Naturally, when we try to speak in a foreign language we translate directly and literally from our own, but sometimes translating does not work, as in the following examples.
1. congress/conference
- I'm going to an international
congress conference about physical therapy this weekend.
Note: Congress is the governing body in the United States consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
2. all the people/everybody
- I think
all the people go everybody goes on vacation in August in Europe.
Note: We use "all the people" when it is more specific or qualified, such as "all the people who registered for the test" or "all the people who I invited to the party"...
3. toes/fingers
- My feet were so cold after snowboarding all day that I could hardly move my
fingers toes.
Note: The word "toes" does not exist in Portuguese; fingers is used instead.
4. to have/be ______ years old
- When I
had was 10 years old, I visited Finland with my family.
5. to like something
- I like
very much going to the beach very much.
- She likes
more shopping downtown more than going to the mall.
Note: These are syntax (word order) errors.
