When German students don't quite know the English phrase for something, they tend to literally translate the German. Some common examples:
"What means (German word)?" instead of "What does (German word) mean?"
"In the near of (a place)" instead of "Near (a place)"
"The nature" instead of "nature"
The last is especially difficult for Germans, because German attaches an article ("the" or "a") to all nouns. Conversely, I often forget the article when I speak German and say things that sound rather like "There is river" rather than "There is the river". Essentially, I speak in the equivalent of Germanic faux-Neanderthal.
"What means (German word)?" instead of "What does (German word) mean?"
"In the near of (a place)" instead of "Near (a place)"
"The nature" instead of "nature"
The last is especially difficult for Germans, because German attaches an article ("the" or "a") to all nouns. Conversely, I often forget the article when I speak German and say things that sound rather like "There is river" rather than "There is the river". Essentially, I speak in the equivalent of Germanic faux-Neanderthal.
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