Language – askinan

How do native speakers tell I’m foreign based on my English alone?

oferson — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 02:02:52 +0000

I’m a 19-year-old student from Malaysia. I’ve been introduced to the language at a very young age and I’m capable of conducting any type of conversation. However, some of my English-speaking friends on the internet didn’t take too long to figure I’m not a native speaker. Why is that?

Why are the British confused about us calling bread rolls “biscuits” when they call bread rolls “puddings”?

oferson — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 02:02:32 +0000

(Why I darest say, they darest not get offended when they so indeed have examples that violate their own use and nomenclature!) IE: pudding as a specific dessert, puddings as a general term for desserts. Calling something a Yorkshire pudding that is not a pudding and not a dessert.

Is this statement, “i see him last night” can be understood as “I saw him last night”?

oferson — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 02:00:31 +0000

In my local language (Bahasa Indonesia) there are no verb-2 or past tense form as time tracker. So, I often forget to use the past form of verb when speaking english.

I saw him last night (correct)

I see him last night (incorrect)

But i think both has the same meaning and are understandable,

Isn’t it?

Is there an English equivalent to the French expression: “il faut d’abord apprendre à marcher avant de courir”?

oferson — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 01:22:46 +0000

I know this means “one must learn to walk before running”, but is there a less literal translation that is perhaps more appealing to an English-speaking audience?