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I absolutely adore the English language with all of its ups and downs, twists and turns, astounding hyperboles and alliterative inclinations. And let's not forget the puns! However, it's no secret that the language can be a tad… discombobulating for new students, anyone who's learning English as a second language, and native speakers alike.

To show you what we mean, the literature-loving philology fans here at Bored Panda have collected the most hilarious and honest examples of people showing how frustrating the English language can be for them. Have a read below, upvote your fave posts, and remember to share your own experience with the exciting journey that is learning English.

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Ozacoter
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love english and its probably my favourite language for its grammal simplicity and plasticity. But the random pronunciation drives me insane.

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Phendrena
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Needs more upvotes. "the sound a plunger makes" outstanding and 100% hilarious

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During an earlier interview, I spoke to Dr. Lisa McLendon about the difficulties that foreign students face when learning English, as well as how to keep our linguistic skills sharp. Dr. McLendon is the News and Information Track Chair at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Coordinator at the Bremner Editing Center.

According to Dr. McLendon, a lot of the difficulties that foreign students face depend on the languages that they already know. Those who know languages similar to English in their structure and logic will have an easier time.

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“For students whose native language lacks articles (a, an, the), articles are by far the hardest category of words to master. Verb tense/aspect is also really hard—the difference between ‘I read,' ‘I am reading,' and ‘I do read' is nonexistent in many other languages,” the language expert explained.

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Dynein
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah but that's true for every language. You rarely have "full" synonyms that are completely interchangeable in every context (non-native speakers are generally detectable by breaking unspoken context rules) . Apart from minute differences in meaning, most words also have meanings beyond the thing they describe, such as opinion.

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Just memorizing common words doesn't help overcome these linguistic barriers. What needs to happen is for the student in question to completely shift their mindset. That and practice things until the quirks of the English language become second nature to them.

“These don't pose any difficulties for native speakers who use them correctly without even thinking about it,” Dr. McLendon said about the linguistic nuances.

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It's not just foreign speakers that have issues with the language, though. The professor highlighted that in her experience as an editor and an educator, she found that native speakers have trouble with past passive participles in speech (e.g. saying ‘I had went').

What's more, when it comes to writing, native speakers have issues with punctuation, homophones (e.g. peek vs. peak), and misplaced modifiers.

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Dynein
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sarcasm, I guess. Use the word in a sarcastic context too often and it changes the meaning to the opposite. Happens frequently.

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Dr. McLendon suggested that nobody rest on their laurels. Learning's a lifelong mission and improving our English skills is no exception. And if we want to keep our minds well-honed and our quills sharp, then we're going to have to get some good habits under our belts.

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guy greej
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I warn bored panda to remove this one. This could cause various murders by the readers here.

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“Read! Read widely and frequently. Read magazines, newspapers, novels, even cereal boxes,” the language expert told Bored Panda. “But be careful when scrolling through social media, which although it can give you a good idea of current slang and shorthand, it's often not a great model of clarity, accuracy, or good grammar.”

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When it comes to pronunciation, though, Dr. McLendon pointed out that both native speakers and foreign students alike have problems with it. Especially when we're talking about less common words like ‘epitome.'

“I've known lots of people who learned words by reading, not by hearing, and so had no idea how they were pronounced. But for people learning English, pronunciation can be a real nightmare,” the professor said.

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Nicola Roberts
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was taking a TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign Language) qualification in Japan, and one of the exercises I had to do was read to a class of students. The one word that stuck in my mind was black bird versus blackbird. The difference is so subtle, but I hadn't given it any thought until you had to explain the difference.

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Kari Panda
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My English teacher taught me not to use "handy" in English because it would be a derogatory term for handicapped people. Is that true?

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“We have words that are spelled similarly but pronounced differently (bomb/comb/tomb) and words that are spelled differently but sound the same (peek/peak/pique). Plus, English has a lot of words that have silent letters, which can be confusing.”

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Victor Botha
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And here is another strange "Americdnism" I spit my cereal, I would say I spat my cereal...

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Dr. McLendon was candid that English is much more chaotic than other languages in terms of how spelling reflects pronunciation and vice versa. “English is a Gallic overlay on a Germanic base, plus it has borrowed liberally from languages all around the world throughout its development,” she told Bored Panda.

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Cassie
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a medical condition which resulting in tearing of the cornea. When I write that, people sometime get confused. My cornea doesn't produce liquid, it rips apart and is excruciatingly painful, but tearing can make it feel a little better because the liquid lubricates and protects the tear.

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speer5884@msn.com
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the B in tomb is silent, and the E in time is silent, and the T in often is silent, and the H in honor is silent, how do you pronounce BETH? It's all silent letters!

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“When a word comes into English, where it comes from, and when a spelling gets standardized all affect how a word is written in relation to how it sounds. Other languages may not be exactly ‘spelled like it sounds' but have set patterns of how pronunciation does not correspond with spelling.”

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Thomas Sweda
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because the Frigidaire brand became so popular that “fridge” was used as the term for all refrigerators.

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Victor Botha
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do Americans say dove instead of dived? He dived into the pool, not he dove into the pool. That is what I was taught at school anyway. Also hanged and hung He was hanged from the tree, not he was hung from the tree. Is this a specifically American thing. No offence, just genuinely would like to know.

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Shaun May
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The country’s starting letter(s) switched from ‘f’ to ‘ph’ when Spanish rule was replaced by American rule. No idea why the same did not happen to the demonym, however.

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Helenium
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Human was first recorded in the mid 13th century, and owes its existence to the Middle French humain “of or belonging to man.” That word, in turn, comes from the Latin humanus, thought to be a hybrid relative of homo, meaning “man,” and humus, meaning “earth.” Thus, a human, unlike birds, planes, or even divine spirits up above, is a man firmly rooted to the earth

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N G
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You used to be able to just step on the bus and remain standing (back when there were conductors and the entrance/exit was at the back). Time moves on and language doesn't. Do you still hang up the phone?

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N G
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The capitalisation aids understanding, but spoils the effect.

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N G
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can explain the egg plant one. It was on a post here earlier - a different European breed looks exactly like eggs hanging from a branch. Incidentally, it's also known as aubergine (no idea the etymology on that one, it's probably French)

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Vorknkx
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, BTW, the past tense of "broadcast" is "broadcast", since it's derived from the irregular verb "cast" :P

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sofacushionfort
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Twice a years or every other year: it still describes a lot of our sex lives.

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Turnip and a Frog
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

😎 Yup, I’ll definitely spend too much time trying to learn it.

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Dynein
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah but I've always understood "fat chance" to be sarcastic.

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Bobert Robertson
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This day and age, I'm surprised there aren't more Ptoughneighs and Ptearees (Terry) considering we have kids named Le-a pronounced as Ledasha: DAT DASH DON'T BE SILENT

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Sheila Stamey
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok. I know I said mic drop,however I must share. My daughter is getting married soon to a very nice gentleman who received his english degree from a local state university famed for it's agricultural programs of study. In a text , I gently teased him about getting an English degree from the "Ag," and asked what was that about? He shut me down and I love him for it. He replied, " Someone has to teach the country boys how to spell 'plough a furrow' when they are sexting!'" I love it....

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Dynein
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Germans change the other of the words. Hausaufgaben ("house tasks", homework) and Hausarbeit ("housework").

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King Joffrey
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depends whether you use British or American English. I would say 'deita', 'root', 'care-a-mel', 'eether', etc.

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Kira Okah
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Loan words standardising similar are always fun! Laughter is from Old English and laugh used to be pronounced with a hard sound rather than soft, Slaughter from Old Norse slahtr.

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Carole Dose
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What is Spelt, and is it Good For You? - Healthline https://www.healthline.com › nutrition › what-is-spelt Mar 15, 2016 — Spelt is a type of grain that is strongly related to wheat. Its scientific name is Triticum spelta (1). In fact, spelt is considered a distinct type of wheat. Other types of wheat include einkorn wheat, khorasan wheat and modern semi-dwarf wheat.

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Bron
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3 years ago

Unless your Australian, the it’s likely pronounced ‘Straya

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McPanda
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But this is seen as bad writing and is just terrible use of pronouns, which you can do in any language

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sofacushionfort
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Awful" was the original meaning of something filling us with awe, not dread. It shifted.

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Deborah B
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

English is f*****g unhelpful sometimes. Most people avoid the use of biweekly, and use twice-weekly or fortnightly. Because Biweekly is stupid and unclear.

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Robert T
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only because the name for the letter Q is queue - if you try to pronounce it, it is "kw"