Which English phrases have personal meanings and can be confusing for a native speaker?
It also depends on the nationality of the non-English speaker. Foreigners frequently translate directly from their language to English, and of course direct translation is the key to disaster. the objective for a foreigner should be not to translate, but to think in English. For example, I was told that I had beautiful colours by one of my students, this meant in fact that I had a nice tan. I understood because I also speak French, but this means absolutely nothing in English. Otherwise, my students misuse their vocab, and the reult is a very funny sentence which makes me laugh non-stop. Not very professional, but I explain and share the joke with them afterwards. Concerning your yahoo question which was considered a violation, I read it when it was posted, didn’t answer it as I didn’t and still don’t understand it. Bon Continuation with your English.
