5 Common Mistakes for Portuguese Speakers

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.

Pronunciation Challenges by Language: A Sampling from Portuguese to Japanese

This is just a brief shortlist and introduction to the most common pronunciation challenges associated with the following languages including a few helpful hints:

Brazilian Portuguese: t vs. ch (Ex. to--chew)

• In Brazilian Portuguese the 't' is sometimes pronounced as an American 'ch' sound. In English, the 't' sound is pronounced with the tongue closer to the teeth on the roof of the mouth, whereas the 'ch' sound is made further back on the ridge of the mouth.

Italian: h vs. a (Ex. hungry--angry)

• Italians must remember that the American 'h' sound is what linguists call an aspirated sound, which means that the speaker must exhale when pronouncing words that begin with 'h' instead of swallowing it.

Japanese: r vs. l (Ex. rock--lock)

• Japanese has one sound for both of these distinct sounds found in English, so students have an especially difficult time with this because no matter what they say it is incorrect, as they are using a sound in Japanese that exists "between" the 'r' and 'l'.  I always tell my students that the tongue is flat with the 'l' and curved back a bit with the 'r'.

Korean: p vs. f (Ex. coffee--copy)

• Remember that making the 'f' sound involves the top teeth and bottom lip, while the 'p' sound involves both lips.

Portuguese: sh vs. ch (Ex. share--chair)

• Portuguese speakers usually pronounce the 'ch' sound in English as 'sh'. 'Ch' is quick as in a sneeze... Achoo!...and 'sh' is soft and long as in Shhhh, the baby is sleeping.

Spanish: inserting an 'e' in front of words beginning with 's' (Ex. eSpain, esleep, esafe and esound)

• Spanish-speaking students need practice beginning the 's' sound without the help of words before or after that normally help the flow and connection of sounnds.

Turkish: v vs. w (Ex. wine--vine)

• The 'v' sound includes the use of the teeth and the bottom lip, while the 'w' sound is formed with both lips as if giving a kiss.

Have you ever heard of an ACRONYM?

I'm sure you already know many acronyms in English, but maybe you have never heard of the term acronym before.  The word itself is a combination of the Greek words akro (tip or end) and nym (name or word).  Therefore an acronym is a type of word that uses only the first letter to create a new word; for example, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), The United States of America (USA), as soon as possible (ASAP), (and of course!...) English as a Second Language (ESL).

Acronyms are used in both formal and informal English.  They are used as much in Washington, DC, with the innumerable government agencies and organizations, as they are used in online chats and text messages.  The following short lists include both formal and informal acronyms most commonly used in English that will prove to be useful additions to your vocabulary!  There are many more acronyms than those listed below, so share them if you have them!

*Grammar Tip:  Whenever using an acronym in a formal document, always spell out words and follow with the acronym in parentheses.  After you have spelled out the acronym once, from that moment on, you can use just the acronym.  For example:   The Department of Energy (DoE) has undergone transformations since President Obama took office in 2008.  The DoE is responsible for...

CHAT/TEXTS

• NP: No Problem
• LOL: Laughing Out Loud
• GF/BF: Girl/Boyfriend
• BRB: Be Right Back
• BTW:  By The Way
• IDK:  I Don't Know
• KIT: Keep In Touch
• TTYL:  Talk To You Later
• SMS:  Short Message Service
• NOYB:  None of Your Business

ORGANIZATIONS/ GOVERNMENT

• DoJ:  Department of Justice
• DoD:  Department of Defense
• ED:  Department of Education
• CIA:  Central Intelligence Agency
• NRA:  National Rifle Association
• NAACP:  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
• AARP:  American Association of Retired Persons
• NAFTA:  North American Free Trade Agreement
• DMV:  Department of Motor Vehicles
• AA:  Alcoholics Anonymous
• AAA:  Triple A (towing service)
• YMCA: Youn Men's Christian Association

OTHERS...

• OJ:  Orange Juice
• PJ'S:  Pajamas
• FYI:  For Your Information
• KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid!
• AKA:  Otherwise Known As
• DOB:  Date of Birth
• SSN:  Social Security Number
• PT/FT/OT:  Part/Full/Overtime 
• OTC:  Over the Counter (You can buy OTC at the pharmacy without a doctor's prescription.)
• DOA:  Dead on Arrival  (This is in the Friend's theme song...)
• BA/BS:  Bachelor's of Art/Science
• MA/MS:  Master's of Art/Science
• MBA/MPA:  Master's of Business/Public Administration