10 Mistakes Every English Learner Makes — Easy English Conversation

Transcript

A: Today we’re looking at ten mistakes English learners often make.

B: Not to make you feel bad — mistakes are a normal part of learning. We’ll just fix them, one by one.

A: Listen for these: I’m twenty-five years old, explain it to me, I agree with you, married to, and it depends on.

B: We’ll review them all at the end.

A: Practice today’s phrases in Recursio — link in the description.

B: Let’s start with one of the first personal questions learners practice.

Age, feelings, and agreeing

A: Mistake number one. Somebody asks my age. What do learners say?

B: Very often: “I have twenty-five years.”

A: And that’s wrong?

B: In English, yes. We use the verb “be” for age. “I am twenty-five years old.” Or just, “I’m twenty-five.”

A: “I’m twenty-five years old.” Not “I have.”

B: Right. Many languages use “have” here, so this one is very common — and very easy to fix.

A: And I can say just the number?

B: You can. “How old are you?” “Twenty-five.” That’s completely natural.

A: Good. Mistake number two.

B: “I feel myself good.”

A: Ah. I’ve said that.

B: Many learners have. When “feel” is followed by an adjective, we don’t add “myself.” You say, “I feel good,” or “I feel better today.”

A: “I feel good.” Short and correct.

B: And here’s the bonus — “I’m not feeling myself today” is real English. It means you don’t feel like your normal self.

A: But never “I feel myself good.”

B: Never that one. Adjective after “feel,” nothing in between.

A: Noted. Number three?

B: Number three is “I’m agree with you.”

A: That one I hear all the time.

B: Because in many languages, agreeing is a state, like being tired. In English it’s a verb.

A: So it’s “I agree with you.” No “am.”

B: Exactly. “I agree.” “I don’t agree.” Or, “I disagree.”

A: And if I want to be softer?

B: “I see what you mean, but…” That’s the polite version.

A: That’s useful in a meeting.

B: Very useful. And it’s an easy fix — just remove one word.

Say, tell, and explain

A: Number four. What’s the difference between “say” and “tell”?

B: “Tell” is normally followed by a person — tell me, tell him, tell your boss. “Say” isn’t.

A: And if I want a person after “say”?

B: Then you need “to.” “She said something to me.”

A: So the mistake is “Say me the address.”

B: Yes. It should be “Tell me the address.”

A: And in reported speech?

B: “He told me he was late.” “He said he was late.” A person after “tell,” no person after “say.”

A: Okay. And what about the same problem with “explain”?

B: That’s number five, and it’s a big one. Learners say, “Explain me this.”

A: And the correct version?

B: “Explain this to me.” You need the little word “to.”

A: “Explain it to me.” “Could you explain it to me again?”

B: Perfect. Same with “describe.” “Describe it to me,” not “describe me it.”

A: Why is “tell” different?

B: Honestly, it just is. “Tell” takes the person straight after it. “Explain” needs “to.” That’s English.

A: Sometimes the answer is just “that’s how it is.”

B: Sometimes it really is. Don’t look for a rule — learn the two examples and move on.

Prepositions that don’t translate

A: Number six. This one I get wrong every time.

B: Let me guess. “It depends from the weather.”

A: That’s the one.

B: In English it’s “depend on.” “It depends on the weather.” “It depends on you.”

A: “It depends on.” And the short answer people say?

B: Just “It depends.” That’s a complete sentence in English.

A: Number seven, and this one is a classic.

B: “She’s married with a doctor.”

A: And what does that actually mean?

B: It doesn’t express the meaning you want. You may hear “married with two kids,” which means married and having children.

A: So the correct one is?

B: “She’s married to a doctor.” You are married to someone.

A: “I’ve been married to her for ten years.”

B: Perfect. And there are a few more of these little words that don’t translate.

A: Give me the useful ones.

B: “Interested in.” “Good at.” “Afraid of.” “Responsible for.”

A: “I’m interested in history.” “She’s good at math.”

B: Right. And two verbs where people add a word that shouldn’t be there.

A: Which ones?

B: “Listen to” needs “to” — “I listen to music.” But “call” doesn’t. You call someone.

A: So not “call to my mother.”

B: Not “call to.” Just “I’ll call my mother.” In British English you’ll also hear “phone someone.”

A: These little words are the hardest part of English, aren’t they?

B: They can be difficult. The most useful approach is to learn them inside a phrase, not alone.

Bored, boring, and how things look

A: Number eight. The famous one. What’s the difference between “I’m bored” and “I’m boring”?

B: “I’m bored” is how you feel — nothing interesting is happening for you.

A: And “I’m boring”?

B: It means you’re the one making other people bored.

A: So if I say “I’m boring” at a party…

B: You’ve said something quite sad about yourself.

A: Let’s fix that immediately.

B: With many feeling adjectives, the pattern is simple. The “-ed” form describes the feeling. The “-ing” form describes what causes it — and that can be a thing or a person.

A: “I’m bored.” “The film is boring.”

B: Exactly. “I’m interested.” “The book is interesting.” “I’m tired.” “The trip was tiring.”

A: That’s a good pattern. “-ed” for how I feel, “-ing” for what makes me feel it.

B: That’s the whole thing. And yes — a person can be the “-ing” one. That’s why “I’m boring” is so painful.

A: Number nine. How do I ask about someone’s appearance?

B: People say, “How she looks like?” or “How does she look like?”

A: And the correct question?

B: Two options, and they mean different things. “What does she look like?” asks about appearance.

A: “What does she look like?” — she’s tall, she has dark hair.

B: And “How does she look?” asks about right now. “She looks tired.” “You look great!”

A: So “What does she look like?” for appearance, “How does she look?” for right now.

B: That’s it. When you ask about appearance, don’t combine “how” with “look like.”

A: And there’s a third question that sounds similar, isn’t there?

B: “How do you like it?” That one asks your opinion. “How do you like your new job?” “I love it.”

A: And one more — “What is she like?”

B: That’s her personality, not her face. “She’s funny, she’s very calm.”

A: Four questions that look the same and do four different jobs.

B: Four different jobs. They become much easier when you compare them in real examples.

Time that hasn’t finished

A: And number ten. This one often takes time to get right.

B: “I live here since 2020.”

A: I say that constantly.

B: Many learners do. The problem is the tense. You started living here in the past, and you still live here now.

A: So which tense?

B: Present perfect. “I’ve lived here since 2020.” Or, “I’ve been living here since 2020.”

A: “I’ve lived here since 2020.”

B: And it’s the same with jobs, relationships, and studying. “I’ve worked here for three years.”

A: “For” and “since” again.

B: Yes. “For” is a length of time — for three years. “Since” is a starting point — since Monday.

A: And what does the simple present tell us here?

B: It tells us the current situation without focusing on duration. “I live in Berlin” says where I live. “I’ve lived in Berlin for two years” tells you how long, from the past up to now.

A: That one feels like it needs a hundred repetitions.

B: It needs regular practice. That’s exactly the kind of contrast you can save in Recursio and review over time.

A call about an apartment

A: Let’s put some of this into a real conversation. You’re calling about an apartment you saw online.

B: Good, I’ll call. You be the landlord.

A: Hello?

B: Hi, good afternoon. I’m calling about the apartment on Green Street. Is it still available?

A: It is, yes.

B: Great. Could you tell me a little more about it? The listing is very short.

A: Of course. Two rooms, second floor, and there’s a small balcony at the back.

B: How much does the heating cost in winter?

A: It depends on the weather, honestly. Last year it was about sixty a month.

B: That’s fine. And can I ask — how long have you owned it?

A: I’ve owned it since 2014. My daughter lived there while she was studying.

B: Could you tell me when I could see it?

A: Tomorrow evening, if that works. Say seven o’clock?

B: Seven is perfect. Tell me the address again, and I’ll write it down.

A: Number forty-one Green Street. Press the top button on the intercom.

B: Got it. Thank you — I’m very interested in it.

A: One thing I should say. There’s a café downstairs, and it opens at six in the morning.

B: Is it noisy?

A: It depends on the day. Weekends are busy.

B: I’m not afraid of a little noise. I’m more afraid of cold rooms.

A: Then you’ll be fine. The heating is new.

B: Good. And who’s responsible for repairs — you, or an agency?

A: Me. You call me, and I come.

B: That’s the best answer there is.

A: See you tomorrow.

B: And there are several of today’s phrases inside one phone call.

A: And none of the sentences was complicated. That’s the whole point.

B: Exactly. These are small words in ordinary sentences.

A short meeting at work

A: Let’s hear a few more mistakes in a different situation. This time we’re in a short meeting at work.

B: Good. You’re leading the meeting, and I’m giving you an update.

A: Thanks for joining. Could you tell me what happened with the website yesterday?

B: The payment page stopped working for about twenty minutes.

A: Do we know why?

B: Not yet. The technical team is checking it now.

A: Could you explain the problem to me without using technical words?

B: Of course. Customers could open the page, but they couldn’t finish their payment.

A: I see. So people could choose a product, but they couldn’t buy it.

B: Exactly.

A: Do we need to contact every customer?

B: It depends on how many people were affected. We should have the number this afternoon.

A: I agree with you. Let’s wait for the number before we send an email.

B: Good. I’ll tell you as soon as I know.

A: Now imagine I make a common mistake. I say, “I’m agree with you.”

B: Then I’d understand you, but the natural sentence is “I agree with you.”

A: And if I say, “Explain me the problem”?

B: I’d say, “Could you explain the problem to me?”

A: So even in a real meeting, the corrections stay short.

B: Right. You don’t need a new sentence. You usually need one small change.

A: Was the meeting boring?

B: No, but the payment problem was frustrating.

A: Good distinction. You were frustrated, and the problem was frustrating.

B: Exactly. The same pattern as bored and boring.

A: That’s useful. These forms aren’t just grammar exercises — people use them every day.

B: And hearing them in a situation makes them easier to remember.

Find the mistake

A: Now a short practice. I’ll say a sentence with a mistake, and you give the corrected version.

B: Good. Go ahead.

A: “I feel myself very tired today.”

B: I feel very tired today.

A: “Say me what happened.”

B: Tell me what happened.

A: “I’m agree with your idea.”

B: I agree with your idea.

A: “I’ll call to my mother tonight.”

B: I’ll call my mother tonight.

A: “How does your new apartment look like?”

B: What does your new apartment look like?

A: Good. And one last one, but this is a trick.

B: Go on.

A: “I work in a big company.”

B: That one isn’t a mistake. It’s fine.

A: It is fine. With a named company, “at” just sounds more natural — “I work at Google.”

B: Nice trick. And a useful reminder — not everything that sounds foreign is wrong.

Quick review

A: Let’s do a quick review. I’ll ask a question, you answer in your head, and then you’ll hear the answer.

B: Let’s go.

A: Someone asks your age. How do you answer?

B: I’m twenty-five years old.

A: You want someone to make something clear for you. What do you say?

B: Explain it to me.

A: You’re not sure about your plans — it all comes down to the weather. How do you say it?

B: It depends on the weather.

A: Your sister’s husband is a doctor. How do you describe her?

B: She’s married to a doctor.

A: The film wasn’t interesting and you couldn’t wait for it to end. How do you describe yourself?

B: I was bored.

A: You started living here in 2020, and you’re still here. How do you say it?

B: I’ve lived here since 2020.

A: Perfect. You’ve got them all.

Outro

B: So today we fixed ten of the most common mistakes.

A: I’m twenty-five years old. I feel good. I agree with you. Tell me the address.

B: Explain it to me. It depends on the weather. She’s married to a doctor.

A: I’m bored, and the film is boring. What does she look like? And I’ve lived here since 2020.

B: And one last thing — making these mistakes is completely normal. It means you’re speaking.

A: It means you’re speaking. Nobody learns a language quietly.

B: If you want to review these and remember them, open the link below and practice them in Recursio.

A: Thank you so much for listening, and see you in the next episode.