15 Common English Grammar Mistakes Non-Native Speakers Make

After reviewing thousands of emails from non-native English speakers, we've identified the 15 most common grammar mistakes. These errors are usually small, but they can make your writing sound less professional.

The good news? Once you learn these patterns, they're easy to fix.

1. Missing Articles (A, An, The)

This is the #1 mistake, especially for speakers of languages without articles (Chinese, Japanese, Russian, etc.).

"I have meeting tomorrow."

"I have a meeting tomorrow."

2. "Discuss About" Instead of "Discuss"

"Discuss" already includes the meaning of "about." Don't add it.

"Let's discuss about the project."

"Let's discuss the project."

3. "Revert" Misuse

"Revert" means to return to a previous state, not to reply. This is common in Indian English but confusing elsewhere.

"Please revert to me by Friday."

"Please respond by Friday." / "Please get back to me by Friday."

4. "Kindly" Overuse

Using "kindly" makes sentences sound overly formal and sometimes passive-aggressive in American/British English.

"Kindly send me the report."

"Could you send me the report?"

5. "Since" vs. "For" with Time

Use "since" with a point in time, "for" with a duration.

"I have worked here since 5 years."

"I have worked here for 5 years." / "I have worked here since 2021."

6. Wrong Prepositions

Prepositions are one of the hardest things to master.

Wrong	Correct
Interested on	Interested in
Depend of	Depend on
Good in	Good at
Consist from	Consist of

7. "The" with Company/Country Names

Don't use "the" before most company or country names.

"I work at the Google." / "I'm from the Japan."

"I work at Google." / "I'm from Japan."

8. Present Perfect vs. Simple Past

Americans often use simple past where British use present perfect, but both have rules.

"I already sent the email." (informal)

"I've already sent the email." (more formal) / "I sent the email yesterday." (with time reference)

9. "Make" vs. "Do"

These don't translate directly from most languages.

Use "Make"	Use "Do"
Make a decision	Do business
Make a presentation	Do research
Make progress	Do work
Make an exception	Do a favor

10. Double Negatives

In standard English, two negatives make a positive.

"I don't have no questions." (means you DO have questions)

"I don't have any questions." / "I have no questions."

11. "Information" is Uncountable

Many words that seem countable in other languages aren't in English.

"I need some informations."

"I need some information." / "I need some pieces of information."

Other uncountable words: advice, equipment, furniture, homework, news, research

12. "Would" for Polite Requests

Using "will" can sound demanding. "Would" is softer.

"Will you send me the file?"

"Would you send me the file?" / "Could you send me the file?"

13. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must match the subject, not the closest noun.

"The list of items are ready."

"The list of items is ready." (list = singular)

14. "Look Forward To" + Gerund

After "look forward to," use the -ing form, not infinitive.

"I look forward to hear from you."

"I look forward to hearing from you."

15. Redundant Words

Remove unnecessary words that don't add meaning.

Redundant	Better
Return back	Return
Repeat again	Repeat
Advance planning	Planning
Past experience	Experience

Quick Reference Checklist

Before sending an important email, check for:

Missing articles (a, an, the)
Wrong prepositions
"Discuss about" (remove "about")
Uncountable nouns with plural endings
Subject-verb agreement