7 English Mistakes Even Advanced Learners Make

After seven years of teaching business English, I've noticed something: the mistakes that survive into advanced levels aren't random. They're the same handful, over and over — usually because the learner's native language works differently. Here are the seven I correct most often.

1. "I have seen him yesterday."

The present perfect (have seen) can't sit next to a finished time expression like yesterday, last week, or in 2023. Finished time → past simple: I saw him yesterday.

2. "She didn't went to the meeting."

The auxiliary did already carries the past tense, so the main verb goes back to its base form: She didn't go to the meeting. Double-marking the past is one of the most persistent habits in fast speech.

3. "I look forward to meet you."

In this expression, to is a preposition, not part of an infinitive — so it's followed by the -ing form: I look forward to meeting you. Same pattern: be used to doing, object to doing, commit to doing.

4. "We discussed about the project."

Discuss takes a direct object — no preposition: We discussed the project. The confusion comes from talk about and speak about, which do need one.

5. "The informations you sent are useful."

Information, advice, equipment, feedback, and research are uncountable in English — no plural, singular verb: The information you sent is useful. Need a countable unit? Use a piece of advice or three findings.

6. "If I would have more time, I would help."

The if-clause of a second conditional takes the past simple, not would: If I had more time, I would help. Would lives in the result clause only.

7. "I am agree with you."

Agree is a verb, not an adjective — it doesn't need be: I agree with you. This one is nearly universal among speakers of languages where "agree" is expressed with an adjective.

How to actually fix these

Reading a list creates awareness; catching the mistake in real text builds the reflex. That's exactly what our Find Mistakes exercises train — you hunt for hidden errors in realistic paragraphs and get an explanation for every one you find (or miss).

Prefer a daily habit? The free daily quiz serves nine new questions every morning at three difficulty levels.