Распространённые ошибки в английском: 48 разборов
Каждый учащийся английского языка делает ошибки — но не случайные. Одни и те же ошибки повторяются снова и снова у носителей разных языков и разных уровней: неверные времена, перепутанные слова, дословные переводы, которые не работают, и ловушки пунктуации. Это руководство выявляет 48 наиболее типичных ошибок и точно показывает, как каждую из них исправить.
48 mistakes · 6 categories
"I am agree"
WRONG. "Agree" is a verb, not an adjective. Use "I agree" — never combine "am" with "agree".
Correct: "I agree with your point about the deadline."
"he don't know"
WRONG. Third-person singular (he/she/it) always takes "doesn't", not "don't", in the simple present.
Correct: "He doesn't know the answer yet."
"since three years"
WRONG. Use "for" with a duration of time. "Since" is used with a point in time, not a length of time.
Correct: "I have been studying English for three years."
"more better"
WRONG. "Better" is already the comparative form of "good". Adding "more" creates a double comparative.
Correct: "Your second draft is much better than the first."
"I have 25 years"
WRONG in English. Unlike Spanish or French, English uses "to be" for age, not "to have".
Correct: "I am 25 years old."
"we must to go"
WRONG. Modal verbs like "must", "can", "will", and "should" are always followed by the bare infinitive (no "to").
Correct: "We must go now or we will miss the train."
"informations"
WRONG. "Information" is an uncountable noun and has no plural form. Use "pieces of information" if you need to count.
Correct: "She gave me some very useful information about the visa process."
"I am boring"
WRONG (usually). "Boring" describes the thing causing boredom. Use "bored" to describe how you feel.
Correct: "I am bored in this meeting" vs "This meeting is boring."
"affect vs effect"
"Affect" is almost always a verb ("to affect"). "Effect" is almost always a noun ("an effect"). "The rain affected the game" / "The rain had a big effect on the game."
"Stress can affect your health. The effects of stress on the body are well-documented."
"lend vs borrow"
"Lend" means to give something temporarily (you are the owner). "Borrow" means to take something temporarily (you are the recipient).
Correct: "Can you lend me your pen?" / "Can I borrow your pen?"
"make vs do"
"Make" is used for creating or producing things. "Do" is used for activities and tasks. These collocations must be memorised.
"Make a decision, make a mistake, make an effort" vs "do homework, do the washing, do your best."
"say vs tell"
"Tell" is always followed by a person (tell someone). "Say" is not — it focuses on the words spoken.
Correct: "She told me the news" / "She said the news was shocking."
"watch vs look vs see"
"See" is passive (happens without effort). "Look" means to direct your eyes. "Watch" means to observe something moving or changing over time.
"I saw a bird" (accidental) / "Look at that bird!" (directed) / "I watched the bird for ten minutes" (sustained).
"fun vs funny"
"Fun" means enjoyable. "Funny" means amusing or humorous — it causes laughter. Calling someone "very fun" is acceptable in informal AmE, but "funny" has a different core meaning.
"The party was fun" (enjoyable) vs "The comedian was funny" (made people laugh).
"sensitive vs sensible"
"Sensible" means having good judgement (a false friend for French/Spanish speakers). "Sensitive" means quick to respond emotionally or physically.
"Wear sensible shoes for the hike." / "She is very sensitive to criticism."
"actually vs currently"
"Actually" does not mean "at this moment" — it means "in fact" or "to be honest". "Currently" means "at this time". Many learners swap these.
Correct: "I actually prefer tea to coffee" / "She is currently working in Berlin."
"in the next week"
WRONG. Do not use "the" with "next" or "last" when referring to the week/month/year relative to now. "The" makes it sound distant and odd.
Correct: "I will call you next week." / "She left last Monday."
"married with"
WRONG. In English, you are "married to" someone, not "married with". This is a very common direct translation error.
Correct: "She has been married to her partner for ten years."
"listen music"
WRONG. You always "listen TO" something. The preposition "to" is obligatory with this verb.
Correct: "I love listening to music while I work."
"discuss about"
WRONG. "Discuss" already implies talking about something — the word "about" is redundant and incorrect.
Correct: "Let's discuss the proposal." (NOT "discuss about the proposal").
"I am at home since morning"
WRONG. The present perfect must be used with "since" in duration contexts, not the simple present or past.
Correct: "I have been at home since this morning."
"a interesting idea"
WRONG. Use "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound. The sound is what matters, not the spelling ("an hour", "a university").
Correct: "That is an interesting idea. It is also an unusual approach."
"go to the home"
WRONG. We say "go home" (no article, no preposition) or "go to someone's home". "Home" used as an adverb takes no preposition.
Correct: "I'm tired. I want to go home." / "Let's go to her home for dinner."
"in television"
WRONG. Use "on" for media and surfaces (on TV, on the radio, on screen, on the phone). Use "in" for enclosed spaces.
Correct: "I saw it on television" / "She appeared on the radio."
"I am knowing you"
WRONG. "Know", "like", "love", "want", "understand", "believe", and other stative verbs do not normally take the continuous form.
Correct: "I know you from somewhere." / "I understand the problem."
"did you went"
WRONG. In questions and negatives with "did", the main verb must be in the base form (bare infinitive), not the past tense.
Correct: "Did you go to the concert?" / "She didn't call me."
"I have seen him yesterday"
WRONG. The present perfect cannot be used with specific past time expressions like "yesterday", "last year", or "in 2010". Use the simple past.
Correct: "I saw him yesterday." / "I have seen him recently." (no specific time).
"When I will arrive, I call you"
WRONG. In time clauses beginning with "when", "after", "before", "until", and "as soon as", use the present simple — not the future.
Correct: "When I arrive, I will call you." / "I'll text you after I finish."
"she is working here since 2019"
WRONG. With "since" expressing an ongoing state from the past to now, English uses the present perfect (continuous), not the present simple.
Correct: "She has been working here since 2019."
"if I would know"
WRONG. In real conditionals (Type 1), use the present simple in the if-clause. In unreal conditionals (Type 2), use the past simple — not "would".
Correct: "If I knew the answer, I would tell you." (Type 2, unreal).
"I am living here for ten years"
WRONG. The present simple or continuous with "for" covering a period up to now requires the present perfect (continuous).
Correct: "I have lived here for ten years." / "I have been living here for ten years."
"He suggested to go"
WRONG. "Suggest" is followed by a gerund (-ing form) or a "that" clause — never by an infinitive.
Correct: "He suggested going out for dinner." / "He suggested that we go out."
"I am embarrassed (embarrassed ≠ pregnant)"
The Spanish/Portuguese "embarazada" means pregnant, not embarrassed. This is a classic false friend causing very awkward moments.
Correct: "I was embarrassed when I forgot his name." / "She is pregnant."
"eventually = finally (WRONG)"
"Eventually" means "at some point in the future, after a delay" — not "finally" in the sense of conclusion. Many European learners confuse this.
Correct: "He eventually found a solution." (after some time) vs "Finally, I would like to thank everyone." (conclusion).
"actual = current (WRONG)"
"Actual" in English means "real" or "genuine", not "current". From French "actuel" or Russian "актуальный" — a very widespread error.
Correct: "The actual cost was higher than the estimate." / "The current situation is improving."
"make a party"
WRONG direct translation. English uses "have a party" or "throw a party" — not "make a party". The verb collocates differently.
Correct: "We're throwing a party for her birthday." / "Are you having a party this weekend?"
"open the light"
WRONG direct translation (common from Semitic and Asian languages). Lights are "turned on" or "switched on", not "opened".
Correct: "Can you turn on the light, please?" / "She switched off the lamp before bed."
"sympathetic = nice (WRONG)"
"Sympathetic" means showing understanding or compassion for someone's problems — not simply "nice" or "friendly". A false friend from European languages.
Correct: "She was very sympathetic when I told her about my loss." / "He is a very friendly person."
"I assist to the meeting"
WRONG. "Assist" means to help. To attend an event, use "attend" or "go to". Confusion arises from French "assister à" or Spanish "asistir a".
Correct: "I attended the meeting." / "She assisted the manager with the report."
"he is very sympathique"
Inserting L1 words into English sentences when the false friend fails. "Sympathique" (French) / "simpático" (Spanish/Portuguese) = likeable/nice, not "sympathetic".
Correct: "He is very likeable." / "She is a really nice person to work with."
"its vs it's"
"It's" (with apostrophe) = "it is" or "it has". "Its" (no apostrophe) = the possessive pronoun. This is the single most common punctuation error in written English.
Correct: "It's a great idea." / "The company increased its profits last year."
"alot"
WRONG. "A lot" is always written as two words. "Alot" does not exist. Also note: "a lot" is informal — use "a great deal of" in formal writing.
Correct: "I have a lot of work to do this week." (informal) / "There is a great deal of evidence to consider." (formal).
"run-on sentences"
Joining two independent clauses with only a comma creates a run-on (comma splice). Use a full stop, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction instead.
WRONG: "The report was late, the manager was angry." CORRECT: "The report was late, so the manager was angry."
"I am looking forward to hear from you"
WRONG. After "look forward to", use a gerund (verb + -ing), not an infinitive. "To" here is a preposition, not part of the infinitive.
Correct: "I look forward to hearing from you." / "She is looking forward to starting her new job."
"Dear Sir/Madam, ... Best, [Name]"
Mixing formal opening ("Dear Sir/Madam") with casual closing ("Best") is a register mismatch. Formal letters use "Yours faithfully" (when you don't know the name) or "Yours sincerely" (when you do).
Correct: "Dear Sir/Madam, ... Yours faithfully," / "Dear Mr Smith, ... Yours sincerely,"
"however, + comma splice"
"However" is a conjunctive adverb — it cannot join two independent clauses with just a comma. Use a full stop before it or a semicolon.
WRONG: "The plan was good, however it failed." CORRECT: "The plan was good; however, it failed." / "The plan was good. However, it failed."
"I would like to inform you that..."
Overuse of this phrase makes emails verbose. In modern business English, directness is valued — state what you need to say without this preamble.
Instead of "I would like to inform you that the meeting is cancelled", write "The meeting on Thursday has been cancelled."
"would + present in academic writing"
Writing "this would suggest" when presenting your own research sounds overly tentative. Use "this suggests" or "the data indicate" for your own conclusions.
Weak: "The results would seem to show..." Strong: "The results show..." / "The data suggest..."
Частые вопросы
Какие грамматические ошибки в английском самые распространённые?
Наиболее частые грамматические ошибки: «I am agree» вместо «I agree» (глагол воспринимается как прилагательное), пропуск окончания -s в третьем лице («he don't»), путаница «for» и «since» с временными выражениями, двойная сравнительная степень «more better» и неверное использование длительных форм с глаголами состояния вроде «know» и «understand». Эти ошибки встречаются у учеников с самыми разными родными языками.
Почему учащиеся путают «make» и «do»?
В большинстве языков «make» и «do» переводятся как один глагол (faire, hacer, machen, делать), поэтому ученикам трудно понять, какой использовать. Общее правило: «make» — для создания чего-либо, «do» — для действий и заданий. Но многие выражения являются устойчивыми коллокациями и должны запоминаться: make a decision, make a mistake, do homework, do your best.
Как перестать ошибаться в временах английского?
Самая эффективная стратегия — изучать времена в контексте, а не изолированно. Сосредоточьтесь на двух противопоставлениях, которые дают больше всего ошибок: (1) simple past и present perfect — помните, что present perfect нельзя использовать с завершёнными временными выражениями вроде «yesterday» или «last year»; (2) present simple и present continuous с глаголами состояния. Большое количество аутентичных текстов и аудио — самый проверенный способ усвоить правильное употребление времён.
Что такое ложные друзья и чем они опасны?
Ложные друзья (false friends, faux amis) — слова, которые выглядят или звучат похоже в двух языках, но имеют разные значения. Они опасны тем, что кажутся знакомыми и ученики употребляют их с ложной уверенностью. Типичные примеры: «actual» (рус. реальный vs. актуальный), «eventually» (англ. в конце концов vs. рус. эвентуально/возможно), «embarrassed» (англ. смущён vs. исп./порт. беременна). Лучший способ избежать ошибок — составить личный список ложных друзей из своего родного языка.
Делают ли носители английского такие же ошибки?
Да — некоторые из этих ошибок чрезвычайно распространены у носителей языка в письменной речи. «It's» и «its», «their/there/they're», бессоюзные сложные предложения и запятые-сростки регулярно встречаются в неформальных текстах носителей. Разница в том, что носители делают их по невнимательности, а не из-за незнания правила. Для учащихся важно знать правило, понимая при этом, что нормы неформального письма мягче, чем академического или профессионального.
Самый быстрый способ устранить устойчивые ошибки — встречать правильное употребление тысячи раз в реальном контексте. Наша видеотека с интерактивными субтитрами помогает выработать точное языковое чутьё.
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