Why "I am agree" is wrong, and 7 more mistakes from Vietnamese
Verbs that aren't adjectives, missing plurals and other patterns that come from translating word for word.
These mistakes are common because the Vietnamese sentence underneath is perfectly correct. The trick is to notice where English works differently.
1. I am agree
Agree is a verb, so it doesn't need am. In Vietnamese, "tôi đồng ý" has no "là", and English works the same way.
Don't say
I am agree with you.
Say
I agree with you.
2. Missing -s on plurals
Vietnamese shows "many" with words like những or các, and the noun doesn't change. In English the noun itself changes.
Don't say
I have two brother.
Say
I have two brothers.
3. Missing -s with he, she and it
Don't say
She work in a bank.
Say
She works in a bank.
4. Informations and advices
Some nouns can't be counted in English, even though they can in Vietnamese. They never take -s or a/an.
Don't say
Can you give me some advices?
Say
Can you give me some advice?
5. Discuss about
Discuss already includes "about", so don't add another one.
Don't say
We discussed about the plan.
Say
We discussed the plan.
6. Very like
Don't say
I very like this song.
Say
I really like this song.
7. Since + a length of time
Don't say
I have lived here since three years.
Say
I have lived here for three years.
Rule
Use for with a length of time (three years, two weeks) and since with a starting point (2019, Monday, last summer).8. Open and close the light
Don't say
Can you open the light?
Say
Can you turn on the light?
Quick check
3 questions · nothing is savedChoose the correct sentence.
He ___ in Da Nang.
Can you give me some ___?
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