Lesson 31: Common Mistakes Clinic
Why a "Mistakes Clinic"?
Portuguese speakers often make predictable errors in English due to:
- • False friends (falsos cognatos)
- • Grammar transfer from Portuguese
- • Pronunciation habits
Today, we’ll diagnose and correct them!
Mistake #1: False Friends
"Actually" ≠ "atualmente"
“Actually, I don’t like coffee.” → means “na verdade”
“Currently, I work in marketing.” → means “atualmente”
More False Friends
| English word | Looks like PT | Real meaning in EN |
|---|---|---|
| library | biblioteca | place to borrow books (not "livraria") |
| parents | parentes | mother and father only (not "relatives") |
| lecture | leitura | university talk (not "reading") |
Mistake #2: Subject Pronouns
In English, you must use a subject pronoun:
✓ She is working.
✗ Is working. (common PT-influenced error)
Practice: Add the Subject!
→ He lives in London.
→ We are studying English.
→ She likes pizza.
Mistake #3: Present Perfect vs. Simple Past
Portuguese uses the past perfect for recent actions, but English often uses the present perfect:
✓ I’ve just finished my homework.
✗ I just finished my homework. (acceptable in American English but less common in British; still, present perfect is safer)
Compare These
| Portuguese logic | Correct English |
|---|---|
| “Eu terminei agora.” | I’ve just finished. |
| “Você já comeu?” | Have you eaten yet? |
| “Ela já chegou.” | She’s already arrived. |
Mistake #4: Prepositions After Adjectives
Prepositions don’t translate directly:
✓ Good at math
✗ Good in math (common error from “bom em”)
✓ Afraid of spiders
✗ Afraid from spiders
Common Adjective + Preposition Pairs
Mistake #5: Articles with General Nouns
In general statements, English often uses no article:
✓ Dogs are loyal.
✗ The dogs are loyal. (unless talking about specific dogs)
✓ Life is beautiful.
✗ The life is beautiful.
When to Use No Article
Mistake #6: Word Order in Questions
Don’t copy Portuguese question structure:
✓ Where do you live?
✗ Where you live? (missing auxiliary)
✓ What did she say?
✗ What she said?
Fix the Questions
→ What do you like?
→ Where did she go?
→ What are they doing?
Mistake #7: Countable/Uncountable Nouns
Some nouns are uncountable in English but countable in Portuguese:
✓ I need information. (NOT “an information”)
✓ She gave me advice. (NOT “an advice”)
✓ We bought furniture. (NOT “a furniture”)
Countable vs. Uncountable
| Uncountable (EN) | How to quantify |
|---|---|
| information | a piece of information |
| advice | a piece of advice |
| furniture | a piece of furniture |
| luggage | a piece of luggage |
Pronunciation Pitfall
Portuguese speakers often add vowels between consonants:
“eschool” instead of “school”
“estudent” instead of “student”
“spit” pronounced as “espit”
Tongue Twister Practice
Review: Top 3 Takeaways
- 1 Watch out for false friends—don’t trust look-alikes!
- 2 Always use a subject pronoun in English sentences.
- 3 Present perfect connects past actions to now (“I’ve just...”).
Keep Practicing!
Notice these errors in your writing and speaking.
Correct one habit at a time.