Do you say "I am agree" instead of "I agree"? Have you ever said "I have 20 years" when you meant "I am 20 years old"? Don't worry — even advanced learners make these mistakes. The good news? Most errors follow simple patterns. Once you learn them, you can fix them forever.
In this article, I'll show you the 10 most common English mistakes made by learners from all over the world — and exactly how to correct them. Let's get started.
1. ❌ "I am agree" / "I am not agree"
Wrong: "I am agree with you." / "I am not agree with that."
✅ Correct: "I agree with you." / "I don't agree with that."
Why it's wrong: "Agree" is a verb, not an adjective. In English, we don't use "to be" before most verbs. Use the auxiliary verb "do" for negatives.
2. ❌ "I have 25 years" (for age)
Wrong: "I have 25 years. My brother has 30 years."
✅ Correct: "I am 25 years old. My brother is 30 years old."
Why it's wrong: Many languages use "have" for age. English uses the verb "to be". Always say "I am [age] years old."
3. ❌ "I feel myself good" / "I enjoy myself" (misuse of reflexive pronouns)
Wrong: "I feel myself happy today." / "I enjoyed myself the party."
✅ Correct: "I feel happy today." / "I enjoyed the party."
Why it's wrong: "Feel" is not usually used with "myself" in English. We only use reflexive pronouns when the subject and object are the same (e.g., "I cut myself"). "Enjoy yourself" is correct, but "enjoy myself something" is wrong.
4. ❌ Preposition errors: "I arrived to home" / "depends of"
Wrong: "I arrived to home at 8pm." / "It depends of the weather."
✅ Correct: "I arrived home at 8pm." (no preposition) / "It depends on the weather."
Why it's wrong: Prepositions in English are tricky. Common fixed phrases: "arrive at/in" (but "arrive home" no preposition), "depend on", "listen to", "wait for".
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| talk about about something | talk about something (no double) |
| ask to someone for help | ask someone for help (no "to") |
| explain me the problem | explain to me the problem |
| call to my friend | call my friend (no "to") |
5. ❌ Present perfect confusion: "I have seen him yesterday"
Wrong: "I have seen him yesterday." / "She has finished her homework last week."
✅ Correct: "I saw him yesterday." / "She finished her homework last week."
Why it's wrong: Present perfect cannot be used with specific past time words like yesterday, last week, in 2010. Use simple past for specific times. Use present perfect for experiences without a specific time or for recent events.
6. ❌ "I didn't went" / "I don't can"
Wrong: "I didn't went to school." / "I don't can swim."
✅ Correct: "I didn't go to school." / "I can't swim." (or "I cannot swim")
Why it's wrong: After auxiliary verbs like "do/did/don't", use the base form of the verb (infinitive without "to"). Also, modal verbs like "can" don't need "do" for negation — just add "not".
7. ❌ "People is" vs "People are"
Wrong: "People is friendly in my city."
✅ Correct: "People are friendly in my city."
Why it's wrong: "People" is grammatically plural (even though it doesn't end in 's'). Always use "people are" and "people do", never "people is" or "people does". The singular is "person".
8. ❌ "I'm boring" instead of "I'm bored"
Wrong: "I'm boring because I have nothing to do."
✅ Correct: "I'm bored because I have nothing to do."
Why it's wrong: -ing adjectives describe the cause (something that creates a feeling). -ed adjectives describe the feeling itself. "Boring" = something that causes boredom. "Bored" = how you feel. Same with "interesting/interested", "exciting/excited", "confusing/confused".
9. ❌ Word order with adjectives: "a car red"
Wrong: "She drives a car red." / "He has a house big."
✅ Correct: "She drives a red car." / "He has a big house."
Why it's wrong: In English, adjectives come BEFORE the noun they describe. Not after. "a beautiful day" not "a day beautiful".
10. ❌ "Recommend me a book" vs correct structure
Wrong: "Can you recommend me a good restaurant?"
✅ Correct: "Can you recommend a good restaurant to me?" or "Can you recommend a good restaurant?"
Why it's wrong: Verbs like "recommend", "explain", "describe", "suggest" cannot be used with an indirect object without "to". You cannot "recommend someone something" — you "recommend something to someone".
Quick Reference: 10 More Small But Common Mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| I have a doubt. | I have a question. (doubt = uncertainty, not a question) |
| It's depend. | It depends. |
| I look forward to see you. | I look forward to seeing you. (to is preposition here) |
| She said me that... | She told me that... / She said that... |
| I'm here since 2 hours. | I've been here for 2 hours. |
| How to say this in English? | How do you say this in English? |
How to Stop Making These Mistakes for Good
Reading about mistakes is helpful, but you need to actively practice to change your habits. Here's a simple 3-step system:
- Step 1: Identify your top 3 mistakes. Don't try to fix all 10 at once. Pick the ones you make most often.
- Step 2: Create a "mistake journal." Every time you catch yourself making the error (or when someone corrects you), write down the correct version 5 times.
- Step 3: Practice out loud. Say the correct sentence 10 times in different contexts. For example: "I agree with my friend. I don't agree with that idea. She agrees with me."
Mistakes are not your enemy. They are feedback. Every time you make an error and correct it, your brain builds a stronger connection. So don't be afraid to speak. Don't be afraid to write. The only real mistake is staying silent because you're afraid of being wrong.
Now go ahead — say one correct sentence out loud right now. "I agree with this article." Perfect. You're already improving.