Author: Louise

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Any Denglish in your English? (4)

I’ve mentioned before that many German speakers know that Handy does not mean mobile phone in English but are there any other Denglish words and phrases that you are using by mistake?

 

Here are a few examples of (mistranslated) phrases that I often hear:

You are on the wood way. (Du bist auf dem Holzweg)

In English we would say:  You are barking up the wrong tree.

 

There is air to the top.  (Luft nach oben)

In English we would say:  There is room for improvement.

 

Hand shoes.  (Handschuhe)

In English we would say:  Gloves.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Typical German speaker mistakes in English (9)

I often hear these mistakes made by German speakers who are learning English.

 

They say:  I’m making a party for my birthday on Saturday.

 

Remember in English we cannot ‘make’ a party.  Make is the wrong verb here.

 

Instead say ‘have’, ‘hold’, or ‘throw’ a party.

 

E.g.  I’m having a party for my birthday on Saturday.

The company held a big party last week to celebrate the opening of the new headquarters.

They threw a party to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary last weekend.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Look over vs overlook. When do we use these words?

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

 

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘look over’ and ‘overlook’.

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

 

To look over is a phrasal verb and it means to examine or read something (usually quickly.)

E.g.  He looked over the figures before giving them to his boss.

She looked over my homework to check it was correct.

I have attached the document for you to look over when you get chance.

 

To overlook is a verb and it means to miss something or to not find something or to ignore something.

E.g.  Although I read the document carefully, I overlooked one typing error.  ( = I didn’t find the typing error.  I missed it.)

Somethings is not quite right here.  I must have overlooked something.  ( = I have the feeling I have not found something, so I will check again to be sure.)

I’m sorry for the mistake in the document.  Can you overlook it this time, please?  ( = I am asking the other person to ‘ignore’ the fact that I have made a mistake.  I am hoping there will be no consequences for me!)

 

Remember:  To look over is written separately.  Overlook is one word.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Typical German speaker mistakes in English (8)

I often hear these mistakes made by German speakers who are learning English.

They say:  I make my holidays in France.

 

Remember in English we cannot ‘make’ holidays.  Make is the wrong verb here.

Instead say ‘take’, ‘have’ or ‘spend’ (if you want to say where the holiday is / was.)

 

E.g.  I usually take my holidays when the children have their school holidays.

He had a long holiday in May.  He travelled to several countries.

They usually spend their summer holiday in Spain but last year they spent their summer holiday in France.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

 

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Live vs stay. When do we use these words?

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘live’ and ‘stay’.

 

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

 

To live is a verb and it is used to describe the permanent place / city / country where someone is a resident.

 

E.g.  Where do you live?  =  What is your address? / Where is your permanent residence?

Before moving to Germany I lived in England.

They used to live in the countryside but they moved to the city several years ago.

 

To stay is a verb and it is used in these examples to describe a place where someone is temporarily.

 

E.g.  On our last holiday we stayed in a five-star hotel.

When I first moved to Berlin I stayed with some friends before I found my own flat.

Where did you stay while you were at the conference in London?

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Typical German speaker mistakes in English (7)

I often hear these mistakes made by German speakers who are learning English.

They say:  Where can I become a ticket?

Can I become a beer, please?

 

Remember, the verb to become in English is the same as ‘werden’ in German so the above sentences do not make sense.

Anyone who has learnt some German would probably understand what you want to say but to everyone else the sentences are just confusing.

 

Corrections:

Where can I buy / get a ticket?

Can I order / buy / have / get a beer, please?

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Any Denglish in your English? (3)

Hi everyone!

I’ve mentioned before that many German speakers know that Handy does not mean mobile phone in English but are there any other Denglish words that you are using by mistake?

Here are a few more examples that I often hear:

Public viewing.  In English this has nothing to do with watching a live sporting event as part of a large crowd.  In American English it is used to describe the viewing of a body after someone has died.

Oldtimer.  I hear this word often used in Germany to describe old cars.  I’d never heard it used in that way until I came to Germany.  In Britain we use the words ‘vintage car’ or ‘classic car’.  Oldtimer is a (not very nice!) way to describe an older man.

Neckholder.  I hear this word used to describe clothing but it always sounds to me like someone wants to strangle the other person!  Just say halter neck top instead.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Typical German speaker mistakes in English (6)

I often hear these mistakes made by German speakers who are learning English.

They say:  In the last time I work a lot.

 

There are a couple of things wrong with this.

 

Firstly, we don’t say ‘in the last time’.  Instead say recently or lately.

 

Secondly, the tense in the sentence is wrong.  To describe an action that has been happening repeatedly over a period of time in the past and up to now (and may continue into the future) we need to use the present perfect continuous:  have/has + been + verb+_ing.

 

So the correct sentence is:

Recently / lately I have been working a lot.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Used to do vs to be used to doing. When do we use these words?

Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing.  Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.

I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘used to do’ and ‘to be used to doing’.

 

Take a look at the examples below.  Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.

 

Used to do is for actions that were true in the past but are no longer true now.  It describes things that happened repeatedly in the past or continuous states in the past.

 

E.g.  I used to live in England but now I live in Germany.

He used to work in a regional office but now he works at the main headquarters.

She used to speak French fluently but she hasn’t spoken French for many years so she’s a bit   rusty.

 

To be used to doing is for actions that are normal or regular for you.  You have experienced the actions many times before.  They are not new or surprising for you.

 

E.g.  I’m used to getting up early for work.  I’ve done it for the last 30 years.

She is used to speaking English at work.  She does it nearly every day.

They are used to making mistakes when speaking English – they are still learning!

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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Typical German speaker mistakes in English (5)

I often hear these mistakes made by German speakers who are learning English.

They say:  We are four persons in my team.

 

There are a couple of things wrong with this.

 

Firstly, persons is only used in English in very formal or legal situations.  We don’t use it in daily language.  Instead just say people.

 

Secondly, don’t say ‘we are’, say ‘there are’.

 

So, the correct sentence is:

There are four people in my team.

 

Alternatively you can say:

There are four of us in my team.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise