15 English Mistakes That Make You Sound Unprofessional (and How to Fix Them)
Here's the uncomfortable truth: some English mistakes don't just sound wrong. they make you sound less competent than you actually are. Not because your ideas are bad, but because certain errors are so closely associated with non-native speakers that they distract from your message.
The good news? Most of these mistakes are easy to fix once you know about them. Here are 15 of the most common English mistakes professionals make at work, with clear explanations and corrections.
Grammar Mistakes
1. "I am agree" / "I am not agree"
Wrong: "I am agree with this proposal."
Right: "I agree with this proposal."
Why it happens: In many languages, you use "to be" + adjective to express opinions. But in English, "agree" is a verb, not an adjective. You just say "I agree" or "I don't agree."
2. "We have discussed about this."
Wrong: "Let's discuss about the budget."
Right: "Let's discuss the budget."
Why it happens: Many verbs in other languages require a preposition that English doesn't use. "Discuss" already means "talk about". adding "about" is redundant.
Same rule applies to: "explain me" (should be "explain to me"), "emphasize on" (should be "emphasize"), and "mention about" (should be "mention").
3. "He don't" / "She don't"
Wrong: "She don't have the report."
Right: "She doesn't have the report."
Why it happens: In casual speech, some native speakers make this error too, but in a professional setting, it stands out. Third person singular (he, she, it) always uses "doesn't" in the negative.
4. "I have a doubt"
Wrong: "I have a doubt about the deadline."
Right: "I have a question about the deadline."
Why it happens: In Spanish, Portuguese, and some other languages, "doubt" (duda, dúvida) is used for questions. In English, "doubt" means you don't believe something. "I have a doubt about your numbers" means "I think your numbers might be wrong." If you just want clarification, say "I have a question."
5. Wrong tense in emails
Wrong: "I am writing to inform you that we completed the project yesterday."
Right: "I'm writing to let you know that we completed the project yesterday." (Or simply: "We completed the project yesterday.")
Why it happens: People mix formal and informal tenses. More importantly, many professionals use overly formal language when a direct statement works better. "I am writing to inform you" sounds like a letter from 1850. Keep it simple.
Word Choice Mistakes
6. "Please revert"
Wrong: "Please revert with your feedback."
Right: "Please reply with your feedback." (Or: "Please get back to me with your feedback.")
Why it happens: This is extremely common in Indian English and has spread to other regions. "Revert" in standard English means "to go back to a previous state". It doesn't mean "to reply." This one is so widespread that some people defend it, but in international business contexts, it confuses people.
7. "Kindly do the needful"
Wrong: "Kindly do the needful and revert."
Right: "Could you please take care of this and let me know?"
Why it happens: This is a holdover from 19th-century British English that survived in some regional varieties. While grammatically understandable, it sounds extremely dated in modern business English and can make you seem out of touch. Use modern, direct phrasing instead.
8. "I would like to revert back"
Wrong: "Let me revert back to you on this."
Right: "Let me get back to you on this."
Why it happens: Double error. "revert" doesn't mean "reply" and "back" is redundant since "revert" already implies going back. This is one of the most common email phrases that makes native speakers pause.
9. "Make a meeting" / "Make a presentation"
Wrong: "Can we make a meeting tomorrow?"
Right: "Can we schedule a meeting tomorrow?" (Or: "Can we set up a meeting?")
Wrong: "I need to make a presentation."
Right: "I need to give a presentation." (Or: "I need to prepare a presentation.")
Why it happens: Many languages use their equivalent of "make" as a general-purpose verb. English is pickier about collocations. The words that naturally go together. You "schedule" or "set up" a meeting. You "give" or "deliver" a presentation. You "make" a decision.
10. Confusing "actually" and "currently"
Wrong: "Actually, I am working at Google." (meaning "right now")
Right: "Currently, I am working at Google."
Why it happens: In French, Spanish, and other languages, "actually" (actuellement, actualmente) means "at the present time." In English, "actually" means "in fact" or "to be honest." Saying "Actually, I work at Google" sounds like you're correcting someone or revealing a surprise.
Preposition Mistakes
11. "Discuss about" / "Explain me"
These were covered in #2, but preposition errors deserve their own category because they're everywhere:
Wrong → Right:
- "Depend of" → "Depend on"
- "Interested on" → "Interested in"
- "Good in" (a skill) → "Good at"
- "Married with" → "Married to"
- "Listen me" → "Listen to me"
- "Arrive to" → "Arrive at" (a place) or "Arrive in" (a city/country)
The fix: There's no rule for prepositions. You have to learn them as part of the phrase. When you learn a new verb, always learn which preposition goes with it.
Article Mistakes
12. Missing articles
Wrong: "Can you send me report?"
Right: "Can you send me the report?"
Wrong: "She is engineer."
Right: "She is an engineer."
Why it happens: Many languages (Russian, Japanese, Polish, Hindi, and others) don't have articles. If your language doesn't use "a," "an," and "the," you have to consciously add them in English. The general rule: if you're talking about a specific thing both people know about, use "the." If you're introducing something new or talking about one of many, use "a/an."
13. Adding articles where they don't belong
Wrong: "I need to go to the home."
Right: "I need to go home."
Wrong: "She speaks the English very well."
Right: "She speaks English very well."
Why it happens: Some languages use articles in places English doesn't. You don't use "the" with languages, most countries, or certain fixed expressions (go home, go to work, go to bed).
Formality Mistakes
14. Being too formal
Wrong: "Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to humbly request your esteemed guidance regarding the aforementioned project."
Right: "Hi [Name], I had a quick question about the project."
Why it happens: English textbooks in many countries teach an extremely formal style that nobody actually uses in modern business. Today's professional English is direct, clear, and warm. Over-formality creates distance and can even seem sarcastic.
Quick formality guide:
- Email to your boss: "Hi Sarah," (not "Dear Madam")
- Asking for something: "Could you..." or "Would you mind..." (not "I humbly request")
- Signing off: "Best," or "Thanks," (not "Yours faithfully")
15. Using "Sir" and "Ma'am" in emails
Wrong: "Yes sir, I will complete it by Friday."
Right: "Yes, I'll have it done by Friday." (Or: "Sure, I'll get that to you by Friday.")
Why it happens: In many cultures, "sir" and "ma'am" show respect. In American and British business English, using "sir" with a colleague or even a manager sounds overly formal or even servile. Use their first name. If you don't know their name, just drop the title entirely.
How to Actually Fix These
Reading a list of mistakes helps, but it doesn't change your habits. Here's what does:
1. Pick three mistakes from this list that you make regularly. Focus only on those.
2. Review your sent emails once a week. Search for these errors and mentally correct them.
3. Ask a trusted colleague to flag these specific mistakes when they notice them.
4. Practice writing short emails or messages every day, paying attention to your target mistakes.
Within 4-6 weeks, the correct forms will start feeling automatic.
Fix these mistakes for good
Our Professional English Basics course covers all of these errors, and more. with interactive exercises and real-world practice.
If you want personalized correction, book a 1-on-1 session. Bring your real emails and documents. we'll identify your specific patterns and fix them together.
Get our free cheat sheet of the most common business English errors at /free.