The danger of false friends
By James, January 31 2021False friends are words from different languages that seem similar but are, in fact, not. The French president Emmanuel Macron made a famous mistake in 2017.
False friends are words from different languages that seem similar but are, in fact, not. The French president Emmanuel Macron made a famous mistake in 2017.
Do you say, "I recommend you to..."? If you do, then you should read this simple guide to using recommend.
A lot of people misuse in and later. Are you one of them?
Okay usually means yes, sure. But when you say, "It's okay", the meaning changes significantly.
In Japan, "global" is a buzz word that people like to use. Students want to be more "global". They want to work on the "global stage" for a "global company". In English, maybe you should choose a different word.
A lot of people learning English have been taught to ask, "What is your hobby?" But native English speakers almost never ask this. Why? There are two reasons.
Sometimes the reason we say words wrong is because we don't know the right rules. Take, for example, these words:
I've often heard non-native English speakers say something like, "You had better do it." But to a native English speaker, this sounds like a threat!
If better is a positive word, why does the pattern you had better + verb seem scary?
Have you ever said something like this?
A: How was your weekend?
B: It was fine. I could enjoy a relaxing time.
Do you think you might say something like this: "My favourite menu is miso ramen." What about when you are busy. Would you say something like this? "I have a schedule at 2 p.m."