The 15 English Errors Indian Professionals Make Most Often — Fixed

After years of working with Indian professionals on English communication, a clear pattern emerges: the same 15 errors appear across almost every learner, regardless of their level of education, their state or region, or their professional field. These errors are not random — they are systematic, arising from specific interference patterns between Indian English education and the international professional English standard.

The good news: systematic errors have systematic fixes. Once you identify the underlying pattern, correction becomes a matter of conscious practice rather than mysterious improvement.

Errors 1–5: Tense and Aspect

Error 1: "I am having" for states. In Indian English, the continuous form ("am having") is used for states that should use simple present: "I am having a problem" instead of "I have a problem." The fix: reserve "am having" for ongoing activities ("I am having dinner right now") and use "have" for states and possessions.

Error 2: "Yesterday I have gone." Indian English frequently uses present perfect where simple past is required. Anytime you have a specific time marker (yesterday, last week, in 2020, this morning — if it is before now), use simple past: "Yesterday I went," not "Yesterday I have gone."

Error 3: "Since" with point-in-time vs. duration. "I am working here since five years" should be "I have been working here for five years." Use "since" for a point in time (since 2020, since Monday) and "for" for a duration (for five years, for three months).

Error 4: Double past. "He told me that he had went" — combining simple past with past perfect incorrectly. The standard form is: "He told me that he had gone."

Error 5: "Will" for the present. "Currently we will be implementing new procedures" — using "will" where present continuous is correct: "Currently we are implementing new procedures."

Errors 6–10: Articles and Prepositions

Error 6: Missing "the" with specific nouns. "In meeting today" instead of "In the meeting today." English requires "the" when the noun refers to a specific, known thing.

Error 7: "Discuss about." In Indian English, "discuss about" is standard. In international English, it is incorrect: "We need to discuss the proposal" not "discuss about the proposal."

Error 8: "Reach" without "to." "I will reach the office by 10" is correct — no preposition needed. This is actually an Indian English correction: sometimes speakers add "to reach to" which is redundant.

Error 9: "Informed to" instead of "informed of." "They were informed of the decision" not "informed to the decision."

Error 10: "Cope up." Indian English commonly says "I am not able to cope up with the workload." International English: "cope with" — the "up" is not used.

Errors 11–15: Vocabulary and Formality

Error 11: "Revert." "Please revert to me" is widely used in Indian business English but is not standard in international business English. Use "Please get back to me" or "Please respond."

Error 12: "Do the needful." Completely specific to Indian English. International English: "Please take care of this" or "Please handle this."

Error 13: "Itself" used for emphasis. "The system itself crashed itself" — the second "itself" is redundant. "The system itself crashed" is correct.

Error 14: "Prepone." A useful Indian English word (to move earlier) that does not exist in international English. Use "move forward" or "reschedule to an earlier time."

Error 15: "Doubt" for "question." In Indian English, "I have a doubt" means "I have a question." In international English, "doubt" means uncertainty about something. Use "I have a question" or "I'd like to clarify something."