29 mistakes in English that Americans use to recognize Russian speakers

When learning a foreign language, we pay a lot of attention to grammar and pronunciation. However, sometimes we forget that if we are faced with the task of learning a language at the level of a native speaker, then it is very important to use grammatical structures that are “native” for it. Calques transferred from the native language give the beginner away. Blogger liveonenglish collected the most common mistakes that Russian-speaking people make in English.

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Inaccurate meaning of the word

Often, when choosing words for an English sentence, we focus on their dictionary meaning without taking into account important nuances that are understandable only to native speakers. Let's look at a few examples:

• House: We often call it a tenement house, whereas for the English this word means a single-family house. The correct terms for an apartment building are - apartment building (American version) or blocks of flats (UK version).
• Normal: We use this word to mean “normal,” but for the English it means “not accompanied by unfavorable deviations from the norm.” In the meaning of “usual” or “normal” it is better to say maintenance or okay.
• close the door: We use this expression to mean “lock the door.” In English there are other expressions for this: to close the door (literally “to return the door leaf to the opening”) and to lock the door (“snap the lock, push the bolt”).
• Dinner: We often call the daily meal “lunch” using the word Dinner. However, in modern English lunch means the daily meal, and Dinner - this is dinner.
• comfortable: We use this word to mean “appropriate” (for example, a convenient time to meet). In English comfortable means “giving a physical or emotional feeling of comfort”, and to denote “suitable” it is better to use convenient: comfortable chairBut convenient time to meet.

On the subject: 'Break a leg for luck': how popular but strange English idioms came to be

Plural and singular

Another common category of errors is the use of the plural of nouns, which in Russian have a plural form, but not in English. For example:

• Knowledge: In Russian there is a plural form of "knowledge", whereas in English this word is always singular.
• Advice: In Russian we say both “advice” and “advice”, but in English we only say advice.
• Watch: In Russian we wear “watches”, and in English we wear watch (for one item) or watches (if we are talking about several hours).
• Money: This word is also always singular, so say money are wrong.

Literal translation

This is a common problem for all foreign language learners - tracing literal translations from their native language. Here are some examples:

• How is your mood? — meaning “how are you feeling?” instead of How are you? / How's it going? / What's up?
• I feel myself (well, fine...) — meaning “I feel (good, great...)” instead of I feel well or And feel fine.
• Thank you in advance as an analogue of the Russian “thank you in advance.” To English speakers, this phrase sounds like coercion.
• We with my brother instead My brother and I or Me and my brother. In English, it is customary to first name another person, and only then yourself.
• I think yes - meaning “I think so” instead of the correct one I think so. Offer I think yes possible only as an answer to the question What answer do you prefer, yes or no? (Which answer do you prefer: yes or no?)

Transferring the rules of the Russian language into English speech

The Russian language is redundant: the same information is conveyed multiple times. For example, in the phrase “The little girl went to the store,” information about the subject’s gender is conveyed four times: by the meaning of the word “girl,” by the ending [a], by the endings of the adjective [aya] and the verb [a]. In English, such clarifications are not required:

• I study English language instead I study English (It is not necessary to add the word “language”).
• I'm from Moscow city instead I'm from Moscow. Word City used only if it is part of a city name (Salt Lake City) or to distinguish between city and state (Oklahoma City).
• Olga shopping went with her girlfriend instead Olga shopping went with her friend. This error occurs due to the desire to clarify the gender of a friend, but in English both friend and girlfriend are friend. If it’s really important to you, then you can say male friend (male friend), female friend (female friend).

Excessive academicism

In English there is an expression to sound like a textbook, which means “to speak in abstruse, academic language.” Memorizing and repeating correct but unnatural phrases immediately reveals a foreigner. Native speakers rarely speak so formally:

• Hello, how are you? - I'm fine. Thank you! And you? usually replaced by Hey, what's goin 'on? / What's up? / What's happenin '?
• My name is John replaced by I'm John.
• I bought a new car / I received a letter / I came home too late replaced by I got a new car / I got a letter / I got home too late.

Literal translation of words

Here are a few similar curiosities:

• watch out! translates as “Beware!”, not “Look outside!”.
• Come on, old boy! - “Come on, buddy!”, not “Come here, old boy!”
• A girl with pigtails - “Girl with pigtails”, not “Girl with pigtails”.
• fly-fishing - “Fly fishing”, not “Flying fish”.
• She is bold today! - “She’s cheeky today,” not “She’s bald today.”

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Possible errors due to similar sounding words:

• I have been there - “I’ve been there”, not “I have beans there” (bean - “beans”).
• By the way - “By the way”, not “Buy a road” (buy - “buy”).
• Stop the violence! - “Stop the violence!”, not “Let the violins be silent!” (violin - “violin”).

Have you ever noticed similar mistakes?

Read also on ForumDaily:

Effective Tips: How to easily memorize 100 new English words per week

How to quickly improve your English: advice from professionals about what is really important in a language and what you can forget about

Ten of the most beautiful English idioms that will decorate your speech

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