Common mistakes · Sino-Tibetan background
Mistakes Chinese speakers make
Mandarin has no articles, no verb conjugation, and no plural marking on nouns. Time and aspect are shown by separate words and particles, not by changing the verb.
Pick one to practise
No articles (a / an / the)
✗I am student.
✓I am a student.
Chinese has no equivalent to a/an/the. English requires "a/an" before singular professions and first mentions, and "the" for known specific things.
No tense change on verbs
✗Yesterday I go to school.
✓Yesterday I went to school.
Chinese marks time with adverbs ("yesterday") and aspect particles (了, 过), not by changing the verb. English changes the verb form itself for tense.
Missing plural -s
✗I have many friend.
✓I have many friends.
Chinese marks plural with separate words and measure words, not by changing the noun. English adds -s for plurals.
Subject-verb agreement (he / she / it + s)
✗She like coffee.
✓She likes coffee.
Chinese verbs don't change for the subject. English present simple adds -s for he/she/it: I like, she likes.