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There are two kinds of English mistakes. The first breaks a grammar rule. The second may be understood perfectly well but sounds unnatural, and quietly marks you out as a learner. This guide covers ten common English mistakes of both kinds, many of them carried over from Urdu, with the correct version and a simple fix for each one.
You’ll recognise some of these immediately. That’s the point: once you notice a mistake, you can start replacing it with the natural version, first slowly, then automatically.
- 1. Saying “I am agree” Instead of “I agree”
- 2. Mixing Up “Make” and “Do”
- 3. Using “Very” for Everything
- 4. Saying “Discuss About” Instead of “Discuss”
- 5. Confusing “Say” and “Tell”
- 6. Saying “Congratulations” on a Birthday
- 7. Using the Wrong Preposition After an Adjective
- 8. Translating Urdu Expressions Word for Word
- 9. Getting the Word Order Wrong in Questions
- 10. Using “-ing” with State Verbs
- Why Common English Mistakes Happen, and How to Fix Them
- Frequently Asked Questions
The ten covered here: “I am agree” (say “I agree”), mixing up make and do, “very” with every adjective, “discuss about”, say and tell, “congratulations” on a birthday, the wrong preposition after an adjective, Urdu expressions translated word for word, statement word order in questions, and “-ing” with state verbs (“I am having a car”). Most come from Urdu sentence patterns, and each has a simple fix.
1. Saying “I am agree” Instead of “I agree”
In Urdu we say “main mutafiq hoon”, where “mutafiq” works like an adjective, so “I am agree” feels natural. But in English, agree is a verb, and it doesn’t need “am”. The same happens with other verbs.
I am agree with you. I am understand the question. I am know the answer.
I agree with you. I understand the question. I know the answer.
The fix: if the word is a verb (agree, understand, know, want, need), use it directly after “I”, with no “am”.
2. Mixing Up “Make” and “Do”
Urdu uses one verb, “karna”, for both: “galti karna”, “faisla karna”, “kaam karna”. English splits them. As a general rule, use make when you create or produce something, and do for tasks, activities and work.
| Make | Do |
|---|---|
| make a mistake | do your homework |
| make a decision | do the dishes |
| make a plan | do exercise |
| make an effort | do business |
| make a call | do someone a favour |
| make money | do your best |
Learn these as fixed pairs: the rule explains most of them, but not all.
The fix: when you learn a noun, learn its verb with it: not just “decision”, but “make a decision”.
3. Using “Very” for Everything
“Very” isn’t wrong, but using it with every adjective makes your English sound flat. English has strong adjectives that already mean “very”: use them for variety and precision.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| very tired | exhausted |
| very happy | delighted |
| very angry | furious |
| very cold | freezing |
| very big | huge |
| very good | excellent |
Strong adjectives already contain “very”, so don’t say “very exhausted”: say “absolutely exhausted” or just “exhausted”.
The fix: each time you’re about to say “very”, pause and ask whether one stronger word would say it better.
4. Saying “Discuss About” Instead of “Discuss”
“Discuss” already contains the idea of “about”, so adding “about” repeats it. It’s an easy mistake to make, because we say “talk about” (in Urdu, “ke baare mein baat karna”). The same applies to mention, emphasise, describe and explain: no “about” after any of them.
We discussed about the problem. Can we discuss about your essay? She mentioned about the meeting.
We discussed the problem. Can we discuss your essay? She mentioned the meeting.
The fix: “talk about” and “speak about“, but “discuss”, “mention” and “describe” with no preposition.
5. Confusing “Say” and “Tell”
The two verbs follow different patterns. You tell someone something, but you say something (to someone).
She said me the answer. He told that he was tired.
She told me the answer. He said that he was tired.
| Say | Tell |
|---|---|
| say something | tell someone something |
| say something to someone | tell someone that… |
| say that… | tell a story, a joke, the truth, a lie |
The most common patterns
The fix: if a person comes straight after the verb, use tell: “tell me”, “tell him”, “tell your manager”.
6. Saying “Congratulations” on a Birthday
We often say “saalgirah mubarak”, and “mubarak” is close to “congratulations”, so “Congratulations on your birthday” feels right. In English, congratulations is mainly for achievements: passing an exam, a new job, a wedding, a new baby. For occasions that come every year, English has fixed greetings.
Congratulations on your birthday! Congratulations for Eid!
Happy birthday! Eid Mubarak! Happy New Year! Congratulations on your new job!
The fix: “Happy…” for recurring occasions, “Congratulations on…” for something someone has achieved.
7. Using the Wrong Preposition After an Adjective
Adjectives take particular prepositions, and they rarely match the Urdu ones. These combinations are worth learning by heart.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| interested about | interested in |
| good in (a skill) | good at |
| afraid from | afraid of |
| angry on someone | angry with someone |
| married with | married to |
| responsible of | responsible for |
Learn the adjective and its preposition together.
“Excited about” is the standard form; in informal American English you’ll also hear “excited for”.
The fix: never learn an adjective on its own. Learn “interested in”, “good at”, “afraid of” as one unit.
8. Translating Urdu Expressions Word for Word
Some Urdu expressions, translated literally, sound strange or confusing in English. These are some of the most common.
| Literal translation | From | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Don’t eat my head. | “Sir mat khao” | Stop bothering me. / Give me a break. |
| Do one thing… | “Ek kaam karo” | Here’s what you can do… |
| He is my cousin brother. | “Cousin bhai” | He’s my cousin. |
| My mood is off. | “Mood off hai” | I’m not in a good mood. |
The natural English versions
It works the other way too: English idioms need to be learnt as whole units, because their meaning isn’t the sum of their words.
- It’s raining cats and dogs: it’s raining very heavily
- Break a leg: good luck (before a performance)
- Under the weather: feeling slightly unwell
- It cost an arm and a leg: it was very expensive
- You’ve hit the nail on the head: you’ve described it exactly
9. Getting the Word Order Wrong in Questions
Urdu questions keep the normal sentence order (“Tum kahan ja rahe ho?”), so learners often do the same in English. But most English questions put the helping verb before the subject.
Where you are going? What you want? Why she is crying?
Where are you going? What do you want? Why is she crying?
Two exceptions are worth knowing. When “who” or “what” is the subject, there’s no inversion: “Who called?” And questions inside another sentence keep normal order: “Do you know where she is?”, not “where is she”.
The fix: question word, then helping verb (are, is, do, does, did, can), then subject.
10. Using “-ing” with State Verbs
Verbs that describe states (have for possession, know, understand, like, believe, need) don’t normally take the continuous “-ing” form. “I am having a car” and “I am knowing the answer” are common in South Asian English, but they sound wrong to most international listeners.
I am having a car. I am knowing the answer. I am understanding now.
I have a car. I know the answer. I understand now.
Some verbs have two meanings. “Have” for possession is a state (“I have a car”), but “have” for an activity can be continuous (“I’m having lunch”). And informal phrases such as “I’m loving it” do exist, but they’re a deliberate style, not the normal form.
The fix: if the verb describes something that’s simply true right now (owning, knowing, liking), use the simple form.
Why Common English Mistakes Happen, and How to Fix Them
These mistakes come from different places: Urdu sentence patterns, rules learnt too broadly, or simply hearing the wrong form so often that it sounds right. Whatever the cause, the fix is the same: notice the mistake, learn the natural version in a full sentence, and practise saying it until it comes out automatically.
The hardest part is noticing mistakes in your own speech, because they sound normal to you. That’s where a teacher who corrects you in the moment makes the biggest difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sound Natural in English, with Corrections as You Speak
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