11 Common English Mistakes Made by Chinese Speakers

The English language is not so easy to learn, especially when you come from an entirely different language area — that’s why we made a list of 11 common English mistakes made by Chinese speakers.

Chinese speakers are aware of the problems they have with their English pronunciation and grammar. The reasons for this are many, starting with the fact that Chinese and English are different structurally. When we speak about pronunciation, one of the big difference between these two languages is that Chinese is tonal. That means that Chinese has different dialects that use accents just to differentiate words. In English, we use intonation for grammar and expression of feelings, but the same Chinese word in a different tone could mean “cow” instead of “mother.”

Chinese speakers can have problems understanding what an English speaker is feeling. Fluency is also one of the most typical problems that Chinese students have while learning English. By knowing their mistakes and the reasons for making them, Chinese pupils will be able to learn with less effort. It is similar to the Japanese speakers that also have several problems while learning English and you can discover more about their English mistakes in our list of 11 most common English mistakes made by Japanese speakers.

The most common problem with speakers from Asia is that they are translating English to their native language, what we all can agree is not easy. The main reason for making our list of the 11 most common English mistakes made by Chinese speakers is to help the learners overcome them and learn English faster. To make our list that will help Chinese students to use the language better, we consulted some papers on the subject, several websites and blogs. Some of the sources we have used were Italki, Pgbovine, and Quora so that we can have the best and the most objective research.

If you want to improve your language by just checking some of the common mistakes that Chinese speakers are making, this is the list to make your English level better.

11. Negative Sentence Structure

Expressing negation can be a challenge for many Chinese or any other language speakers. It is necessary for a student to learn the right way. Negation is differently expressed in English and Chinese. In English, you can say, “None of them are wearing bracelets.” In Chinese you say, “All of them don’t wear bracelets.” That is one of the common issues, and it found its place at No. 11 on our list.

Mistake Example:

“All students don’t have pencils.”

“They all don’t have cats.”

10. The Object Mistake

Different languages have different grammar rules. It is perfectly normal for a student that is starting to learn English to think in his native language and try to express himself in that way. But that is not the right way of learning English, and students with this approach will eventually have problems with their grammar.

In Chinese, the object can be sometimes placed at the front of the sentence when it comes to an old topic or if it is to be de-emphasized. That is not so common when it comes to English.

Mistake Example:

“Books I like to read.”

9. Mixing Up First and Last Names

People’s last names are spoken and written before their first names in Chinese. That’s why when Chinese speakers talk about English names, they sometimes make a mistake and say them backwards.

Mistake Examples:

“Pitt Brad”

“Jolie Angelina”

8. Using Wrong Prepositions

Non-native English speakers have a problem with the correct use of prepositions. There is not such a sharp distinction between different prepositions in Chinese; that’s why this part of English is problematic for Chinese speakers. They tend to confuse the prepositions, and this mistake found its place at No. 8 of our list of the 11 common English mistakes made by Chinese speakers.

Mistake example:

“Jane and Troy went by car, and we will go in foot.”

“We meet in 9:45.”

7. Verb Conjugation Problem

Chinese students have a problem with verb conjugation in English because in their language it doesn’t exist. In English, we say “I like chocolate,” “he likes chocolate,” and “they like chocolate.” Chinese students have a problem with this because, in their language, there aren’t two separate forms for “like” and “likes,” so they would just say “she like chocolate.”

Mistake example:
“Robert like jogging.”
“Mia like cooking!”

6. Verb Tense Errors

In Chinese, the context is used to make a difference between present, past and future. There is no verb conjugation to denote tenses. For example, there is one word in Chinese that means “run.” If you want to use it in the present, you say, “I run.” When it comes to the past tense, Chinese speakers say “two weeks ago I run,” because “two weeks ago” can provide the context you need.

When it comes to the future tense, they say, “day after tomorrow I run.” That is one of the most problematic topics for native Chinese speakers because there are many tenses in the English language.

Mistake Example:

“I sing yesterday.”

5. Problems with Declarative and Interrogative Sentence Structure

The difference between question words and relative pronouns can trouble students. For example, words like “why,” “what” and “where” can lead us to think there is a question, but these words can also be used as relative pronouns. Relative pronouns are words that bind a phrase or a clause to the subject. The standard issue, in this case, is word order.

When it comes to the questions, the verb comes first, but a non-question sentence that includes relative pronoun has a structure where the subject comes before the verb.

Mistake Example:

“Maria did not say where does she buy her make-up kit.”

“Mr. Smith knows how do you get to the post office.”

4. Count Nouns Issues

English has two general categories of nouns: countable and uncountable nouns. Countable nouns can be counted, like a pillow; it is easy to count the number of pillows on the bed. On the other hand, uncountable nouns cannot be counted; like liquids (oil, juice, water), materials (meat, gold, silver), powder, and abstract nouns (information, advice, care). Chinese speakers tend to make a mistake when it comes to the fact that a mass noun does not change forms.

Mistake Example:

“Kate gave me some advices for my exam.”

“I have a lot of furnitures in my old house.”

3.  Singular/Plural Noun Complication

Separate singular and plural forms for nouns in the Chinese language do not exist. The context is used to make a difference between singular and plural. For example, if you say “one dog” in Chinese, a dog is singular, but if you say, “many dog,” the noun “dog” is plural.

Mistake Example:

“We have four cat.”

“Mark bought five book for Jacob.”

2. Definite/Indefinite Article Mistakes

The English language uses two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (an, a). The definite article is used to inform the listener that she or he is not talking about any tree, but instead about one specific tree. The indefinite article tells the listener that the speaker does not have one specific tree in mind.

Mistake Example:

“What did you do with a candle? I want to light it.”

“Mrs. Holmes wants to buy the purse. What brand should she get?”

1. Gender Pronoun Problems

The Chinese language doesn’t have isolated gender pronouns. That is the reason Chinese speakers often forget to use the right gender pronoun while learning English. They tend to use the masculine version, which can often be strange when they speak about a woman using “his” or “he.” This is the most frequent error made by Chinese speakers, and that’s why it is on the top of our list of the 11 common English mistakes made by Chinese speakers.

Mistake Example:

“Where is Amy, I can’t find her?”

“I don’t know; I saw his bag downstairs.”