with for Mandarin speakers — pronunciation and common errors

Pronunciation

Mandarin lacks the dental fricative /ð/, leading speakers to substitute the alveolar plosive /d/ or the dentalized /z/, resulting in a pronunciation like /wɪd/ or /wɪz/.

Grammar

Mandarin uses the coverb '跟 (gēn)' or '和 (hé)' before the verb to express accompaniment (e.g., 'I with him go'), which leads learners to place 'with' phrases before the main verb in English instead of after it.

Collocations

The Mandarin verb '用 (yòng)' covers both 'use' and 'with' for instruments; learners frequently substitute the verb 'use' in contexts where 'with' is required, producing 'I cut the apple use a knife'.

Examples

• I am going to the park with my friends.
• She managed to open the locked wooden box with a small silver key she found in the drawer.