6. Verb Tense Errors
In Chinese, the context is used to make a difference between present, past and future. There is no verb conjugation to denote tenses. For example, there is one word in Chinese that means “run.” If you want to use it in the present, you say, “I run.” When it comes to the past tense, Chinese speakers say “two weeks ago I run,” because “two weeks ago” can provide the context you need.
When it comes to the future tense, they say, “day after tomorrow I run.” That is one of the most problematic topics for native Chinese speakers because there are many tenses in the English language.
Mistake Example:
“I sing yesterday.”
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