Hindi and Urdu share the same spoken grammar and most of the same phonological patterns, so speakers of both languages make very similar errors in English. These errors are predictable — and predictable errors are fixable.
This blog covers the most common patterns, explains why they happen, and shows you how to correct them.
1. Articles: The Biggest Gap
Hindi and Urdu have no articles. There is no equivalent of “a,” “an,” or “the” in either language. As a result, speakers often leave them out entirely — or add them where English doesn’t need them.
Common error: “I went to market to buy vegetables.” Correct: “I went to the market to buy vegetables.”
Common error: “She is doctor at big hospital.” Correct: “She is a doctor at a big hospital.”
Why it happens: There’s simply no mental model for articles in Hindi or Urdu. The concept has to be built from scratch.
How to fix it: Use “the” when you and the listener both know which specific thing you mean: “Please pass the salt.” / “I spoke to the manager.” Use “a” or “an” when introducing a singular countable noun for the first time: “She’s a doctor.” / “I need an umbrella.” Use no article for uncountable nouns in a general sense (information, advice, water) and plural nouns in a general sense (“Children need sleep.”).
2. Overuse of Present Continuous
Hindi and Urdu don’t distinguish between simple present and present continuous the way English does. “Main kaam karta hoon” (I work) and “main kaam kar raha hoon” (I am working) feel like the same idea with slightly different emphasis. English treats these as genuinely different tenses.
Common error: “I am doing exercise every morning.” Correct: “I do exercise every morning.”
Common error: “She is teaching at a school in Sydney.” (implies temporary) Better, if it’s her permanent job: “She teaches at a school in Sydney.”
How to fix it: Use simple present for habits, routines, and facts. Use present continuous for actions happening right now or temporarily: “I am studying for my exam this week.”
3. Stative Verbs in Continuous Form
Certain English verbs describe states rather than actions — know, understand, believe, want, like, love, prefer, need, own. These verbs are almost never used in continuous (-ing) form in standard English, but Hindi and Urdu speakers commonly use them that way.
Common error: “I am knowing the answer.” Correct: “I know the answer.”
Common error: “She is not understanding the question.” Correct: “She doesn’t understand the question.”
Common error: “I am wanting to speak with the manager.” Correct: “I want to speak with the manager.”
Why it happens: In Hindi/Urdu, continuous constructions are commonly used with these verbs without sounding unnatural. In English, using them in continuous form sounds strange.
How to fix it: Memorise the most common stative verbs and use them only in simple form. The key ones are: know, understand, believe, think (opinion), want, need, like, love, hate, prefer, own, have (possession), seem, appear, sound.
4. “Isn’t It?” as a Universal Tag Question
In Hindi and Urdu, the tag question “hai na?” or “na?” works as a universal check at the end of any sentence. This gets carried into English as “isn’t it?” — used even when the grammar requires a different tag.
Common error: “You’re coming tomorrow, isn’t it?” Correct: “You’re coming tomorrow, aren’t you?”
Common error: “She passed the exam, isn’t it?” Correct: “She passed the exam, didn’t she?”
Common error: “They should wait, isn’t it?” Correct: “They should wait, shouldn’t they?”
Why it happens: Hindi/Urdu uses one tag (na, hai na) for all statements regardless of subject or tense. English tag questions must match the auxiliary verb and subject of the main clause.
How to fix it: The rule for English tag questions: take the auxiliary verb from the main clause, make it negative (or positive if the main clause is already negative), and match the subject pronoun. “She is coming, isn’t she?” / “They can help, can’t they?” / “You finished, didn’t you?” For most everyday conversation, “right?” works as a simpler alternative that’s always grammatically neutral.
5. Question Structures Without Inversion
In Hindi/Urdu, questions are often formed by intonation alone — the word order in questions stays the same as a statement and the voice rises. This transfers directly to English.
Common error: “You are going to the office tomorrow?” Correct: “Are you going to the office tomorrow?”
Common error: “Where he lives?” Correct: “Where does he live?”
How to fix it: In English yes/no questions, the auxiliary verb (do/does/did, can, will, have/has) must come before the subject. In wh-questions (what, where, when, why, how), the structure is: question word + auxiliary + subject + verb: “What did you say?” / “Where does she work?“
6. Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Hindi and Urdu don’t grammatically distinguish countable from uncountable nouns the way English does. This leads to consistent errors with nouns that are uncountable in English.
Common error: “He gave me some informations.” Correct: “He gave me some information.”
Common error: “We received many feedbacks.” Correct: “We received a lot of feedback.” / “We received many pieces of feedback.”
Common uncountable nouns that cause errors: information, advice, feedback, research, news, luggage, equipment, furniture, knowledge, progress, work (in the abstract sense)
How to fix it: Learn these as a fixed list — they don’t follow Hindi/Urdu logic, so direct memorisation is the fastest approach. When you want to express quantity, use: a piece of advice, some information, a lot of research, an item of news.
7. Preposition Confusion
Hindi and Urdu use postpositions (mein, par, ko, se) that don’t map directly to English prepositions. This creates persistent errors, particularly with fixed prepositional phrases.
| Common error | Correct English |
|---|---|
| ”I am good in English.” | I am good at English. |
| ”She is married with a doctor.” | She is married to a doctor. |
| ”He is suffering from cold.” | He has a cold. / He is suffering from a cold. |
| ”Please explain me this.” | Please explain this to me. |
| ”I am interested about this topic.” | I am interested in this topic. |
How to fix it: Learn fixed prepositional phrases as whole units rather than trying to translate from Hindi/Urdu: good at, married to, apply for, depend on, interested in, explain something to someone. When you learn a new verb or adjective, make a note of what preposition follows it.
8. Pronunciation Patterns That Affect Understanding
These aren’t grammar errors, but two pronunciation differences that regularly cause misunderstandings in spoken English.
The “v” and “w” distinction. Hindi/Urdu speakers sometimes interchange these sounds because they exist on a spectrum in Hindi. “Very” and “wary” are different words in English — and so are “vine” and “wine.”
Retroflex consonants. Hindi/Urdu retroflex sounds (ट, ड) differ from English “t” and “d,” which are dental. This affects the quality of your English consonants and is worth working on with a teacher if you’re preparing for IELTS Speaking.
The Bottom Line
Hindi and Urdu speakers have a clear set of English challenges: articles (no equivalent exists), simple vs continuous tense (different system), stative verbs (can’t be used in -ing form), and tag questions (can’t use “isn’t it?” universally).
Work through one area at a time. Articles and stative verbs are usually the highest-value place to start — errors appear in nearly every sentence and are immediately noticeable.