en
cs
da
de
it
plCommon errors
Confusion with other comparative sentence patterns
差不多 can be used to compare things. The compared items are linked with the prepo-sition 跟, forming the fixed pattern 跟……差不多. Learners sometimes erroneously use 比 instead 跟.
*我的衣服比你的差不多。
我的衣服跟你的差不多。
*我的衣服比你的差不多。
我的衣服跟你的差不多。
Confusion with (就)要/快要……了
The expressions (就)要/快要……了 indicate that an action is about to happen, whereas 差不多 indicates that an action is almost completed or close to a certain degree. Since both can be translated as almost or nearly, and because the English adverb almost has a broad semantic range—referring both to nearly completed and to about to occur—learners often confuse the two.
*姐姐的生日差不多到。
姐姐的生日要到了。
姐姐的生日差不多要到了。
*中文课差不多开始。
中文课要开始了。
中文课差不多要开始了。
*姐姐的生日差不多到。
姐姐的生日要到了。
姐姐的生日差不多要到了。
*中文課差不多開始。
中文課要開始了。
中文課差不多要開始了。
Errors caused by native transfer
(CS/DK/DE/IT/PL)
Classroom activity
The teacher gives each student a “mini survey sheet” (questions can include height, wake-up time, bedtime, hobbies, favorite foods, etc., depending on what they have learned).
Students walk around the classroom and ask each other questions, such as
你几点睡觉？
你幾點睡覺？
你的爱好是什么？
你的愛好是什麼？
When they find a classmate who is almost the same as they are, they write that person’s name on the sheet.
Teacher asks the students to share the information they got with the whole class. For example,
我和 Anna 睡觉的时间差不多。我们都十一点睡觉。
我和 Anna 睡覺的時間差不多。我們都十一點睡覺。
Tom和我的爱好差不多。我们都喜欢看电影。
Tom和我的愛好差不多。我們都喜歡看電影。