Common Grammar Mistakes for German Speakers
Common Grammar Mistakes: Examples
Many German speakers make similar mistakes in English because German sentence structure, word order, and grammar rules are different. This page explains the most common mistakes with clear examples.
1. Word Order in English Sentences
English usually follows this order:
Subject + Verb + Object + Place + Time
Wrong: Yesterday went I to London.
Correct: Yesterday I went to London.
[Gestern bin ich nach London gefahren.]
2. Do / Does in Questions
In English, we usually need do or does to make questions in the present simple.
Wrong: You speak English?
Correct: Do you speak English?
[Sprichst du Englisch?]
Wrong: Where he lives?
Correct: Where does he live?
[Wo wohnt er?]
do with I/you/we/they and does with he/she/it.
3. Do Not Forget the -s
In the present simple, use -s with he, she, and it.
Wrong: She work in Berlin.
Correct: She works in Berlin.
[Sie arbeitet in Berlin.]
Wrong: He live near the station.
Correct: He lives near the station.
[Er wohnt in der Nähe des Bahnhofs.]
4. Present Perfect vs Past Simple
German speakers often use the present perfect too often in English. In English, use the past simple when the time is finished.
Wrong: I have visited London last year.
Correct: I visited London last year.
[Ich habe letztes Jahr London besucht.]
Correct: I have visited London three times.
[Ich war dreimal in London.]
5. Since and For
Use since for the starting point. Use for for the length of time.
Wrong: I have lived here since five years.
Correct: I have lived here for five years.
[Ich wohne seit fünf Jahren hier.]
Correct: I have lived here since 2020.
[Ich wohne seit 2020 hier.]
6. Make or Do?
German often uses machen, but English uses both make and do.
Wrong: I make my homework.
Correct: I do my homework.
[Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben.]
Wrong: We did a mistake.
Correct: We made a mistake.
[Wir haben einen Fehler gemacht.]
7. Become vs Get
The English word become does not mean bekommen.
Wrong: I became a letter yesterday.
Correct: I got a letter yesterday.
[Ich habe gestern einen Brief bekommen.]
Correct: He became a teacher.
[Er wurde Lehrer.]
8. False Friends: Actual and Eventually
Some English words look similar to German words but mean something different.
Wrong: Actually, I work in Munich.
[when you mean: aktuell]
Correct: At the moment, I work in Munich.
[Im Moment arbeite ich in München.]
Wrong: Eventually, we can meet tomorrow.
[when you mean: eventuell]
Correct: Maybe we can meet tomorrow.
[Vielleicht können wir uns morgen treffen.]
9. Adjective or Adverb?
Use an adjective after be, feel, look, seem. Use an adverb after an action verb.
Wrong: He drives careful.
Correct: He drives carefully.
[Er fährt vorsichtig.]
Wrong: The journey was well.
Correct: The journey was good.
[Die Reise war gut.]
10. Much, Many, A Lot Of
Use many with countable nouns and much with uncountable nouns.
Wrong: I have much friends.
Correct: I have many friends.
[Ich habe viele Freunde.]
Correct: I have a lot of work.
[Ich habe viel Arbeit.]
11. Prepositions: In, On, At
Prepositions are often different in English and German.
Wrong: I am at the train.
Correct: I am on the train.
[Ich bin im Zug.]
Wrong: We meet us at Monday.
Correct: We are meeting on Monday.
[Wir treffen uns am Montag.]
12. Summary
The most common grammar mistakes for German speakers usually come from direct translation. English has different rules for word order, questions, tenses, prepositions, and word choice.
Best learning rule: Do not translate word by word. Learn short sentence patterns.
- Do you ...?
- She works ...
- I went yesterday ...
- I have lived here for ...
- He drives carefully ...