Speaking English better than the English!

I have a lot of sympathy with learners of English. They have to learn all of the grammar rules which we native speakers never have to. Many of my students are able to tell me the names of the various tenses and explain to me the rules which apply to their application, in a way that the vast majority of native English speakers have never had to consider; native English speakers just know when something doesn’t ‘sound right’ (I was reminded by one of my tutors when studying for my teaching qualification that you should never use those words… there is always a grammatical explanation for why something doesn’t, ahem, ‘sound right’). For example, learners of English need to know when to use the Present Simple or Present Progressive tenses, according to a set of rules, and have to perform a series of mental contortions to arrive at a sentence which we English speakers can say perfectly correctly without a moment’s hesitation.

But of course, language learners have an amazing advantage, not only inasmuch as their brains are, as all of the evidence suggests, kept active and agile, but also the knowledge they acquire while learning other languages gives them the ability to understand and communicate more effectively in their own language. My students are always astonished when I tell them that English grammar is not usually taught to English speaking schoolchildren. As a result, they grow up not understanding the reasons why they use certain tenses and clauses, etc. in certain situations.  I think that this is a pity because it can limit their ability to express themselves more effectively both in written and spoken communication.  My native anglophone friends are always amazed when I tell them that I have been teaching about the differences between, for example, the Past Simple and the Present Perfect Simple tenses. ‘’Really?’’, they ask, ‘’so, what are they, then?’’. They generally have no idea what these tenses are and yet when I ask them if ‘’I ate my dinner’’ and ‘‘I have eaten my dinner’’ mean the same thing, they say that they know in which situations they would use one and not the other, they just don’t know why.

So, don’t worry, learners of English; remember that as your English language skills develop, you are not only learning to communicate to a high standard with other English speakers, but you probably know more about the rules of English grammar than they do….!