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Last week, a few interesting language ideas popped into my sessions, and I thought I’d share three of them with you. They all look perfectly fine at first glance — but each one hides a small trap.
📌Lukewarm tea Can you order lukewarm tea in a café? You could — and people would understand you — but it’s not something native speakers normally say. Lukewarm usually has a negative meaning. It describes something not hot enough and often sounds like a complaint. So if you say My tea is lukewarm, you’re probably not happy about it. If that’s actually how you like your drink, it’s better to say: Could I have it warm, not hot? Just slightly warm, please. Understandable — yes. Natural — not really. 📌Grow up (plants) Can your plants grow up? 🌱 Not quite. We say children or people grow up — they become adults. Plants don’t grow up, they just grow. I grow tomatoes in my garden. My plants are growing fast this year. So: People grow up. Plants grow. 📌Sympathetic dog Can your dog be sympathetic? In English, sympathetic doesn’t mean (miły, przyjazny) — it means understanding someone’s feelings. She was very sympathetic when I told her about my problem. If you want to describe your dog’s personality, use friendly instead: My dog is very friendly. Comments are closed.
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