LANGUAGE-SPECIFIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR ISSUES

Students' first languages shape how they experience English grammar. Learners often struggle most with structures that don't exist or work differently in their mother tongue—for example, article use for speakers of article-less languages, verb tenses for learners whose languages don't mark time the same way, or word order for students coming from more flexible or very rigid syntax systems. These challenges stem from language transfer, where learners rely on familiar patterns from their first language when using English.

For ESOL teachers, understanding these differences is crucial because it helps them anticipate common errors, explain grammar more clearly, and choose teaching strategies that target real learner needs. This awareness leads to more inclusive, efficient instruction and reduces frustration for both teachers and students, ultimately supporting better learning outcomes.

We've compiled guides for ten language backgrounds, outlining the most common grammar challenges for speakers of each. More languages coming soon.

Classic transfer errors — can you spot why?

Each sentence below contains a real, recurring error made by speakers of a specific language. The mistake isn't random — it's a direct echo of how the learner's first language works.

🇫🇷 "I am agree with you." — French speaker: In French, je suis d'accord uses the verb être (to be), so learners transfer the structure directly. In English, agree is a verb: I agree with you.
🇪🇸 "She has 30 years." — Spanish speaker: In Spanish, age is expressed with tener (to have): tiene 30 años. English uses to be: She is 30 years old.
🇨🇳 "Yesterday I go to the market." — Chinese speaker: Mandarin doesn't inflect verbs for tense — time is shown through context words like yesterday. Learners often omit the past tense ending: Yesterday I went to the market.
🇸🇦 "He didn't went to school." — Arabic speaker: Arabic has a different negation structure, and the concept of auxiliary-based negation is unfamiliar. The verb shouldn't be inflected after did: He didn't go to school.
🇩🇪 "I have yesterday the report written." — German speaker: German uses verb-final word order in subordinate clauses and places the past participle at the end of the sentence. English has strict SVO order: I wrote the report yesterday.

🇯🇵 "I bought a bag. Bag is very expensive." — Japanese speaker: Japanese doesn't use articles. Learners often omit the when referring to something already mentioned: The bag was very expensive.
🇵🇱 "She is working here since two years." — Polish speaker: Polish uses imperfective aspect for ongoing actions, which maps intuitively to present continuous. But English requires present perfect here: She has been working here for two years.
🇰🇷 "I want that you help me." — Korean speaker: Korean uses embedded clauses differently, and learners often avoid the infinitive structure. The correct English form: I want you to help me.
🇹🇷 "The man which I met was kind." — Turkish speaker: Turkish relative clauses work very differently — they are formed as participial phrases before the noun. Learners often use which for people: The man who(m) I met was kind.
🇭🇺 "I am interesting in history." — Hungarian speaker: Hungarian uses a single verb (érdekel) where English needs a passive construction. Learners confuse the -ed/-ing adjective pair: I am interested in history.

More ESL/ESOL Teacher Resources Varieties of English
Lesson plans
Grammar exercises by topic
British vs. American English
Video listening exercises