Portuguese and English share many Latin roots, but this often leads to "False Friends" and direct translations. Here are the most common errors made by learners from Portugal.
1
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"I want to win more money."
🤔 Why learners say this:
Portuguese 'Ganhar' means both to Win (a prize) and Earn (salary). English separates them!
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Like you are gambling or playing the lottery with your job.
✅ Natural English version:
"I want to earn more money."
2
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"I have 25 years."
🤔 Why learners say this:
Portuguese 'Tenho 25 anos'. English uses 'To Be' for age.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Like you possess 25 years in a box.
✅ Natural English version:
"I am 25 years old."
3
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"Can I make a question–
🤔 Why learners say this:
Direct translation of 'Fazer uma pergunta'. In English, we ASK questions.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Like you want to construct a question out of paper and glue.
✅ Natural English version:
"Can I ask a question–
🎯 Practice: Which Word?
You are talking about your salary. You say:
4
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"I know a good restaurant."
🤔 Why learners say this:
Portuguese 'Conhecer' means both 'Know' and 'Meet'. English uses 'Know' for facts/people, but we often say 'Know of' or simply 'There is'.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Acceptable, but sometimes we say "I know of" to mean we are aware of it.
✅ Natural English version:
"I know a good restaurant." (This is okay, but watch out for 'I met a good restaurant' which is wrong!)
5
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"The people is nice."
🤔 Why learners say this:
'As pessoas' implies a group, but 'A gente' (The people) is singular in Portuguese. English 'People' is ALWAYS plural.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Grammatically painful.
✅ Natural English version:
"People are nice."
6
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"I am agree."
🤔 Why learners say this:
'Estou de acordo'. English 'Agree' is a verb, not an adjective.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Like 'Agree' is your name.
✅ Natural English version:
"I agree."
🎯 Practice: Fix the Sentence
"Can I make a question about the salary I will win–
7
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"I have doubts."
🤔 Why learners say this:
Portuguese 'Dúvidas' is the standard word for questions/uncertainties. In English, 'Doubt' is a negative feeling of disbelief.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Like you don't trust what I am saying. Use 'Question' if you just want information.
✅ Natural English version:
"I have a question." / "I have a query."
8
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"I didn't see nobody."
🤔 Why learners say this:
Double negative 'Não vi ninguém'. English uses 'anybody' with negative verbs.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Uneducated or slang (like a gangster movie).
✅ Natural English version:
"I didn't see anybody."
9
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"It depends of the day."
🤔 Why learners say this:
'Depende de'. English uses 'Depends ON'.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
Just a preposition error.
✅ Natural English version:
"It depends on the day."
10
❌ Typical learner sentence:
"He has a good relation with his boss."
🤔 Why learners say this:
Portuguese 'Relação'. In English, 'Relation' usually refers to family members. For people getting along, we use 'Relationship'.
🇬🇧 What it sounds like to a Brit:
A bit stiff. We usually say 'relationship'.
✅ Natural English version:
"He has a good relationship with his boss."
🎯 Practice: Fix the Sentence
"I have a doubt about the project."
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