Common English Speaking Mistakes

Wrong"I am living here since 2019."

Correct"I have lived here since 2019."

WhyAn action that started in the past and continues now uses present perfect, not present continuous, especially with "since."

Example"She has worked here since 2018." / "They have known each other for ten years."

Wrong"I went to market to buy vegetables."

Correct"I went to the market to buy vegetables."

WhyA specific, known place that both speaker and listener have in mind takes "the," even though "market" is general in some other languages' equivalent phrase.

Example"She's at the airport." / "He's in the hospital visiting a friend."

Wrong"I'm good in English."

Correct"I'm good at English."

Why"Good," "bad," and "skilled" pair with "at" for skills and subjects, not "in" — this doesn't follow a clean rule, so it has to be learned as a fixed combination (a collocation).

Example"He's great at math." / "I'm not very good at cooking."

Wrong"I like very much this song."

Correct"I like this song very much." / "I really like this song."

WhyEnglish keeps the verb and its object close together; intensifiers like "very much" usually go at the end of the clause, not between the verb and its object.

Example"She enjoys her job a lot." / "I really enjoyed the movie."

Wrong"My parents is coming tomorrow."

Correct"My parents are coming tomorrow."

Why"Parents" is plural, so it needs a plural verb ("are"), even though a singular equivalent word might exist in your first language.

Example"The kids are playing outside." / "Both of my sisters live abroad."

Wrong"Can you give me an advice?" / "I have many informations."

Correct"Can you give me some advice?" / "I have a lot of information."

Why"Advice," "information," "furniture," and "news" are uncountable in English — no plural "-s," and no "a/an" in front. Use "some," "a lot of," or "a piece of" instead.

Example"She gave me a piece of advice." / "I need some information about the course."

WrongConfusing "I will" and "I'll," or stressing every syllable equally, making "comfortable" sound like four full, equal beats.

CorrectUse natural contractions in speech ("I'll," "we're," "don't"), and stress only the main syllable: "COMF-ta-ble," not "com-FOR-ta-ble."

WhyNative speech relies heavily on contractions and reduced, unstressed syllables; saying every word in full, with equal stress, is technically correct but sounds unnatural and can actually be harder to understand.

ExamplePractice saying "I'd have gone if I'd known" as one smooth phrase rather than four separate, fully-stressed words.

Wrong"I'm boring in this class." (meaning you feel bored)

Correct"I'm bored in this class."

Why"-ed" adjectives describe how someone feels; "-ing" adjectives describe the thing causing that feeling. "I'm boring" means you cause boredom in others — the opposite of what's usually meant.

Example"This movie is boring, so I'm bored." / "I was so excited because the trip was exciting."