Common English Mistakes: Bored vs Boring, Past Tenses & Articles Explained

Welcome to English listening channel. >> Hello everyone. Today we're going to look at a

conversation about common English mistakes. In this video you will follow a simple

and friendly conversation between Ken and Mina. Today's video may be a little difficult, but don't worry. Take your

time and feel free to pause the video any time. If it feels difficult, please pause the

video, make sure you understand, and then move on. Before we start, I have a small question for you. Please listen

carefully to find the answer. This will help you understand English more deeply. So here is today's question.

What did Ken say when he made a mistake in English? The answer is mentioned in the conversation.

If you find the answer, please write it in the comments section. By writing your answer in English, you can improve your

English skills even more effectively. All right, let's start the video. Are you ready? Okay, let's begin.

Hey, Mina, I was studying English last night and I noticed something. >> What did you notice?

>> I make a lot of small mistakes when I speak English. My meaning is clear, but my English sounds a little strange

sometimes. >> Oh, I understand that feeling. I think many English learners have the same

problem. >> Really? So, it's not just me? >> Not at all. There are some very common

mistakes that almost everyone makes. It doesn't matter where you are from. Many learners make the same mistakes.

>> That makes me feel better. I thought I was bad at English. >> No, you're not bad. Making mistakes is a

normal part of learning. Everyone goes through it. >> Okay, that's good to hear. Hey, why

don't we talk about some of those common mistakes today? >> Sure, that sounds like a great idea.

Let's think about the mistakes we often hear and go through them together. >> Nice. Let's keep it fun and easy. I

don't want this to feel like a test. >> Don't worry, it won't be like a test at all. We're just having a conversation.

That's the best way to learn. Right. >> Right. Okay. Let's start. Okay. So, here's one. Last week, I was

talking to my friend in English and I said, "I am boring." >> Oh, no. Do you know what that means? I

wanted to say I felt bored like I had nothing to do >> right but I am boring means I am a

boring person. It means other people may think you are boring. >> Oh no that's not what I meant at all.

>> The correct way is I am bored. When you talk about how you feel you use bored with ed d at the end.

>> I am bored. Okay I got it. So bored is my feeling. >> Yes, exactly. And boring describes the

thing that makes you feel that way. For example, the class was boring, so I was bored.

>> Oh, that's clear. The class was boring. I was bored. I think I see the difference now.

>> Let's try another one. What about exciting and excited? >> Hm. So if I want to say I feel excited

about a party, I should say I am excited. >> Yes, I am excited about the party and

the party itself is exciting. >> The party is exciting. So I am excited. Got it. What if someone says I am

exciting? >> That means I am an exciting person. Like I make other people feel excited.

>> Okay. I won't say that about myself. >> Here's one more. If you watched a movie and it was not interesting, you can say

the movie was boring, not the movie was bored >> because the movie can't feel bored.

Right. The movie doesn't have feelings. >> Exactly. The movie is boring. You are bored. The thing uses ing. Your feeling

uses ed. >> That's a really simple way to remember it. Bored and excited. These are my

feelings. Boring, exciting. These describe the thing. >> You got it. So remember, when you feel

something, use the ed form. When you describe the thing that gives you that feeling, use the ing form.

>> I'll try to remember that. Bored and boring. Excited and exciting. My feelings use ed. Things use ing.

Okay, next one. I think I also have trouble with tenses. >> That's very common. What kind of

trouble? >> Well, sometimes I talk about yesterday, but I use the wrong form. Like I might

say, yesterday I go to the store. >> Ah, yes. That should be yesterday I went to the store. When you talk about the

past, you need the past form of the verb. >> Yesterday, I went to the store, right?

Go becomes went. >> Yes. And here's a good tip. Listen for time words. Words like yesterday, last

night, and last week are big hints. When you hear those words, you know you need the past form.

>> That makes sense. So if I say last night I watch a movie, that's wrong, too. >> Yes. Last night tells you it already

happened. So it should be last night I watched a movie. >> Last night I watched a movie. Okay.

Watch becomes watched because I add e d. >> Exactly. Many verbs just add e d for the past. Watched, played, talked, walked.

But some verbs change completely like go becomes went and eat becomes ate. >> Right? Those are the tricky ones. I need

to remember them one by one. >> Yes, but the good news is that you use them a lot so you will remember them

quickly. I went to the store. I ate lunch. I saw my friend. You'll hear these every day.

>> I went to the store. I ate lunch. I saw my friend. Okay, that's helpful. >> There's one more thing I want to

mention. Sometimes we talk about something that started in the past and is still true now.

>> What do you mean? >> For example, how long have you lived in this city?

>> M about 5 years. So I would say I am living here for 5 years. >> That's a common mistake. The more

natural way is I have lived here for 5 years. I have lived here for 5 years. Why is that different?

>> Because you started living here 5 years ago and you still live here now. That's why we say have lived.

>> I see. So I have lived here for 5 years means I started in the past and I still live here now.

>> Yes, that's right. You can also say, "I have worked at this coffee shop for two years." Or, "I have studied English for

three years." >> I have studied English for 3 years and I'm still making mistakes.

>> That's okay. You're getting better. >> Okay, here's something else I find confusing. Sometimes I know the meaning

of a word, but I don't know how to use it correctly in a sentence. >> Oh, that's a really good point. In

English, many verbs have rules about what comes after them. It's not just about the meaning.

>> Can you give me an example? >> Sure. Have you ever said let's enjoy? >> Yes, I've said that before. Let's enjoy.

Is that wrong? >> In English, enjoy means something after it. You can say let's enjoy it or let's

enjoy the party. But just let's enjoy by itself sounds incomplete in most situations.

>> Oh, really? So, I should say let's enjoy it. >> Yes. Or if you don't want to use enjoy,

you can just say let's have fun. That's very natural. >> Let's have fun. That's easy. I like

that. >> Here's another one. How would you say I will explain the answer to you?

>> H I will explain you. That's actually a common mistake. Explain doesn't work like tell. You can say I will tell you,

but with explain, you need to say I will explain it to you. >> I will explain it to you. Okay. So, I

can't say explain you. I need explain something to someone. >> That's right. And here's one more. Have

you heard people say we discussed about the problem? >> Yes. I think I've said that before. Is

about wrong there? >> Yes. Discuss already means talk about. So you don't need about again. Just say

we discussed the problem. >> We discussed the problem, not discussed about. That's interesting. The meaning

is clear in my head, but the form is different from what I expected. >> That happens a lot in English. It really

helps to learn verbs together with the words that follow them, not just the verb alone.

>> So, enjoy something, explain something to someone, discuss something. I should remember them as a set.

>> Exactly. That's a really smart way to learn. When you learn a new verb, try to learn the whole pattern, not just the

word. >> The whole pattern. Got it. I think that will help me a lot.

Okay, Mina, now I want to talk about something that has always confused me. A and the.

>> Yes, I think a andthe are some of the most difficult little words in English. >> They're so small, but I often get them

wrong. For example, is it okay to say I bought book? >> No, that sounds incomplete. You need to

say I bought a book. When you mention something for the first time and it's just one of many, you use a

>> I bought a book. So a means one book and you don't know which one yet. >> Yes, that's a good way to think about

it. Now, what about the Can you say sun is bright today? >> H, that doesn't sound right. I think it

should be the sun is bright today. That's correct. We say the sun because everyone knows which sun we mean. There

is only one sun in our sky, so we use the >> the sun, the moon, the sky, because

everyone knows which one we mean. >> Yes, exactly. Now, here's a tricky one. What do you say when you go to school?

>> I went to the school yesterday. Actually, when you mean I went there to study, the natural way is I went to

school yesterday. Nothe. >> Nothe. That's confusing. Why not? >> Go to school is a set phrase. It means

go there for the purpose of studying. It's like go to bed or go to work. These are fixed expressions.

>> Go to school, go to bed, go to work. So these are phrases I should just remember as they are.

>> Yes. And go to church and go to class are the same. Nothe when you go there for the usual purpose.

>> But if I go to the school building to pick up my bag, not to study, would I say the school?

>> Yes, that's a great question. In that case, you could say I went to the school because you're talking about the

building, not the activity. >> That's interesting. The meaning changes with just one small word.

>> Yes, don't worry about making it perfect every time. Even advanced learners sometimes get confused about a and the

best thing is to learn the most common patterns first. >> That's good advice. I'll start with a

book, the son, and go to school. Small words, but very important. >> They really are. These small words make

your English sound much more natural. >> Wow, I made more mistakes than I thought.

>> But now you know about them. That's the first step. >> Yeah, that's true. Let me think about

what we talked about first. Bored and boring. Bored is my feeling. Boring describes the thing,

>> right? and excited and exciting work the same way. >> Then past tense, yesterday I went, not

yesterday I go. And last night I watched, not last night I watch. >> And don't forget have lived. I have

lived here for 5 years. You started in the past and you still live here now. >> Right? I have lived here for five years.

Then we talked about verbs. Let's enjoy it or even better, let's have fun and explain it to you, not explain you.

>> And we discussed the problem. No about, >> right? Discuss the problem. That one surprised me. And finally, we talked

about a and the I bought a book. The sun is bright and go to school with nothe. >> You remembered everything. That's

impressive. >> Well, I still need to practice, but I feel more confident now. I think I'll

try to use English more and not be afraid of making mistakes. >> That's the best way to learn. Everyone

makes mistakes. The important thing is to keep going and keep speaking. >> You're right. Mistakes are not something

to be embarrassed about. They're just part of the process. >> Exactly. And the more you speak, the

more natural it becomes. So, don't stop. >> I won't. Thanks, Mina. Today was really helpful. I learned a lot.

>> I'm glad. And remember, you don't have to fix everything at once. Just focus on one thing at a time, and you'll keep

getting better. Anytime. Let's do this again sometime. >> Definitely. Let's have fun with English.

See, you used have fun correctly. >> I'm learning already. How was it? I hope this video helped you

improve your English. Now, let me ask the question from the beginning one more time.

What did Ken say when he made a mistake in English? Did you find it? If you did, please write your answer in the comments

section. By practicing English output like this, you can improve your English skills more

efficiently. In today's video, we talked about common English mistakes such as bored and

boring, past tense like went and watched, natural verb patterns like explain it to

you, and small but important words like uh and 'the'. On this channel, I share stories in slow

and easy English with small but useful tips to help you. I will keep uploading videos like this. So, if you enjoyed it,

please subscribe to the channel and please don't forget to like the video and leave a comment. All right, that's

all for today. I hope to see you in the next video. See you next time. Bye.