Common English Errors by Hindi Speakers
CEFR B1-B2 • ESL • Prepositions, present-continuous overuse, "doing the needful" — and how to fix each
The Indian English vs international English gap
Indian English is a fully legitimate variety of English with its own grammar and vocabulary. The challenge is when Indian English habits (which work fine in India) come across as errors in international English contexts (American, British, Australian). This page covers the 25 most common Hindi-speaker English patterns that may be flagged outside India, with international-English alternatives.
Group 1: "Doing the needful" and similar Indian English phrases
"Please do the needful at the earliest."
"Please take care of this when you can" or "Could you handle this as soon as possible?" ('Do the needful' is rarely used outside India.)
"I will revert back to you tomorrow."
"I will get back to you tomorrow." ('Revert' alone means 'roll back' in international English. 'Get back to you' = follow up.)
"Kindly send me the report."
"Could you send me the report?" ('Kindly' is correct but old-fashioned in modern American/British English.)
"Please intimate me about the meeting."
"Please let me know about the meeting" or "Please inform me about the meeting." ('Intimate' as a verb is uncommon.)
"I am out of station this week."
"I am out of town this week" or "I am traveling this week." ('Out of station' is Indian English.)
Group 2: Present continuous overuse
Hindi uses present continuous more broadly than English does — for habits, general truths, and ongoing states.
"I am working in this company since 2022."
"I have been working at this company since 2022." (Use present perfect continuous for ongoing states.)
"I am living in Bangalore for ten years."
"I have lived in Bangalore for ten years" or "I have been living in Bangalore for ten years."
"She is working at Acme since last year."
"She has been working at Acme since last year."
"I am understanding the requirements now."
"I understand the requirements now." (State verbs like 'understand,' 'know,' 'believe' usually do not take continuous form.)
Group 3: Prepositions
"I will discuss about the proposal."
"I will discuss the proposal." ('Discuss' takes no preposition. Cf. 'talk about.')
"Please reply back to me."
"Please reply to me" or "Please get back to me." ('Reply' already implies 'back.')
"He prevented me to enter."
"He prevented me from entering." ('Prevent' takes 'from + -ing.')
"I am married with a doctor."
"I am married to a doctor." ('Married' takes 'to,' not 'with.')
"I will ring you up at evening."
"I will call you in the evening" or "I will give you a call this evening."
Group 4: "Itself" and reflexive overuse
"I will do it myself only."
"I will do it myself" or "I will do it on my own." ('Only' overuse for emphasis.)
"The report itself is not yet ready."
"The report is not yet ready." ('Itself' is unnecessary — 'the report' is already specific.)
Group 5: Plural countability
"He gave me many advices."
"He gave me much advice" or "He gave me a lot of advice." ('Advice' is uncountable in English.)
"I have three works to do today."
"I have three things to do today" or "I have three tasks to do today." ('Work' is usually uncountable.)
"The team has many equipments."
"The team has a lot of equipment" or "The team has many pieces of equipment." ('Equipment' is uncountable.)
Group 6: Word order
"Yesterday I did go to the office."
"Yesterday I went to the office." ('Did go' = emphatic. Do not use with simple past.)
"What is your good name?"
"What is your name?" ('Good name' is Indian English politeness — not used internationally.)
"Where you are going?"
"Where are you going?" (Question word order: verb before subject.)
Group 7: Tense issues
"I have visited Bangalore yesterday."
"I visited Bangalore yesterday." ('Yesterday' = specific past time → past simple, not present perfect.)
"He is having three meetings today."
"He has three meetings today." ('Have' = possess → no continuous form.)
"By when do you need this?"
"When do you need this by?" ('By when' is Indian English; international English splits the preposition.)
Group 8: "Take" and "give" usage
"Can you give me an interview?"
"Can I do an interview with you?" or "Could I interview you?" ('Give an interview' is OK in journalism but odd in business.)
"I will take dinner with you."
"I will have dinner with you" or "I will eat dinner with you." ('Take' for meals is Indian English.)
Hear all the corrections
"Could you take care of this when you can? I will get back to you by Friday."
"I have been working at this company since 2022. I have lived in Bangalore for ten years."
"I will discuss the proposal with the team. I am married to a doctor."
"What is your name? Where are you going? The meeting is at 3 PM in the afternoon."
"He has three meetings today. He gave me a lot of advice about the migration."
Quick self-test
1. "I will revert to you tomorrow."
Fix: "I will get back to you tomorrow." 'Revert' = roll back code in international English.
2. "I am working here since five years."
Fix: "I have been working here for five years." Two changes: present continuous → present perfect continuous; 'since' → 'for' before duration.
3. "Please do the needful."
Fix: "Could you take care of this?" or "Please handle this." 'Do the needful' is Indian English; international audiences may not understand.
4. "He gave me many advices."
Fix: "He gave me a lot of advice." 'Advice' is uncountable in English — no plural -s.
5. "Where you are going?"
Fix: "Where are you going?" Questions use inverted word order: verb before subject.
Pronunciation notes for Hindi speakers
- "V" vs "W": Hindi has /ʋ/ which sits between /v/ and /w/. Native English distinguishes them sharply. Practice in pairs: vine/wine, vest/west, very/wary.
- "Th" sounds: Hindi /थ/ is aspirated /t/, not English /θ/ (think). Practice tongue-between-teeth.
- Aspirated consonants: Hindi distinguishes aspirated and unaspirated consonants meaningfully. English does not — but English consonants tend to be more aspirated word-initially. Practice "pin" with a strong puff of air.
- Stress patterns: Indian English often has equal stress per syllable. International English uses one strong stress per word. Listen and mimic.
- Question intonation: Hindi tends to use rising intonation for yes/no questions. English uses both rising and falling depending on context. For wh-questions, intonation often falls.
Practice: Test yourself
Tap each question to reveal the answer.