Learning English: the mistakes to expect, by first language
Some English difficulties hit everyone. Others depend on the language you grew up with. Start with the ones every learner meets, then open the page for your first language.
Hard for every English learner
Articles (a/an/the)
When to use a/an/the vs nothing is subtle and trips most learners.
Words to watch: a an the
Tense & aspect
Present perfect vs past simple, continuous vs simple — English aspect is fine-grained.
Prepositions
in/on/at and dependent prepositions (interested IN, good AT) are idiomatic.
English for speakers of…
🇧🇷 Portuguese speakers
Portuguese↔English false friends · +9 more
🇪🇸 Spanish speakers
False friends · +4 more
🇫🇷 French speakers
French↔English false friends · +4 more
🇩🇪 German speakers
German↔English false friends · +4 more
🇮🇹 Italian speakers
Every sentence needs a subject · +4 more
🇸🇦 Arabic speakers
p vs b sounds · +4 more
🇷🇺 Russian speakers
Articles (Russian has none) · +4 more
🇰🇷 Korean speakers
Articles + obligatory plurals · +4 more
🇨🇳 Chinese speakers
Verbs must change form (-s, -ed) · +4 more
🇮🇪 Irish speakers
Word order (VSO→SVO) · +4 more
🇹🇷 Turkish speakers
Articles, especially "the" · +4 more
🇧🇩 Bengali speakers
Articles (Bengali has none) · +4 more
🇮🇳 Tamil speakers
Articles (Tamil has none) · +4 more
🇵🇰 Urdu speakers
Articles (Urdu has none) · +4 more
🇺🇦 Ukrainian speakers
Articles (Ukrainian has none) · +4 more
🇮🇳 Hindi speakers
Articles (Hindi has none) · +3 more
🇮🇩 Indonesian speakers
Verbs carry the time · +3 more
🇮🇳 Telugu speakers
Articles (Telugu has none) · +3 more
🇮🇳 Marathi speakers
Articles (Marathi has none) · +3 more
🇮🇳 Gujarati speakers
Articles (Gujarati has none) · +3 more
🇮🇳 Kannada speakers
Articles (Kannada has none) · +3 more
🇮🇳 Malayalam speakers
Articles (Malayalam has none) · +3 more
🇮🇳 Punjabi speakers
Articles (Punjabi has none) · +3 more
🇯🇵 Japanese speakers
Articles + plurals · +2 more
Keep going
- 40 natural English expressions, by situation
- 30 real-life English speaking scenes with translations
- All language pairs
Questions about learning English
What is hard about learning English?
Articles (a/an/the): When to use a/an/the vs nothing is subtle and trips most learners. Tense & aspect: Present perfect vs past simple, continuous vs simple — English aspect is fine-grained. Prepositions: in/on/at and dependent prepositions (interested IN, good AT) are idiomatic.
Does my first language change which English mistakes I make?
Yes. Your first language shapes the mistakes you make: its sounds, word order and grammar leak into English. That is why WordSlick shows different traps for, say, Portuguese speakers and Spanish speakers, and coaches each one separately.
Can I practise speaking English with an AI tutor?
Yes. AskSlick, WordSlick’s AI tutor, holds English conversations at your level, role-plays real situations and corrects you gently, explaining in your own language.