Community Discussions
Native Passability: How Well Can Someone Else Tell?
I am a native Portuguese speaker that has been using English for almost half of my entire life on an almost daily basis. I often text native English speakers online for months and they almost never notice that I am actually a foreigner because of my choices of written words. The last two times that someone could tell that I am not a native because of my choice of words happened months ago: The first happened because I did let "fLorest" spelled with a "L" like the Portuguese version "floresta" slip instead of using the English version "forest". That happened when I was texting a woman online because I was too focused thinking about something else I was working on to the side. I was surprised that she immediately could tell well that I am a foreigner just because of one single written word. The second time happened when I was also texting an Italian guy online that could immediately tell well that I am not a native English speaker. I have asked him how he could tell that well because I was very curious, then he pointed out that Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese speakers have the habit of dropping the word "it" in casual contexts like this: Unusual in English: "Ok, is interesting..." Usual en Español: "Ok, es interesante..." Usual em Português: "Ok, é interessante..." Usuale in Italiano: "Ok, è interessante..." Usual in English: "Ok, it's interesting..." How well can someone else tell that you are not a native and how well can you tell that someone is not a native because of choice of written words? Do you believe that Latin Americans and Latin Europeans can recognize each other easily because of word choices when utilizing a very different foreign language? Do any of you have any revealing habit in written communication that outs you as a not native speaker?
Is my English not good enough, or does reading this feel like having a stroke?
I was translating a text about mining when I came across this sentence that I still can't fully understand. Do I just need to practice reading more, or is the phrasing actually a bit off?
Is "Loud minorities" offensive?
So I was having English with a native teacher where we were listing out the advantages and disadvantages of social media. Then I wrote "Loud minorities" as both, with the advantage being that the most opressed and silent minorities in real life could have a voice and share their ideas and thoughts more openly on the virtual world, whilst the disavantages was that the most obnoxious scumbags could spread their hatreds to a wider range of people. But for some reason he got mad, pulled me out of class and said I was a "loud minority" myself and got my behaviorial points deducted. Could I be having any misinterpretations of the phrase?
Can I say it?
Can I say "It's so pleasant" instead of thank you when people wish me happy birthday?
[🇺🇸] As a man, how do you feel when another man calls you "hey man/man/my man"?
Do you like/dislike/hate it, or are you neutral about it and also call them "man"? I live in LA, and that's what I mostly say instead of "dude/bro". Just wondering how do others feel about it. Also, for some reason, I really hate being called "buddy". It always gives me the impression that they surely forgot my name.
I just love how English keeps evolving in the funniest way 😂
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Dear natives, which show sounds decent to improve speaking? (For non-native speakers)
1) Simpsons 2) Adventure time 3) Family guy 4) Other recommendation from you 5) Friends It would be so much helpful for me if you answer Ps. Does people use ‘i’m on the level’ as ‘i’m being honest’ irl? I learned this phrase from Simpson and dared to use once to my american friend. And he asked me ‘what does that mean?‘. It made me feel embarrassed
How to say "I can't sleep because I am thinking about something all night long" in natural English?
Are there anything natural ways to describe it? My poor English doesn't allow me to sound like a human, which means that's beyond robotic and artificial. Native speakers please help me. Both casual and literal style are accepted. For example, this is something I could say: I can't sleep, rolling on my mattress til midnight because I have an important exam the next day. I know it's an akwardly embarrassing sentence but I don't know how to say it naturally.
Questions about the word “Both” in negative sentences
I came across this section in my cousin’s English textbook on how to use the word “both” in negative sentences. Here is the example from the textbook: “Both my brothers don't like birds” I thought the sentence meant “Neither of my brothers likes birds” But apparently it means “One of my brothers likes birds, but the other doesn't.” Some sites even suggest that “both” cannot be used in negative sentences, which makes it even more confusing for me. Which is correct?
Shouldn't it be "not good" instead of "no good"?
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