Indian English is a legitimate variety of English, used by hundreds of millions of people. But some of its phrases confuse — or quietly put off — recruiters, clients and colleagues abroad. If your audience is global, these are worth adjusting.
Paste any email or answer into our free Indian-English fixer to catch these patterns automatically.
Workplace phrases
| # | Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Please do the needful. | Please approve the leave by Friday. | Vague and dated. Name the action. |
| 2 | Kindly revert. | Please reply / get back to me. | “Revert” means return to a previous state. |
| 3 | Let's prepone the meeting. | Let's bring the meeting forward. | “Prepone” isn't used outside South Asia. |
| 4 | I have a doubt. | I have a question. | “Doubt” suggests you don't believe something. |
| 5 | Let's discuss about the budget. | Let's discuss the budget. | “Discuss” already contains “about”. |
| 6 | I am out of station. | I'm out of town / travelling. | “Station” is Indian usage. |
| 7 | Please find the attached file herewith. | I've attached the file. | Shorter and more natural. |
| 8 | Myself Rahul from Accounts. | This is Rahul from Accounts. | “Myself” is a reflexive pronoun. |
| 9 | Kindly do the same. | Please send it to me as well. | Say what “the same” is. |
| 10 | Pls / Plz | Please | Too casual for professional messages. |
Grammar patterns from Hindi
| # | Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | I am having two brothers. | I have two brothers. | “Have” for possession isn't continuous. |
| 12 | I am working here since 2021. | I have been working here since 2021. | Ongoing action from a past point uses present perfect continuous. |
| 13 | I am living here since 3 years. | I've lived here for 3 years. | “For” + duration, “since” + starting point. |
| 14 | Where you are going? | Where are you going? | Direct questions invert the verb. |
| 15 | I didn't went. | I didn't go. | After “did/didn't”, use the base verb. |
| 16 | He don't know. | He doesn't know. | He/she/it takes “does”. |
| 17 | I am agree. | I agree. | “Agree” is a verb, not an adjective. |
| 18 | More better | Better / much better | Double comparative. |
| 19 | Explain me this. | Explain this to me. | Explain something to someone. |
| 20 | Many informations / advices | Some information / advice | Uncountable nouns have no plural. |
Everyday phrases
| # | Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | I passed out of college in 2022. | I graduated in 2022. | “Pass out” means to faint. |
| 22 | What is your good name? | May I know your name? | A literal translation of “shubh naam”. |
| 23 | My cousin brother | My cousin | “Cousin” covers both genders. |
| 24 | Return back / revert back | Return / reply | Redundant. |
| 25 | Cope up with | Cope with | The phrasal verb is “cope with”. |
How to fix them for good
Knowing the rule is easy; using it under pressure is hard. Pick three items from these tables that you personally say, write the correct version on a sticky note, and use each one out loud five times a day for a week. Then record a one-minute answer and listen for them. After two weeks, choose the next three.
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