Every language organises ideas in its own way. When you learn English, your first language often affects how you build sentences. This is why learners from different countries make different kinds of mistakes.
Comparing English with your own language, such as Bengali, helps you understand why certain errors happen and how to fix them. This guide looks at the main differences between English and other languages, with simple examples.
1. Word Order
English is mostly Subject–Verb–Object (SVO): I eat rice.
Bengali, Hindi, Japanese and Korean are mostly SOV: “I rice eat.” Arabic often uses VSO in formal writing. Learners from SOV languages sometimes put the verb at the end in English. Practise the English pattern with our guide to structuring sentences.
2. Articles
English has a, an and the. Many languages, including Chinese, Russian, Hindi and Bengali, have no direct equivalent. This is why learners often say “I am student” instead of “I am a student”. Learn the rules in our guide to using a, an and the.
3. Tenses and Aspect
English has 12 main tense forms, including the perfect tenses (I have eaten). Some languages show time mainly with words like “yesterday” or “already” rather than verb changes. Others have no exact match for the present perfect. This makes English tenses one of the hardest areas for many learners. See our guide to the 12 English tenses.
4. Gender
French, Spanish, German and Arabic give every noun a grammatical gender. English nouns have no grammatical gender, except for pronouns (he, she, it). Bengali pronouns do not show gender in the same way, so Bengali speakers sometimes mix up he and she in English.
5. Plurals
English usually adds -s: one book, two books. Some languages do not mark plurals when a number is used, which can lead to errors like “three book”.
6. Prepositions vs Postpositions
English uses prepositions that come before the noun: in the house. Bengali and Hindi often use postpositions or endings that come after the noun. English prepositions also have many fixed uses (at night, on Monday, in May) that must be learned.
7. Questions
English often uses a helping verb and changes word order: Do you like tea? Where are you going? Many languages make questions just with a question word or rising tone. Learners may say “You like tea?” in writing, which is too informal.
8. Subject-Verb Agreement
English adds -s to verbs with he, she, it in the present simple: She works. Many languages do not change verbs this way, so the -s is often forgotten.
9. The Verb “To Be”
In some languages, “is/are” can be left out in the present: “He teacher.” English always needs it: He is a teacher.
Summary Table
| Feature | English | Common difference in other languages |
|---|---|---|
| Word order | SVO | SOV (Bengali, Hindi, Japanese) |
| Articles | a, an, the | none (Bengali, Chinese, Russian) |
| Grammatical gender | pronouns only | all nouns (French, Spanish, Arabic) |
| Prepositions | before the noun | after the noun (Bengali, Hindi) |
| Verb endings | few (-s, -ed, -ing) | many (Spanish, Russian) |
How to Use These Differences
- Notice which mistakes come from your first language.
- Focus your practice on those areas first.
- Do not translate word for word; think in English patterns.
- Read and listen to lots of natural English.
Free Resources
The British Council’s LearnEnglish grammar lessons are designed for learners of English as a foreign language. Purdue OWL’s grammar guide includes advice for multilingual writers, and its grammar exercises help you practise tricky areas like articles.
Final Thoughts
Your first language is not a problem; it is a tool. By comparing it with English, you can predict your mistakes and fix them faster. Focus on word order, articles, tenses and agreement, and your English will improve steadily.
