Work is where English mistakes cost the most and get corrected the least. A friend might tease you about "I am agree"; a client never will — they'll just quietly file you under "harder to work with". And because you say the same thirty sentences every week — the standup update, the follow-up email, the "can you hear me?" — every slip in them gets rehearsed into a habit.
Same format as always: ✗ what learners say → ✓ what natives say, plus one line on why. These are the patterns that come up again and again when people practice work sentences in MirrorSay — if one sounds like you, say the ✓ version out loud three times before moving on.
In meetings
- ✗ I have a doubt about the timeline. → ✓ I have a question about the timeline. —— In English "a doubt" means you distrust something; when you just need clarification, it's a "question".
- ✗ According to me, we should wait a week. → ✓ I think we should wait a week. —— "According to" reports someone else's view — for your own, natives say "I think" or "in my opinion".
- ✗ We are five people on the team. → ✓ There are five of us on the team. —— "We are five" is a word-for-word translation — English counts groups with "there are ... of us".
- ✗ I'm responsible of the onboarding project. → ✓ I'm responsible for the onboarding project. —— "Responsible" always takes "for" — "responsible of" is the classic preposition slip.
- ✗ Let me present you my colleague Ana. → ✓ Let me introduce you to my colleague Ana. —— People get introduced; slides get presented — and you introduce someone TO someone.
In emails
- ✗ I look forward to hear from you. → ✓ I look forward to hearing from you. —— The "to" in "look forward to" is a preposition, so the verb takes -ing — probably the most common sign-off slip in business email.
- ✗ Kindly send me the report. → ✓ Could you send me the report? —— "Kindly" was polite a century ago; in a modern email it reads stiff — or quietly annoyed.
- ✗ I'll send you the file until Friday. → ✓ I'll send you the file by Friday. —— Deadlines take "by"; "until" means something keeps happening the whole time.
- ✗ Well received with thanks. → ✓ Got it, thanks! —— "Well received" sounds like the package survived shipping — natives confirm with "Got it" or "Received, thanks".
- ✗ I'll revert to you by Monday. → ✓ I'll get back to you by Monday. —— In standard English "revert" means to go back to a previous state — the reply you mean is "get back to you".
On calls
- ✗ Hello, I am Maria from the sales team. → ✓ Hi, this is Maria from the sales team. —— On the phone, natives identify themselves with "this is" — "I am Maria" sounds like a face-to-face introduction.
- ✗ Can you repeat again, please? → ✓ Could you say that again, please? —— "Repeat again" technically asks for a third telling — it's "say that again" or simply "could you repeat that".
- ✗ I'll call you back after ten minutes. → ✓ I'll call you back in ten minutes. —— A gap measured from now takes "in" — "after ten minutes" leaves the listener asking "after ten minutes of what?".
- ✗ Wait, wait — let me grab a pen. → ✓ Hold on a second — let me grab a pen. —— A bare "Wait!" lands like a command; the phone-natural phrase is "hold on" or "just a sec".
Make it muscle memory
Work English is the most fossilized English you own. You don't say new sentences at the office — you re-say the same ones, week after week, so whichever version you locked in years ago is the one your mouth reaches for under pressure. The good news is the same repetition works in reverse: fix a sentence once, out loud, and you'll get fifty chances a month to reinforce it.
So run the usual drill: for every line above that sounded like you, read the ✓ version out loud three times, then say it once with your own project, your own deadline, your own colleague's name. That's what MirrorSay automates — you say your sentence, it mirrors back the native version, and you repeat until the new phrasing is the reflex, not the rule you remember two seconds too late.
Notice that half of these aren't grammar errors at all — "kindly" and "well received" are perfectly correct and still sound off. That register problem has its own list: Textbook English vs. What Native Speakers Actually Say. For the everyday slips outside the office, start with 25 Common English Speaking Mistakes (and What Natives Say Instead) — and if your next trip is for business, do a pre-flight check with Travel English Phrases: Ordering Food, Shopping & Getting Around.