You wrote it. Then deleted it. Then wrote “criteria.” Then weren’t sure that was right either.

English has a small group of irregular plurals – words that don’t follow the normal rules. They come from Latin and Greek, and they catch almost everyone out.

Including native speakers.

Criterion → criteria.
Thesis → theses.
Alumnus → alumni.

You don’t need to know the full list. You need to know the ones that appear in your professional world – and trust that getting the rest slightly wrong won’t stop anyone from understanding you.

Quick win: If you’re unsure of a plural, restructure the sentence. “The main criterion” sidesteps the problem entirely. One small change. Zero doubt.

💬 Which irregular plural catches you out most often?

— Christine

Welcome to this week’s Sparks Plus. Short reflections and examples to help you speak up, respond and disagree in English without putting extra pressure on yourself. Six short sections. Easy to read. Designed to reduce effort, not add more.

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1️⃣ Quick Win

The word “just” doesn’t mean much on its own. But it does something important.

Compare:

• “Can you send me the report?”
• “I just wanted to check whether you’ve had a chance to send the report.”

Same request. The second one is warmer. Less like a demand, more like a human.

“Just” works as a softener in professional English – in emails, messages and conversations. It signals: I’m not chasing you. I’m checking in.

✔ I just wanted to follow up on this.
✔ I just wanted to make sure you received it.
✔ Just checking whether you had a chance to look at this.

Quick win: Add “just” to your next follow-up message. It changes the temperature of the whole sentence.

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2️⃣ Real-World English in Action

A client wrote: “I made a photo of the document and sent it.”

In German, ein Foto machen is completely natural. In English, you take a photo.

The same pattern appears in other common phrases:

• make a break → take a break
• make a walk → go for a walk
• make sport → do sport / exercise
• make homework → do homework

The verb machen covers a lot in German. In English, the verb changes depending on the action. Knowing the common swaps saves quiet confusion.

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3️⃣ Micro Clarity Tip: “Actually” is not “eigentlich”

German speakers often reach for “actually” as a translation of eigentlich.

But in English, “actually” usually adds a sense of correction or contrast.

“Actually, I think the meeting is on Thursday” sounds as if you’re contradicting someone, even if you’re not.

If you mean eigentlich in the sense of “from my perspective” or “to be honest,” try instead:

✔ From my side…
✔ To be honest…
✔ If anything…

Small word. Very different landing.

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4️⃣ Tip of the Week: “Eventuell” ≠ “Eventually”

This one catches almost every German speaker.

Eventuell in German means possibly or perhaps. Eventually in English means in the end – after a delay.

“I’ll eventually send you the report” sounds like: I’ll get around to it. Someday.

If you mean eventuell, use:

✔ possibly
✔ perhaps
✔ it may be that…

Eventually is for things that happen after time passes — not things that might happen.

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5️⃣ Reader Question

“Should I say ‘I want’ or ‘I’d like’ in professional emails?”

Almost always: I’d like.

“I want” is direct and clear — fine between colleagues you know well. In formal situations or with new contacts, it can land stronger than you intended.

“I’d like to arrange a call” — same meaning. Warmer landing.

Think of it this way: in German you already switch between wollen and möchten without thinking. I’d like is your English möchten.

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6️⃣ This week’s reflection

This week’s posts were all about the same quiet gap: what you mean in German, and what lands in English.

Not wrong. Not broken. Just different.

You already have the instincts. You already know when to be direct and when to soften. You do it every day in German.

The work isn’t learning new rules. It’s learning where your existing ones apply.

That’s enough for this week.

— Christine

It was at a dinner party in Hamburg. I was new. My German was decent. But in that room, it suddenly felt invisible.

Everyone talked confidently. The host tried to include me. The conversation moved on without me.

I smiled. I nodded. I sat perfectly still.

Inside: Why can’t I just say something? What’s wrong with me?

That voice isn’t telling you the truth. It’s telling you it’s afraid.

I know that feeling. And I think you do too – not at dinner parties, maybe, but in meetings, on calls, in rooms where everyone else seems to belong.

The voice of doubt is not a fact.

Quick win: Next time you freeze – don’t wait until you feel ready. Say one sentence. One is always enough to start.

💬 Have you ever sat silently in a room, wishing you could just speak?

— Christine

In German, bitte is a softener. You reach for it automatically. It rounds off a request. It removes the edge.

So in English, you add “please.” Same logic. Makes sense.

But “please” in English doesn’t always land the way bitte does.

“Send me the report by Friday, please.”

Polite. But the request still sounds direct. The “please” arrives too late – after the instruction is already sitting there.

In English, the softener comes at the beginning. It’s built into the structure.

✔ Please could you send me the report by Friday?
✔ Would it be possible to get that by Friday?
✔ I was wondering if you could send that over.

Same request. Different opening. Completely different tone.

The word isn’t doing the work. The structure is.

Please didn’t disappear from English. It just moved to the front.

In German, you switch automatically.

You wouldn’t say Ich will einen Termin mit Ihnen to a client. You’d say Ich möchte einen Termin vereinbaren. The context tells you which one fits. You don’t think about it.

In English, the same choice exists. Most German speakers just weren’t shown it.

“I want” = wollen. Direct. Clear. Fine with people you know well. “I’d like” = möchten. Softer. More professional. The one to reach for in formal situations or with new contacts.

“I want a meeting on Thursday” – correct.
“I’d like to arrange a meeting on Thursday” – same message. Warmer landing.

You already know how to make this choice. You make it every day in German.

You’ve been using möchten for thirty years. In English, it’s called “I’d like.” Same instinct. Different word.

This kind of transfer – taking what you already do in German and applying it in English – is exactly what we work on in coaching.

“That makes no sense for me.”

In German, Das macht für mich keinen Sinn is neutral. You’re saying something doesn’t fit your thinking. Clear. Direct. Completely normal.

In English, it lands harder.

“Makes no sense” sounds like a verdict – like you’re saying the idea is confused or the person isn’t thinking straight. The “for me” doesn’t soften it the way für mich does in German.

Nobody corrects you. Nobody explains why the room shifted.

What you probably meant:

✔ I’m not sure I follow.
✔ I’d see it differently.
✔ That doesn’t quite work for me.
✔ Could you explain that differently?

Same thought. Much softer landing.

The problem isn’t your English. It’s that German directness translates differently – and nobody ever tells you.

This is one of the things we work on in coaching. Not fixing your English, but understanding where it lands differently than you expect.