20 Tense Mistakes Indians Make — Fix Now | English1to5.com
🏃Verb Mastery
20 Tense Mistakes Indian Kids Make — Fix Them Now!
Indian kids make SPECIFIC tense errors because Hindi grammar works differently! Here are the TOP 20 mistakes with Hindi explanations and correct forms. Fix these and your English sounds perfect!
Updated: June 8, 2026 · ⏱️ 15 min · Page 10/23 · ⭐⭐ Grade 3-5
🚫 Stative Verb Errors (Hindi uses continuous for states)
❌ I am having two brothers.
✅ I have two brothers.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: मेरे दो भाई हैं — uses है (is), so kids add ‘am’
📌 Rule: HAVE (possession) is stative — no continuous!
❌ She is knowing the answer.
✅ She knows the answer.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: वह जानती है — continuous-sounding, but ‘know’ is stative
📌 Rule: KNOW is stative. Also: believe, understand, want, like, love
❌ I am understanding now.
✅ I understand now.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: मैं अब समझ रहा हूँ — literally ‘I am understanding’
📌 Rule: UNDERSTAND is stative — no continuous!
❌ He is wanting a new bike.
✅ He wants a new bike.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: वह चाहता है — sounds continuous but ‘want’ is stative
📌 Rule: WANT is stative. Say ‘wants,’ not ‘is wanting’
❌ She is liking the movie.
✅ She likes the movie.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: उसे फिल्म पसंद आ रही है — continuous form
📌 Rule: LIKE is stative. Exception: ‘I’m loving it’ (McDonald’s — informal!)
⏰ Wrong Tense for Time (Hindi time markers work differently)
❌ Yesterday I am going to school.
✅ Yesterday I went to school.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi sometimes uses present for past narratives
📌 Rule: Yesterday = PAST TENSE. Use V2: went
❌ Tomorrow I come to your house.
✅ Tomorrow I will come to your house.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: कल मैं आऊँगा — future tense marker is at the end
📌 Rule: Tomorrow = FUTURE. Use will + V1: will come
❌ Last year I am studying in Class 4.
✅ Last year I was studying in Class 4. / I studied in Class 4.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: पिछले साल मैं कक्षा 4 में पढ़ रहा था
📌 Rule: Last year = PAST. Use was/were or V2
📅 Since/For Confusion (Hindi uses से for both)
❌ I am living here since 5 years.
✅ I have been living here for 5 years.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: मैं 5 साल से यहाँ रह रहा हूँ — ‘से’ = both since/for
📌 Rule: For + duration (5 years). Since + point (2020). Use Present Perfect Continuous
❌ She is working here since Monday.
✅ She has been working here since Monday.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: वह सोमवार से यहाँ काम कर रही है
📌 Rule: Since Monday = Present Perfect Continuous (has been working)
❌ I know him since childhood.
✅ I have known him since childhood.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: मैं उसे बचपन से जानता हूँ
📌 Rule: Since + point in time = Present Perfect: have known
🔧 Wrong Verb Form (Hindi doesn’t distinguish V1/V2/V3)
❌ He has went home.
✅ He has gone home.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi V2 and V3 are often the same: गया/गया
📌 Rule: After has/have, ALWAYS use V3: gone (not went)
❌ She has wrote a letter.
✅ She has written a letter.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: उसने पत्र लिखा है — only one past form
📌 Rule: After has/have, use V3: written (not wrote)
❌ I did not went.
✅ I did not go.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: मैं नहीं गया — past marker on verb
📌 Rule: After did/did not, use V1 (base): go (not went)
❌ She will comes tomorrow.
✅ She will come tomorrow.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Hindi: वह कल आएगी — future marker on verb
📌 Rule: After will, use V1 (base): come (not comes)
❌ He goed to school.
✅ He went to school.
🇮🇳 Hindi: Regular -ed pattern applied to irregular verb
📌 Rule: GO is irregular: go→went→gone. Never ‘goed’!
📖 Practice Sentences (12)
❌ I am having a headache. → ✅ I have a headache.
❌ She is knowing Hindi. → ✅ She knows Hindi.
❌ Yesterday I am going. → ✅ Yesterday I went.
❌ I live here since 5 years. → ✅ I have lived here for 5 years.
❌ He has went. → ✅ He has gone.
❌ Tomorrow I come. → ✅ Tomorrow I will come.
❌ She did not went. → ✅ She did not go.
❌ I am understanding. → ✅ I understand.
❌ He goed to market. → ✅ He went to market.
❌ She is liking ice cream. → ✅ She likes ice cream.
❌ They has finished. → ✅ They have finished.
❌ I am living here since Monday. → ✅ I have been living here since Monday.
🇮🇳 Hindi Comparison
Hindi grammar causes MOST of these errors: (1) Hindi uses continuous for stative verbs, (2) Hindi uses ‘से’ for both since AND for, (3) Hindi puts tense markers at the END of verbs, (4) Hindi V2 and V3 are often identical. Understanding the Hindi reason helps fix the English error PERMANENTLY!
✏️ Fill in the Blank (15)
1I _____ (have) two sisters. [NOT ‘am having’]
Have (possession) = stative verb, no continuous
2She _____ (know) the answer. [NOT ‘is knowing’]
Know = stative verb
3Yesterday I _____ (go) to the park.
Yesterday = past → went
4I _____ (live) here for 10 years.
For + duration = present perfect
5He _____ (go) home already. [has + ?]
Has + V3 = gone (not went)
6Tomorrow she _____ (come) to my house.
Tomorrow = future → will come
7He _____ not _____ (go) yesterday.
Did not + V1 = did not go
8I _____ (understand) the lesson now.
Understand = stative, no continuous
9She _____ (work) here since 2020.
Since + point = present perfect continuous
10They _____ (finish) already. [have + ?]
Have + V3 = have finished
11I _____ (want) a new phone. [NOT ‘am wanting’]
Want = stative verb
12He _____ (eat) before she arrived. [had + ?]
Before past event = past perfect
13We _____ (not see) that movie yet.
Yet = present perfect negative
14She _____ (study) when I called.
When I called = past continuous
15By next month, he _____ (complete) the course.
By + future time = future perfect
⚠️ Common Mistakes
(See detailed mistakes in sections above ☝️)
❓ Quiz (12)
1. ‘I am having two brothers’ is:
2. ‘She is knowing’ is:
3. ‘Since 5 years’ needs:
4. After ‘has,’ use:
5. After ‘did not,’ use:
6. ‘Yesterday I am going’ is:
7. ‘Tomorrow I come’ needs:
8. ‘I am understanding’ is:
9. Which is stative?
10. ‘For’ is used with:
11. ‘Since’ is used with:
12. Most Indian tense errors come from:
🤓 Fun Facts
🤓 ‘I am having two brothers’ is the #1 most common Indian English error — tested in every CBSE exam!
🤓 Stative verbs exist because English distinguishes STATES (I know) from ACTIONS (I am learning). Hindi doesn’t!
🤓 The since/for confusion affects 95% of Indian English learners — once you fix it, it never comes back!
🤓 ‘I am loving it’ (McDonald’s slogan) is technically wrong but became accepted through advertising!
🤓 These 20 errors account for about 70% of all grammar marks lost in Indian school exams!
People Also Ask
Why do Indians say ‘I am having’?
Hindi uses continuous form even for states: मेरे पास है sounds like ‘I am having.’ English separates action (I am having lunch ✅) from possession (I have a car ✅).
What are stative verbs?
Verbs that describe states, not actions: know, have, like, want, believe, understand, love, hate, see, hear. They usually don’t use continuous (-ing) form.
What’s the since/for rule?
SINCE = a point in time (since Monday, since 2020, since morning). FOR = a duration (for 3 days, for 2 hours, for a long time).
👨👩👧 Parent Tips
1. 🎯 Focus on the TOP 5: ‘am having,’ ‘am knowing,’ ‘since/for,’ ‘has went,’ ‘yesterday am going’
2. 🇮🇳 Explain the Hindi connection: ‘Hindi says it this way, but English says it differently’
3. ❌ Gentle correction: when child says ‘I am knowing,’ repeat correctly: ‘I know’
4. 📝 Error diary: write down mistakes your child makes, review weekly
5. 📋 Stick ‘Stative Verbs List’ on the wall: know, have, like, want, believe, understand…
6. 🏫 Exam prep: these exact errors appear in CBSE error correction questions!
7. 🔗 Review V1/V2/V3 page first — verb forms are the foundation of correct tenses
Hindi uses continuous form even for states: मेरे पास है sounds like ‘I am having.’ English separates action (I am having lunch ✅) from possession (I have a car ✅).
What are stative verbs?
Verbs that describe states, not actions: know, have, like, want, believe, understand, love, hate, see, hear. They usually don’t use continuous (-ing) form.
What’s the since/for rule?
SINCE = a point in time (since Monday, since 2020, since morning). FOR = a duration (for 3 days, for 2 hours, for a long time).
Is ‘I am loving it’ correct?
Technically no — ‘love’ is stative. But McDonald’s made it famous and informal English accepts it. In exams, write ‘I love it.’
How to fix these errors permanently?
Understand the HINDI REASON behind each error. When you know WHY you make the mistake, the fix is easy. Practice the correct form daily.
Are these tested in CBSE?
YES! Error correction questions in CBSE directly test these mistakes. ‘Correct the error: I am having two brothers’ is a classic!