Three tricky English mistakes

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Do you make these mistakes in English?

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English mistake number one

The Iron Man Triathlon is a well-known sports event. How should you say the word "iron"?


It sounds like. . .

a) "I run"

b)  the German word "Eiern"



mistake number two

In German, a polite way to address a woman is to use "Frau" plus her last name. What's the rule in English?


a) "Mrs." is used only for married women.

b) "Mrs." plus the woman's last name is the correct way to address all women.



email inbox

Your email inbox is full!


What do you say? Pick all answers that are correct.


a) I become too many emails!

b) I get too many emails!

c) I receive too many emails!

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And the answers are. . .

answer number one

The correct answer is b). The English word "iron" is pronounced like the German word "Eiern"!

The letters you see in the English word are not always exactly the letters that you say.


The correct answer is a). "Mrs." should be used only for married women.

If you do not know if a woman is married or not, use "Ms." (pronounced "miz"), plus the woman's last name.


The correct answers are b) and c).

Why is a) not correct? The word "become" means "werden" in German.

"Become" sounds  and looks like the German word "bekommen" but has a different meaning.

This is an example of what we call "false friends."


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