Common mistakes

Errors that even advanced speakers make.

Grammar mistakes

Subject-verb agreement

Incorrect	Correct
🔊 The team are ready. (US)	🔊 The team is ready.
🔊 The data shows...	🔊 The data show... (formal)
🔊 Everyone have finished.	🔊 Everyone has finished.

Prepositions

Incorrect	Correct
🔊 I'm interested for...	🔊 I'm interested in...
🔊 It depends of...	🔊 It depends on...
🔊 I'm good in English.	🔊 I'm good at English.
🔊 I agree to you.	🔊 I agree with you.
🔊 I'm waiting the train.	🔊 I'm waiting for the train.

Articles

Incorrect	Correct
🔊 I need information. ✓	(Correct as is)
🔊 I need an information.	🔊 I need some information.
🔊 She is doctor.	🔊 She is a doctor.
🔊 I go to the work.	🔊 I go to work.

Tense confusion

Incorrect	Correct	Why
🔊 I'm working here since 2020.	🔊 I've worked here since 2020.	"Since" requires perfect
🔊 I'm not seeing the problem.	🔊 I don't see the problem.	"See" is a state verb
🔊 Did you ever been to Paris?	🔊 Have you ever been to Paris?	Experience = present perfect

Word choice mistakes

Confusing pairs

Words	Difference
🔊 affect / 🔊 effect	Affect = verb, effect = noun (usually)
🔊 its / 🔊 it's	Its = possessive, it's = it is
🔊 their / 🔊 there / 🔊 they're	Possessive / place / they are
🔊 then / 🔊 than	Time / comparison
🔊 fewer / 🔊 less	Countable / uncountable

False friends by language

Your language	Looks like	Actually means
Actually (DE/ES)	actually	currently/really
Sympathetic (DE)	sympathetic	showing compassion
Eventually (ES)	eventually	in the end
Sensible (FR)	sensible	practical/reasonable

Pronunciation mistakes

Word	Common error	Correct
🔊 comfortable	com-FOR-ta-ble	COMF-ter-ble
🔊 vegetable	ve-GE-ta-ble	VEJ-tə-bəl
🔊 entrepreneur	entry-preneur	on-trə-prə-NER
🔊 colleague	col-LEE-gue	COL-eeg

Business language mistakes

Incorrect	Correct
🔊 "I would like to ask you a question."	🔊 "I have a question." (more direct)
🔊 "Please revert back to me."	🔊 "Please get back to me."
🔊 "Do the needful."	🔊 "Please handle this."
🔊 "Kindly do..."	🔊 "Please..."

---

Next: Idioms and expressions →