1 June 2026 · 6 min read

10 Common English Mistakes Arabic Speakers Make in Job Interviews

These grammar and pronunciation habits show up in almost every Arabic speaker's interview English. Here is how to fix them.

If English is your second language and Arabic is your first, you carry certain grammar habits into English — not because you don't know better, but because your brain has been wired by Arabic structure for years. In job interviews, these small patterns can make the difference between sounding confident and sounding uncertain.

Here are the ten most common ones — and exactly how to fix them.

1. "I am responsible about" instead of "responsible for"

Arabic uses a preposition that maps to "about" in many contexts. English uses "responsible for" when describing duties.

❌ "I am responsible about the customer accounts."

✓ "I am responsible for managing customer accounts."

2. Missing third-person -s

Arabic verbs don't change form for third-person singular. English does.

❌ "My manager give me feedback every week."

✓ "My manager gives me feedback every week."

3. Present simple instead of present perfect

Arabic uses a present-tense form where English requires the present perfect for ongoing situations.

❌ "I am working here since two years."

✓ "I have been working here for two years."

4. Resumptive pronoun after the subject

In Arabic, it is natural to repeat the subject with a pronoun. In English, this creates an error.

❌ "The project it was delayed because of the client."

✓ "The project was delayed because of the client."

5. "Can you explain me" instead of "explain to me"

Arabic verb structure allows a direct object person. English "explain" requires "to".

❌ "Can you explain me the process?"

✓ "Can you explain the process to me?"

6. Vague strengths with no context

This is not grammar — it is structure. Arabic interview culture often accepts general statements. English-language interviews expect evidence.

❌ "I am good in communication and I like teamwork."

✓ "I communicate clearly with stakeholders and I have led cross-functional teams of up to eight people."

7. "I will tell you about…" as a presentation opener

A weak opener signals a weak presentation. Professional English openers signal structure and intention.

❌ "Today I will tell you about my background."

✓ "I'd like to walk you through my background, key achievements, and why I'm particularly interested in this role."

8. Dropping articles (a, an, the)

Arabic does not have an indefinite article equivalent to "a/an". This causes frequent article errors in English.

❌ "I managed project with team of five people."

✓ "I managed a project with a team of five people."

9. "I am having" instead of "I have"

Arabic uses a present-continuous-like form for states. English uses simple present for states (have, know, understand, etc.)

❌ "I am having five years of experience in finance."

✓ "I have five years of experience in finance."

10. Blunt disagreement

Arabic has different norms for direct disagreement. In professional English, you soften disagreement without losing your point.

❌ "No, I don't agree with this approach."

✓ "I see the reasoning, but I'd like to suggest an alternative approach that might address the risk more directly."

How to fix these habits

Knowing the rule is not enough. You need to practise speaking under pressure — which is what interviews actually are. The best way to fix these patterns is to record yourself answering interview questions and get feedback on your specific errors.

That is exactly what Nabraty does. Try a free practice session and see which of these patterns appear in your own English.

Practise your English now

Free to start. No download. Works in your browser.

Try Nabraty free →