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dinhphu

In my local language (Bahasa Indonesia) there are no verb-2 or past tense form as time tracker. So, I often forget to use the past form of verb when speaking english. I saw him last night (correct) I see him ...

  1. You are correct that both are understandable. The only other possible everyday meaning I could think of would be ‘I see him [in my mind’s eye] last night’; that is, I am, at this very moment, imagining him last night. But it should almost always be clear from context which one is intended. ‘Correct’Read more

    You are correct that both are understandable.

    The only other possible everyday meaning I could think of would be ‘I see him [in my mind’s eye] last night’; that is, I am, at this very moment, imagining him last night. But it should almost always be clear from context which one is intended.

    ‘Correct’ doesn’t mean ‘understandable’, though. If I say ‘Me want have fooding’ it’s pretty clear what to understand from that, but it’s not anywhere near correct Standard English grammar. If you lived somewhere where you spoke a dialect of English in which this was acceptable grammar, however, then it would be correct for that dialect.

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dinhphu

(Why I darest say, they darest not get offended when they so indeed have examples that violate their own use and nomenclature!) IE: pudding as a specific dessert, puddings as a general term for desserts. Calling something a ...

dinhphu

I’m a 19-year-old student from Malaysia. I’ve been introduced to the language at a very young age and I’m capable of conducting any type of conversation. However, some of my English-speaking friends on the internet didn’t take too ...

  1. Because non-native speakers use English differently as compared to native speakers. It’s… it’s as simple as that. I can also usually tell within the first few moments of talking to somebody on the internet whether they are from a native English-speaking country or not. They’ll use slightly differentRead more

    Because non-native speakers use English differently as compared to native speakers. It’s… it’s as simple as that.

    I can also usually tell within the first few moments of talking to somebody on the internet whether they are from a native English-speaking country or not. They’ll use slightly different phrasing. Use of idioms is also a dead giveaway.

    I dunno. It’s usually patently obvious. This doesn’t make a non-native English speaker’s English bad by any stretch; just different.

    I can also generally tell where native English speakers are from as well, at least in a general sense. Canadians tend to sound like Americans (even in writing) but spell more like the Brits. British persons obviously use British English and will use British colloquiums and the word ‘whilst’ often will pop up. Australians lean heavy on the word ‘mate’ a lot of the time. Americans use American spellings and sound like Americans.

    And so on.

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dinhphu

As an interviewer, I occasionally conduct interviews that become painful as time goes on because the candidate is doing so poorly. I have the impression that, in these cases, the candidate internally knows they are not getting the ...

  1. You then have the option to elaborate if you feel so inclined and/or if the now-former candidate asks either with the literal truth or something generic like “I just don’t think it’s a good fit.” I actually had someone do that to me in a face-to-face and that’s how they worded it. It was supposed toRead more

    You then have the option to elaborate if you feel so inclined and/or if the now-former candidate asks either with the literal truth or something generic like “I just don’t think it’s a good fit.”

    I actually had someone do that to me in a face-to-face and that’s how they worded it. It was supposed to be 3 steps in the interview and after 20 minutes they decided I wasn’t suited for them*. I was actually grateful that they chose not to waste my time going through the motions.

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dinhphu

If a Google employee reveals that he or she intends to leave because they have *accepted*–not received–an offer from a talent competitor like Facebook, in some cases they will be “walked off” so that they will no longer ...

  1. I know people who left Google for Facebook, they were not walked out. Why would they be walked out of Google? Because facebook competing with Google? I have left Google twice, both times for Apple, in both cases Apple was a competing organization, in all cases I had a good talk with my managers up aRead more

    I know people who left Google for Facebook, they were not walked out. Why would they be walked out of Google? Because facebook competing with Google?

    I have left Google twice, both times for Apple, in both cases Apple was a competing organization, in all cases I had a good talk with my managers up and HR discying opportunities in Google, in both cases I was not escorted, I was given two weeks to talk more and to complete my project. I left in good terms with all my friends, managers and Google. Google is very fair organization, it treats people extremely well . I can imagine that some department might be supersecret and they will do it, but I was working for core search quality which is secretive too and I was asked to leave.

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dinhphu

I know this means “one must learn to walk before running”, but is there a less literal translation that is perhaps more appealing to an English-speaking audience?

  1. We use the same! “Learn to walk before you run” / “you can’t run before you can walk” / “you can’t learn to run before you learn to walk” or even “don’t try to run before you can walk” – all of these and many other close variations are in widespread use amongst English speakers, will be understood aRead more

    We use the same!

    “Learn to walk before you run” / “you can’t run before you can walk” / “you can’t learn to run before you learn to walk” or even “don’t try to run before you can walk” – all of these and many other close variations are in widespread use amongst English speakers, will be understood and are all considered idiomatic. We don’t have a single set phrase, as long as you get across the same idea 🙂

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dinhphu

I’m 6 months into a new job that uses a technology I’ve had no experience in (but am trying really hard to learn). Often I get tasks that I have real difficulty with. I flag this: I say ...

  1. Your boss probably knows that this is new tech for you, and that your results take longer and are less robust. As you say in your comment, the real experts are just too busy – you’re all he’s got. Thus, don’t assume that you are performing below expectations, because you’re not expected to have mastRead more

    Your boss probably knows that this is new tech for you, and that your results take longer and are less robust. As you say in your comment, the real experts are just too busy – you’re all he’s got. Thus, don’t assume that you are performing below expectations, because you’re not expected to have mastered the technology.

    Your boss might also think that the best way for you to master the technology is to dive head-first into it. A lot of people don’t realize that other people think differently, and learn differently! It’s up to you to let your boss know that you think a different way would be more effective.

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dinhphu

I manage a small team and recently hired for a new position. In the job posting it clearly stated that the work hours are from 8:00-4:30. No concerns about these hours were mentioned during the interview process at ...

  1. This is not a problem with the employee. This is a problem between you and your superior. As a middle-level manager, I would be aghast if my boss allowed someone to go around me and get their acceptance on such a request without even first letting me know about it. I’d immediately request a one-on-oRead more

    This is not a problem with the employee. This is a problem between you and your superior.

    As a middle-level manager, I would be aghast if my boss allowed someone to go around me and get their acceptance on such a request without even first letting me know about it.

    I’d immediately request a one-on-one meeting with my boss and discy what my role was, what my authority was, and why this end-around happened.

    Hopefully I would hear that this was all a mistake or misunderstanding. But if I found that I actually had no real authority and that this sort of thing would continue to happen, I’d re-evaluate my role and decide if it was still a role that I wanted to fill or not.

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dinhphu

A friend of mine is the CEO of his own small business. We’re not very close friends, but we know each other well enough to have visited each other’s houses for dinner and drinks a few times. His business ...

  1. Some good answers here, let me add: I would definitely NOT apply and then try to avoid having your friend see you when you show up for the interview, like trying to schedule an interview when he’s out of town. Surely if you get the job, he’s going to find out sooner or later, and at that point it wiRead more

    Some good answers here, let me add:

    I would definitely NOT apply and then try to avoid having your friend see you when you show up for the interview, like trying to schedule an interview when he’s out of town. Surely if you get the job, he’s going to find out sooner or later, and at that point it will be far more awkward than it would be if you told him up front.

    I’ve had two times I’ve gotten involved in new business start-ups by friends, and both times it ended badly. Not horrible, we were screaming at each other, friendship ruined forever badly, but things didn’t work out, I wanted out of this deal but now it’s awkward badly. Any time something like this comes up, I find myself thinking, If this doesn’t work out for whatever reason, is it going to ruin our friendship? And do I value the job or whatever the deal is more than I value the friendship?

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