On Sunday afternoons I have been having an English class/conversation time with whoever wants to come. Lately it’s been separated into the beginner and the advanced class. Yesterday, the advanced class was reading a children’s book about missionaries. On one of the pages, it says, “Every month a pilot flew in the food and supplies we needed. I helped carry them to our house.” One of the guys got really confused after I explained the words “pilot” and “flew.” Read the beginning of the sentence carefully. “Every month a pilot flew in the food.” He got into a big grocery bag and used that as the airplane? If you don’t see his problem yet, consider the difference between these two sentences: “Every month a pilot flew in the airplane.” “Every month a pilot flew in the food.” It made me laugh, because I saw how it totally confused him. Yes, English can be funny sometimes. And so can all the other languages, too. That’s what makes it fun.
by Susie L
My mom was born in Germany and came to the united States at 19. She still tells stories about learning the language…it’s not as easy as it seems!