#107 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Biznes markazda kostyum shim kiyishiz kerak.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
At the business centre you should wear a costume.
✅ Well, it should be:
At the office you should wear a suit.
❓Why?
❗️ The word business centre is a pseudo-anglicism – a word that seems to be English but isn’t actually used in English-speaking countries. If you want to refer to the building you can say office building.
❗️ A costume is a special set of clothes that actors wear, or you may wear a zombie costume on a Halloween party. It has nothing to do with formal clothes. The word is an example for a false friend – a word that seems easy to translate but means something different.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Biznes markazda kostyum shim kiyishiz kerak.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
At the business centre you should wear a costume.
✅ Well, it should be:
At the office you should wear a suit.
❓Why?
❗️ The word business centre is a pseudo-anglicism – a word that seems to be English but isn’t actually used in English-speaking countries. If you want to refer to the building you can say office building.
❗️ A costume is a special set of clothes that actors wear, or you may wear a zombie costume on a Halloween party. It has nothing to do with formal clothes. The word is an example for a false friend – a word that seems easy to translate but means something different.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#108 Our favourite mistakes: Grammar & Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Vaqtingiz bormi? Qachon vaqtingiz bor?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Do you have a time? When do you have a time?
✅ Well, it should be:
Do you have time? When do you have time?
❓Why?
❗️ The indefinite article a suggests that time is countable, but it is actually uncountable. The countable form of time translates as marta in Uzbek, e.g. ten times = o’n marta.
❗️ Similar to this mistake, students often wrongly add a in give birth. 👉U o’tgan hafta tug’di. ❌ She gave a birth last week. ✅ She gave birth last week.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #grammar #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Vaqtingiz bormi? Qachon vaqtingiz bor?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Do you have a time? When do you have a time?
✅ Well, it should be:
Do you have time? When do you have time?
❓Why?
❗️ The indefinite article a suggests that time is countable, but it is actually uncountable. The countable form of time translates as marta in Uzbek, e.g. ten times = o’n marta.
❗️ Similar to this mistake, students often wrongly add a in give birth. 👉U o’tgan hafta tug’di. ❌ She gave a birth last week. ✅ She gave birth last week.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #grammar #vocabulary
#111 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Menga maslahat bera olasizmi?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Can you give advice for me?
✅ Well, it should be:
Can you give me some advice?
❓Why?
❗️ This sentence definitely sounds better with some.
❗️ Use me as an indirect object.
❗️ There is no reason why you should use for here. It doesn’t go with give. You don’t give something for someone but you give something to someone.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Menga maslahat bera olasizmi?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Can you give advice for me?
✅ Well, it should be:
❓Why?
❗️ This sentence definitely sounds better with some.
❗️ Use me as an indirect object.
❗️ There is no reason why you should use for here. It doesn’t go with give. You don’t give something for someone but you give something to someone.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#112 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Yoki darsga vaqtida kirasiz yoki darsdan keyin o‘n bir yigirmada kelasiz.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Or you enter to the class on time or you come after the class at eleven and twenty.
✅ Well, it should be:
Either you come to the class on time or you come after the class at eleven twenty.
❓Why?
❗️ “Or … or …” is an Uzbek and Russian construction. In English it is “Either … or …”.
❗️ The verb enter is used without the preposition to.
❗️ Entering a class is emphasizing that someone physically enters the classroom but doesn’t mean that someone is a student or participates in the class. Come and go are preferred here.
❗️ When telling the time there is no and between the hour and the minutes, unless you use o’clock.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Yoki darsga vaqtida kirasiz yoki darsdan keyin o‘n bir yigirmada kelasiz.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Or you enter to the class on time or you come after the class at eleven and twenty.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ “Or … or …” is an Uzbek and Russian construction. In English it is “Either … or …”.
❗️ The verb enter is used without the preposition to.
❗️ Entering a class is emphasizing that someone physically enters the classroom but doesn’t mean that someone is a student or participates in the class. Come and go are preferred here.
❗️ When telling the time there is no and between the hour and the minutes, unless you use o’clock.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#115 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
O’qituvchi, bugungi mavzu nima?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Teacher, what is today’s theme?
✅ Well, it should be:
Sir/Madam, what is today’s topic?
❓Why?
❗️ Teacher is not a form of address in English. Students call their teacher either by Sir or Madam/Ma’am or Mr/Mrs/Miss plus family name. This varies between different cultures, however.
❗️ Theme is a mistranslation from Russian тема. The word theme exists in English but means something different: a) the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech or film, b) a music tune that keeps coming up, or c) a particular style. This is different from a topic which can be discussed in class.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
O’qituvchi, bugungi mavzu nima?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Teacher, what is today’s theme?
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ Teacher is not a form of address in English. Students call their teacher either by Sir or Madam/Ma’am or Mr/Mrs/Miss plus family name. This varies between different cultures, however.
❗️ Theme is a mistranslation from Russian тема. The word theme exists in English but means something different: a) the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech or film, b) a music tune that keeps coming up, or c) a particular style. This is different from a topic which can be discussed in class.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#117 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Boshliq kabinetidami yoki ko’chadami?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Is the boss in his cabinet or on the street?
✅ Well, it should be:
Is the boss in his office or outside?
❓Why?
❗️ Cabinet exists in English but doesn’t have the meaning of room. The main meaning is group of ministers in a government and a secondary meaning is a slightly old and formal word for cupboard, especially one in which important things are stored.
❗️ On the street means literally on the street and nothing else. From the Uzbek sentence it’s not clear where exactly the boss is, the correct translation is therefore outside.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Boshliq kabinetidami yoki ko’chadami?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Is the boss in his cabinet or on the street?
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ Cabinet exists in English but doesn’t have the meaning of room. The main meaning is group of ministers in a government and a secondary meaning is a slightly old and formal word for cupboard, especially one in which important things are stored.
❗️ On the street means literally on the street and nothing else. From the Uzbek sentence it’s not clear where exactly the boss is, the correct translation is therefore outside.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#119 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Men ro’zaman. Ro’za tutdingizmi? Og’izni nechada ochamiz?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
I’m roza. Did you fast? What time do we open our mouth?
✅ Well, it should be:
I’m fasting. Are you fasting? What time do we break the fast?
❓Why?
❗️ There is no such word as roza in English. Some people insist on talking about Islamic concepts like masjid or reading namoz in the original words or sense. There is no arguing about that, just adapt to the person listening to you. If you talk to foreign Muslims, use them, if not then find more established words like mosque or praying.
❗️ There’s no reason why fast should be in the past tense when you’re still doing it. The right tense is present continuous, i.e. Are you fasting?
❗️ Open one’s mouth sounds rather strange in English. Use break the fast instead.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Men ro’zaman. Ro’za tutdingizmi? Og’izni nechada ochamiz?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
I’m roza. Did you fast? What time do we open our mouth?
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ There is no such word as roza in English. Some people insist on talking about Islamic concepts like masjid or reading namoz in the original words or sense. There is no arguing about that, just adapt to the person listening to you. If you talk to foreign Muslims, use them, if not then find more established words like mosque or praying.
❗️ There’s no reason why fast should be in the past tense when you’re still doing it. The right tense is present continuous, i.e. Are you fasting?
❗️ Open one’s mouth sounds rather strange in English. Use break the fast instead.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#121 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Avval registratsiya qilishingiz kerak. Shu yo’l bilan kursga qatnashingiz mumkin.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
First you should registrate. By this way you can attend to / join to the course.
✅ Well, it should be:
First you should register. In this way you can attend / join the course.
❓Why?
❗️ There is no such word as registrate. The noun is registration and the verb is register. Both are pronounced with [дж], not [г].
❗️ By this way is a non-existing mixture of by the way and in this way. The two phrases mean different things. By the way means darvoqe.
❗️ Both attend and join do not need any preposition.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Avval registratsiya qilishingiz kerak. Shu yo’l bilan kursga qatnashingiz mumkin.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
First you should registrate. By this way you can attend to / join to the course.
✅ Well, it should be:
❓Why?
❗️ There is no such word as registrate. The noun is registration and the verb is register. Both are pronounced with [дж], not [г].
❗️ By this way is a non-existing mixture of by the way and in this way. The two phrases mean different things. By the way means darvoqe.
❗️ Both attend and join do not need any preposition.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#126 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary & Grammar
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Imtihon paytida shovqin o’quvchilarga xalaqit berishi mumkin.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
While exams noise can effect on students.
✅ Well, it should be:
During exams noise can affect students.
❓Why?
❗️ Students often confuse the synonyms while and during. Generally while is followed by a verb, e.g.: While students take exams … or While taking exams …. During is followed by a noun.
❗️ The two words effect and affect are synonyms, too, but not completely. While effect can be positive or negative, affect is always negative.
❗️ Effect is a noun, not a verb. The usage is have an effect on sb/sth.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary #grammar
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Imtihon paytida shovqin o’quvchilarga xalaqit berishi mumkin.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
While exams noise can effect on students.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ Students often confuse the synonyms while and during. Generally while is followed by a verb, e.g.: While students take exams … or While taking exams …. During is followed by a noun.
❗️ The two words effect and affect are synonyms, too, but not completely. While effect can be positive or negative, affect is always negative.
❗️ Effect is a noun, not a verb. The usage is have an effect on sb/sth.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary #grammar
#128 Our favourite mistakes: Grammar & Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
O’qituvchi o’quvchilarni gapirishiga yo’l qo’yib berishi kerak.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Teacher should let the students to speak.
✅ Well, it should be:
The teacher should let the students speak.
❓Why?
❗️ A definite article is needed before teacher. Although we don’t know which teacher exactly the teacher is, he/she is representative of any one teacher in the same situation, i.e. the teacher of any class.
❗️ The verb phrase let somebody do something does not need to. Same is true for make somebody do something.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #grammar #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
O’qituvchi o’quvchilarni gapirishiga yo’l qo’yib berishi kerak.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Teacher should let the students to speak.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ A definite article is needed before teacher. Although we don’t know which teacher exactly the teacher is, he/she is representative of any one teacher in the same situation, i.e. the teacher of any class.
❗️ The verb phrase let somebody do something does not need to. Same is true for make somebody do something.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #grammar #vocabulary
#129 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Ko'z oynak taqishning bazi afzal tomonlari bor.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
There are some advantage sides of wearing eye glasses.
✅ Well, it should be:
There are some advantages of wearing glasses.
❓Why?
❗️ Glasses and advantages are perfectly clear as one word in English. Do not translate word for word from Uzbek!
❗️ Another example is Islom dini in Uzbek, the translation of which is just Islam, not Islam religion as it is clear enough that Islam is a religion.
❗️ Language is another example, see this post.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Ko'z oynak taqishning bazi afzal tomonlari bor.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
There are some advantage sides of wearing eye glasses.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ Glasses and advantages are perfectly clear as one word in English. Do not translate word for word from Uzbek!
❗️ Another example is Islom dini in Uzbek, the translation of which is just Islam, not Islam religion as it is clear enough that Islam is a religion.
❗️ Language is another example, see this post.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#132 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Adashmasam London Angliyaning poytaxti.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
If I’m not mistaken London is the capital of England.
✅ Well, it should be:
London is the capital of England.
❓Why?
❗️ The phrase “If I’m not mistaken” is totally overused by Uzbek speakers of English. Such a basic and well-known fact like London being the capital of England does not need “If I’m not mistaken”. Saying that sounds like you’re so dumb that you’re not 100% sure. Don’t use this phrase as decoration, it actually means that you’re not sure.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Adashmasam London Angliyaning poytaxti.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
If I’m not mistaken London is the capital of England.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ The phrase “If I’m not mistaken” is totally overused by Uzbek speakers of English. Such a basic and well-known fact like London being the capital of England does not need “If I’m not mistaken”. Saying that sounds like you’re so dumb that you’re not 100% sure. Don’t use this phrase as decoration, it actually means that you’re not sure.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#134 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Here’s a collection of popular vocabulary mishaps (=small mistake or accident) in education, many of which are mistranslations from Russian. Be sure to speak English and not Uzlish!
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Here’s a collection of popular vocabulary mishaps (=small mistake or accident) in education, many of which are mistranslations from Russian. Be sure to speak English and not Uzlish!
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#136 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Prosto seni sevaman demoqchi edim.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Just I wanted to say I love you.
✅ Well, it should be:
I just wanted to say I love you.
❓Why?
❗️ Just I means only I – not somebody else. This is not the intended meaning here.
❗️ Just is a synonym of only and always describes the word behind it. Unlike the Russian просто it cannot be used for a whole phrase.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Prosto seni sevaman demoqchi edim.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
❗️ Just I means only I – not somebody else. This is not the intended meaning here.
❗️ Just is a synonym of only and always describes the word behind it. Unlike the Russian просто it cannot be used for a whole phrase.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#138 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Xayrli kech! Ishlariz qaley bo’lyapti?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Good night! How is it going on?
✅ Well, it should be:
Good evening! How is it going?
❓Why?
❗️ Good night is a way of saying goodbye, not hello.
❗️ Go on is a phrasal verb and means continue. Asking how something is going on is strange in this greeting situation.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Xayrli kech! Ishlariz qaley bo’lyapti?
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
❗️ Good night is a way of saying goodbye, not hello.
❗️ Go on is a phrasal verb and means continue. Asking how something is going on is strange in this greeting situation.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#139 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary & Grammar
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
U 25 yoshli programist, har oyda ikki ming topadi.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
He’s a 25 years old programmist and earns two thousands per month.
✅ Well, it should be:
He’s a 25-year-old programmer and earns two thousand per month.
❓Why?
❗️ To turn 25 years old into an adjective it gets hyphenated (=with hyphens, short strokes to connect words) and the plural -s in years is dropped.
❗️ Programist is Russian, this job is called programmer in English.
❗️ As numbers, thousand and also million cannot be in the plural. You can say thousands and millions (meaning many thousand/million) but not with a number before it.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary #grammar
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
U 25 yoshli programist, har oyda ikki ming topadi.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
He’s a 25 years old programmist and earns two thousands per month.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ To turn 25 years old into an adjective it gets hyphenated (=with hyphens, short strokes to connect words) and the plural -s in years is dropped.
❗️ Programist is Russian, this job is called programmer in English.
❗️ As numbers, thousand and also million cannot be in the plural. You can say thousands and millions (meaning many thousand/million) but not with a number before it.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary #grammar
#140 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary & Grammar
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Agar men ko’proq yangi so’zlar yodlasam IELTSdan balandroq ball olaman.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
If I will learn by heart more new words I take a higher ball from IELTS.
✅ Well, it should be:
If I learn more new words by heart I will get a higher score in IELTS.
❓Why?
❗️ Do not use will in if-clauses.
❗️ Learn by heart is a complex verb. The three words may not stay together but get filled with other words.
❗️ We don’t take scores but get scores. The same applies to salary, visas and certificates.
❗️ Ball means something different in English.
⚠️ Learning new words by heart is stupid and outdated and it certainly won’t help you to get a high score in IELTS! Learn words in context, i.e. sentences and situations!
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary #grammar
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Agar men ko’proq yangi so’zlar yodlasam IELTSdan balandroq ball olaman.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
If I will learn by heart more new words I take a higher ball from IELTS.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ Do not use will in if-clauses.
❗️ Learn by heart is a complex verb. The three words may not stay together but get filled with other words.
❗️ We don’t take scores but get scores. The same applies to salary, visas and certificates.
❗️ Ball means something different in English.
⚠️ Learning new words by heart is stupid and outdated and it certainly won’t help you to get a high score in IELTS! Learn words in context, i.e. sentences and situations!
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary #grammar
#142 Our favourite mistakes: Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Men yaqinda chet elga chiqaman.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
I will recently go to abroad.
I will soon go abroad.
❓Why?
❗️ Recently refers only to the past, not the future. The Uzbek word yaqinda can be translated as either recently (in the past) or soon (in the future).
❗️ The word abroad is an adverb and doesn’t need a preposition, just like home.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Men yaqinda chet elga chiqaman.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
I will recently go to abroad.
❗️ Recently refers only to the past, not the future. The Uzbek word yaqinda can be translated as either recently (in the past) or soon (in the future).
❗️ The word abroad is an adverb and doesn’t need a preposition, just like home.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #vocabulary
#143 Our favourite mistakes: Grammar & Vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Qimmat bo’lsa ham sotib olmoqchiman.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Even it’s expensive I want to buy it.
✅ Well, it should be:
Even if/though it’s expensive I want to buy it.
❓Why?
❗️ Even cannot stand on it’s own here. There is no difference in meaning between if and though that follows it but you have to use one of them.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #grammar #vocabulary
▶️ Please translate the following sentence:
Qimmat bo’lsa ham sotib olmoqchiman.
❌ Perhaps you think it is:
Even it’s expensive I want to buy it.
✅ Well, it should be:
❗️ Even cannot stand on it’s own here. There is no difference in meaning between if and though that follows it but you have to use one of them.
👉@afandi_english👈 #mistakes #grammar #vocabulary