By Daniel Borsody
1. I feel myself
Incorrect: I
feel myself fine today.
Correct: I
feel fine today.
Unlike Russian, English does not use the reflexive pronoun myself (себя) after the verb to feel. Hence, we say in
English I feel well; I feel
sick; I feel happy. Saying I
feel myself to a native
English speaker will sound strange, as it seems to express that one is
physically feeling or touching one’s own body.
2. Enough
Incorrect: She
spoke English enough well to get the job.
Correct: She
spoke English well enough to get the job.
In general, word order in English is stricter than in Russian.
Correct placement of the word enough depends on whether the word is
modifying an adverb, adjective or noun. If it’s modifying an adverb or
adjective, it’s placed after the verb:
Do you think he’s old enough to watch that movie?
We’ve done enough today.
If it’s modifying a noun, it’s placed before the verb:
We had enough money to buy a ticket.
3. Normal
Incorrect: “How
are you?”
“I’m normal, thanks.”
Correct: “How are you?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
In English we don’t usually use the word normal (нормально) to answer questions about our mood or
our day. Instead, one should use words such as fine or okay. Normal in English means average or not
strange. Saying that you are normal in reply to these questions sounds
like you are trying to say that you are a normal person and not a strange or even crazy
person (this may or may not be the case, but it probably is not what you are
intending to say!).
4. ученый (scientist, scholar)
Incorrect: Scientists study history so that
humanity can learn from the past.
Correct: Scholars study history so that
humanity can learn from the past.
In English the word ученый can be translated as scientist or scholar, but each word has a
different meaning. A scientist is someone who is an expert in a
science, especially what are called the hard sciences (physics, chemistry,
biology, etc.) or the social sciences (psychology, sociology, political
science, etc.). A scholar is a term that is used more broadly to
mean someone who is an expert in a certain area of knowledge and has a profound
understanding of this subject gained through in depth study. The word scholar isn’t used for an expert in the
sciences, but it can be used for subjects such as history, languages and art. Scholar can also be used for a student who
has received a scholarship
(стипендия). Here’s another way to understand the difference between scientist and scholar: a scientist is able to use the
scientific method (hypothesis, experiment, and conclusion) to study subjects,
while a scholar does not necessarily need to use scientific experiments to
study a subject.
5. Prepositions:
Incorrect: I was
waiting David on the theater.
Correct: I was
waiting for David at the theater.
One of the most common mistakes for Russian speakers learning
English is confusing or omitting prepositions. This is often difficult because
English and Russian expressions often have prepositional phrases that seem to
be the same, but are in fact different. Here is a list of commonly confused
prepositions:
Depends on зависеть от
Tired
of устал
от
Divide into разделить на
In addition to using the wrong preposition, often English
expressions do not use a
preposition when one is necessary in Russian and vice
versa. For example:
To wait for someone ждать кого-то
To graduate from school закончить школу
To listen to someone/music слушать кого-то / музыку
To be afraid of someone/something бояться
кого-то / что-то
Explain to someone объяснить кому-то
To answer a question ответить на вопрос
Finally, there are some common categories of prepositions that can
be helpful to understand:
Surface: on (table,
wall, floor, plate, roof, face, shelf, etc.)
Technology:
on (computer, TV, radio, screen, DVD, hard drive, CD etc.)
Large transport:
on (train, bus, tram,
plane, ship, ferry, etc.)
Inside a physical object/structure: in
(book, newspaper, hat, drawer, pocket, box, room, etc.)
Places: at/in (office,
stadium, shop, supermarket, station, theater, park, etc.)
6. How and What
Incorrect: How do you call this in English?
Correct: What do you call this in English?
How and what are often confused by Russian speakers
because they make the mistake of directly translating phrases like “Как это называется?”
from Russian to English. Remember that this is not always the case.
7. City
Incorrect: I am
from Moscow city.
Correct: I am from Moscow/the
city of Moscow.
Usually, one can say the name of a city (Moscow, New York, London)
without including the word city.
One should include city when stating the official name of the
city. Most cities use the construction the
city of…( the city of London,
the city of Boston, the city of Moscow), but some cities use the word city directly after the proper noun (New
York City). It’s also sometimes necessary to use city to make clear that one is referring to
a specific city and not a geographical area with the same name.
I grew up in a small town in the state of New York, but now I live
in New York City.
Although I have lived in Moscow for several years, my parents
still live in a small town outside of the city but still in Moscow Oblast.
Finally, remember that some cities include the word city in their name. For example, Salt Lake
City and Mexico City. For these cities, it is of course always necessary to use
the word city, since it is
part of their name.
I visited Salt Lake City this summer.
8. Plural and
Singular
Incorrect: The
professor gave us several useful advices for our researches.
Correct: The
professor gave us several useful words of advice for our research projects.
Russian and English both have countable nouns (chair, apple, glass)
and uncountable nouns (water, time, rice), but Russian speakers often confuse
nouns that are countable in Russian but not in English. Here’s a list of
commonly confused uncountable nouns in English:
Advice, research, knowledge, accommodation, baggage, equipment,
furniture, garbage, information, luggage, money, news, pasta, progress, travel,
work
Remember that if you want to express uncountable nouns in plural
form, you must use a word such as piece,
glass, chunk.
We just bought several new pieces of equipment for our lab.
I’ll have three glasses of lemonade, please.
She cut off a large chunk of meat and fed it to her dog.
Finally, there are a few expressions that should be singular in
English, but Russian speakers often make plural.
Thank God, we have each other. NOT Thanks God
No problem! NOT No problems
We have no comment about the case. NOT no comments
9. Possibility and Opportunity
Incorrect: I will
have the possibility to go to the conference next year.
Correct: I will
have the opportunity to go to the conference next year.
Russian speakers often overuse the word possibility when trying to use the word возможность in English. While возможность can mean possibility and
opportunity,
it depends on the context. Remember that possibility means that something might be capable
of happening or might be true. Opportunity means favorable circumstances that
make it possible to do something or the chance for advancement or promotion.
There is a possibility that it will rain tomorrow, so you will
have an opportunity to use your new umbrella.
There is a possibility that we will have enough funding for
another research assistant position. If so, you will have an opportunity to
apply for this position.
10. Say and Tell
Incorrect: Can
you say me how to tell this in English?
Correct: Can you tell me how to say this in English?
Say is used in general to speak
about something that has been said by someone. It’s used to report what someone
else has said. Tell is used in a more specific sense to
mean the process of instructing or informing someone about something. This is a
one-way process, and the verb tell must be followed by a direct object (tell
us/him/her/the audience).
At lunch John told his coworkers about his business trip
to China.
John said that the business trip to China went
very well.
Remember these collocations:
Tell a story, a lie, a secret, a joke, the truth.
Say yes or no, a few words, something.
11. Learn and
Teach
Incorrect: Can
you learn me to speak English better?
Correct: Can
you teach me to speak English better?
Learn and teach are often confused because, depending
on the context, they can both mean учить.
However, in English their meanings are completely different. Learn is what a student does (научиться). Teach is what a
teacher does (преподавать).
I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach
me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening. --Larry King
12. Free
Incorrect: I want
to speak English freely.
Correct: I want
to speak English fluently.
If one wants to express being able to speak a language easily and
accurately, we use the word fluent not free (cвободно). Free can also mean something which
costs nothing (бесплатно). However, when free is placed after a noun
(smoke-free, car-free, alcohol-free), it means this thing or action is
prohibited.
This is the smoke-free bar. If you want to smoke, you must go
outside.
13. Do and Make
Incorrect: I
think I did a mistake
Correct: I think
I made a mistake.
Do and make can both be translated as сделать in
Russian, which leads to the confusion for Russian speakers. The good news is
that there are a few guidelines about when to use make and when to do use do.
We often use do for daily activities or jobs that
do not produce a physical object.
Do homework, do the dishes, do the laundry, do a job, do the
shopping
We also use do when we speak about things in general
but don’t specifically name this activity. Instead, we use words like something, nothing anything,
everything, etc.
He has done nothing all day.
She would do anything for her Mom.
Is there something I can do for you?
Make is often used to express
constructing, building and creating something you can touch.
Make food, make a cup of tea, make clothes, make a mess
However, there are many make and do collocations that do not follow these
guidelines and must simply be memorized.
Make money, do someone a favor, do business, make a decision, do
good, make a plan
14. дорогой
(expensive, dear)
Incorrect: That
computer is too dear for me to buy.
Correct: That
computer is too expensive for me to buy.
The word дорогой can be translated as expensive or dear.
Both words mean something that is valuable to a person, but usually in
different senses. Although dear can mean something that is valuable in
a financial sense, most speakers today use it to mean something that is
valuable in emotional or personal sense.
This necklace isn’t very expensive, but, since it
belonged to my grandmother, it is very dear to me.
Expensive refers to something that is
valuable in a financial sense.
I wish I hadn’t dropped my new iPhone in the toilet. It was really
expensive!
15. Gender
Incorrect: It’s
time I bought a new computer, since he is very old.
Correct: It’s
time I bought a new computer, since it is very old.
Russian speakers often use the pronouns he or she when they should use it. Remember that in English we
only use he or she when referring to people. It is
appropriate to use he or she for animals, such as dogs, cats,
or other animals whose gender is easier to determine. We often do this for pets
or other animals for which we have personal affection and tend to personify:
I have fond memories of my dog, Spot. He was a great dog.
We also can use gender for intimate objects for which we have
great personal affection or attachment such as cars, ships, or even countries:
Look at that sports car! Isn’t she a beauty?
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.--Irving Berlin
There are some words in English that are gender specific. These
words refer to natural gender, the actual sex of a person or animal.
Feminine: women, girl, mother, daughter, aunt, niece, nun,
goddess, empress, queen, princess, heroine, actress, waitress, lioness, cow
Masculine: man, boy, father, son, uncle, nephew, monk, god,
emperor, king, prince, hero, actor, waiter, lion, bull
In modern usage, for some of the masculine forms of these words
such as waiter, actor, hero,
it has become acceptable for them to include both male and female genders. This
makes it easier to be gender inclusive. One can add male or female before the
word, if it’s necessary to denote gender.
During Shakespeare’s day, female actors were forbidden from
preforming on the stage. Therefore, male actors played all female roles.
Although ancient Greek myths tend to focus on exploits of male
heroes, scholars have tried to demonstrate that many of the female characters
in these myths can also be interpreted as heroes.*
*In English the word hero usually does not just mean the main
character in the story. Instead, a hero is a person, real or fictional, who
shows great courage or sacrifice, often for the greater good.
For more information on common mistakes made by Russian speakers,
check out these resources:
· OTUK’s blog has some good in depth
explanations of confusing
words, more
confusing words and yet more
confusing words, prepositions, gender,
and singular
vs plural.
· Some of Tim Kirby’s Война слов! videos
like this one here .
· Blab club’s videos
· And finally, you can practice your
English pronunciation with President Vladimir Putin here!
