I want to see if we can compile a list of the most common mistakes you’ve see learners make. Let’s get a few of most obvious ones out of the way…
1) Tones
2) Mispronouncing the more challenging sounds (varies depending on languages they already speak)
3) Writing characters in the incorrect stroke order and/or treating them as drawings instead of text
A few others I’ve seen…
1) Adding a linking verb when an adjective follows a noun or pronoun
Example: 你的孩子是很可爱 instead of 你的孩子很可爱
This comes from English and other Western languages including linking verbs in such situations (e.g. “your child is very cute”). In Chinese, the linking verb is not used in such situations except for emphasis. Thus, we would never say 你的孩子是很可爱 unless we really want to drive the point home.
2) Putting the wh- question word first.
Example: 什么是那 instead of 那是什么
I just saw this today among my students. I asked them to write “what is that” and “whose is that” (after teaching them the correct word order), and a ton still wrote 什么是那 and 谁的是那. In Chinese, the word order for a wh-question matches the word order for a complete sentence answer, so the question word is placed where the answer would go.
3) Answering every “yes or no” question with 是 or 不是
This is a hard mindset to adapt, because the question is literally called a “yes or no” question. Of course, in Chinese, we don’t typically answer with “yes or no,” but the verb itself. It’s even funnier when my high school students use 有 and 没有 to answer questions such as 你会说英语吗？(In case you’re wondering why, they easily remember 没有 because it sounds like “mayo,” so it becomes their “go to” negative answer.)
EDIT: Adding one more very common one I just thought of – Placing the time period anywhere except at the beginning of a clause or immediately after the subject.
Example: 我要去买菜明天 instead of 我明天要去买菜
Chinese requires the time period to either lead off a clause (e.g. 昨天他没有上班) or immediately follow the subject (e.g. 杨小姐下午才吃饭). Time cannot go anywhere else.
Along those lines, Chinese is also strict about the placement of adverbs such as 也. In English, this is flexible (e.g. “I am also” and “I also am” are both acceptable), but in Chinese, 也 must follow the subject and can never come after a verb. Learners often make this mistake, as they’ll say 我是也学生 instead of 我也是学生.
4) accidentally say 我睡覺在家 instead of 我在家睡覺
Mandarin has Subject – prepositional phrases – verb – object word order, but English put prepositional phrase at final position.
One that immediately comes to mind is direct translations of mid-sentence “if clauses” using 如果 instead of 是不是 or verb N verb. Don’t know what the proper grammatical term for this would be…
Ex:
I don’t know if he’s coming ≠ 我不知道如果他要来。
Correct = 我不知道他是不是要来 or 我不知道他要不要来。
I remember the first time being corrected on this by a friend and I’ve never forgotten it since.
Forgetting the 的 in 是。。。的 structures.
Not being so sure when to use 把字句 , or messing up the structure.
Mixing up figurative directional complements, or not knowing when one should be used.
Pretty random use of 了
Pronouncing the third tone as falling-to-rising in all contexts.
Not grammar in the same sense as your examples, but misuse / reliance on 你好吗; 我很好, or just 你好 to people you’re familiar with.
wrong or no tone changes. I know people who learned things like 你好 and just use the tone change always for 你 etc. even when there is no reason.
Trying to understand every term at a character or radical level (this isn’t technically an error but definitely hinders learning and comprehension doing it on everything).
generally using english sentence structures in chinese, which makes sense less than half the time and sounds natural even less.
Not knowing where to put 了 and mistaking it as past tense. Definitely top one mistakes among non natives.
Thank you for this! I have a few books on grammar that cover common grammar mistakes, but they go so into depth at times on what the grammar points are called and technical things that I get confused on why I’m even doing it wrong. This post is helpful as are the replies!
I notice in myself often making the mistake of having no idea how to say “When I was little/in elementary I…” or “Back in college, I…” Basically, how talk about something in a past period of my life. I always end up going ‘when I was little’ 的时候 or something, which is definitely wrong. I can read how this is described fine in novels, but when I’m having conversations I never remember how to construct this kind of phrase.
Using the 有没有/是不是 question sentence format and adding 吗 at the end anyways. I slip up every now and again with this.
Spending way way too much time asking question about very beginner things that will just eventually make sense after learning more instead of just accepting that it is the way it is.
Discounting the importance of learning characters. Many beginner learners I see find characters hard (they are) and decide to not learn them – and then get stuck later on…