy. However, we use “in” when talking about our presence in a country within its borders. For example, “I am currently IN Ukraine.”
– My native language is…
– My first language is…
Paradoxically, when we speak with a native speaker, we avoid the word “native” as much as possible! This applies to both native language and native town. We replace such expressions with “first language” or “hometown.”
– What do you think?
– How do you think?
Similar phrases are commonly used by Russian speakers due to the flexibility of the Russian language: it is perfectly normal for us to ask “What do you think?” and “How do you think?”. However, a native speaker is more likely to respond to the question “How do you think?” with “With my head.”
– Forgive me.
– Excuse me.
– I’m sorry.
In fact, all of these options are correct. However, their usage plays an important role. A recent real-life case with technical support, when an agent wrote “Forgive me” due to an innocent typo, made me think about the importance of knowing how to apologize correctly. So, “Excuse me” is used to get someone’s attention when we want to call out to them or interrupt them. But if you step on someone’s foot, it would be appropriate to say “I’m sorry” — the most common apology. And finally, “Forgive me” is something very artistic and dramatic. In other words, it is unlikely that you will unintentionally cause such harm to those around you that you will have to resort to “Forgive me” (unless you are as unlucky as Mr. Bean, of course).
– I feel good.
– I feel myself good.
And here is a spicy example taken from the Instagram feed of one of the students of the language school. Under a cute photo with his girlfriend, the guy wrote the caption “I feel myself better when you are here with me.” In fact, we say “I feel myself good/bad.” Native speakers mean self-satisfaction by this (yes, you understood correctly). Of course, the student didn’t mean anything bad and just wanted to say that he feels better when she’s around, but it was a very serious mistake. So make sure that our “I feel myself” doesn’t slip into your speech under any circumstances.
– I like English language.
– I like English.
The first option is not really a mistake, but native speakers do not say “English language” because for them ‘English’ is already a language, and they do not consider it necessary to specify this. Therefore, the banal “language” will immediately reveal your foreign origin.
Tips that will help you sound like a native
Let’s turn to the harsh reality: fully sounding like a native speaker when you start learning English as an adult is very difficult, but POSSIBLE. This is a very labor-intensive process aimed at working on accent, stress, grammar, worldview, and even physiology. The thing is, after many years of speaking your native language, our jaw deforms depending on the sounds we produce. That’s why, for example, Germans often have the lower jaw pushed forward, and after a long imitation of German native speakers, a Russian-speaking student’s jaw may even slightly hurt from constant tension. However, if an accent can be adjusted through long imitation and practice, then the following few tips will help you sound like a native speaker almost immediately.
1. Use slang
For example, say “Kudos!” instead of “Bravo!” or “Dig” (“Hey, I dig your style” – I’m crazy about your style) instead of “Like”. This way, more youthful and street expressions will appear in your speech, and your language will sound less bookish. The main thing is not to overdo it so as not to seem impolite.
2. Shorten phrases
Say “I’m”, “I’ve”, “I’d”, “ain’t”, “can’t”, etc., and connect the same sounds without emphasizing a pause between words, for example, “I’d decide it…” = “I would decide it…”
3. Use idioms
Let’s compare: “You look like a million dollars!” = “You look beautiful.” This way, a first-grade-level phrase will sound brighter and more emotional to a native speaker.
4. Pay attention to some sounds (to start with)
What you can do without long phonetic training is move away from the Russian “R”, start pronouncing “P” with aspiration, and listen to the difference between Russian and English “V”. These few steps will significantly move your accent upward toward your goal.
5. Exclamations and mild swear words
No, we’re not asking you to swear like a sailor, however, when a car intentionally splashes you with water from a puddle, and you respond with “Oh no. You are a bad person!” – it doesn’t sound very natural, does it? In fact, a person who deliberately splashed you is a real “Git” – a scoundrel (Probably all IT specialists just remembered GitHub).
Also quite rude, but not obscene, are phrases like bloody hell, crap, damn, or goddamn = damn it. So you can use them too.
And in general, contrary to what we are all taught in regular school, it’s better to know swear words and keep them in mind so you’ll understand when someone addresses you disrespectfully and won’t look clueless. One way or another, this is a figure of speech that, from a philological point of view, also develops, changes, and is studied.
When we learn English, we tend to think that the biggest problem is our accent, grammar, or speaking speed. In other words, the qualitative characteristics of how we speak. However, as long as our speech is correct in terms of content, many qualitative shortcomings are negligible for a native speaker. Of course, on the one hand, it’s not fatal if you say “English language” instead of just “English.” However, you don’t want to come across as an abuser after a ruined date with an American woman after saying, “I feel myself better with you.” So first and foremost, speak meaningfully!
