0English is a historical patchwork — it has absorbed words from Latin, French, Old Norse, Arabic, Hindi, and many other languages — and that makes it full of familiar loanwords for speakers of many backgrounds. Recognising loanwords gives learners memory hooks: for example, “piano” (Italian), “guru” and “bungalow” (from South Asian languages), “algebra” (Arabic), “café” (French), and many scientific/technical terms from Latin/Greek. Loanwords often shift in pronunciation and meaning after borrowing; sometimes the original sense narrows or widens, and the spelling adjusts to English patterns. For learners this is an opportunity: if a word looks or sounds familiar because of your mother tongue, exploit that link to remember meaning and collocations. Also beware of false friends (words that look similar across languages but differ in meaning). A study strategy: create themed lists of high-utility loanwords you already know, write 3 example sentences for each, and practise using them in short speaking tasks — this builds confidence quickly because you’re leveraging pre-existing knowledge. Takeaway/activity: collect 20 loanwords this week that feel familiar, make example sentences, and use them across three different speaking prompts.
