The mistake and the natural correction
Wrong
“I make follow up with the client.”
Correct
“I will follow up with the client.”
In English, 'follow up' is usually used as a verb phrase. You do not need 'make' before it. Say 'follow up with' when you mean contact a person again, and say 'follow up on' when you mean check the status of a topic, task, or request.
Why Arabic speakers make this mistake
This mistake is understandable because Arabic often uses a verb like 'do' or 'make' with the noun 'follow-up', for example 'أسوي متابعة' or 'أعمل متابعة'. When this structure is translated directly into English, it becomes 'make follow up'. Natural English uses 'follow up' as the action itself, so 'make' is not needed.
Correct phrases in real professional situations
Meeting update
“I will follow up with the finance team after this meeting and update you tomorrow.”
Email or message
“Hi Ahmed, I just wanted to follow up on my previous message about the contract.”
Job interview
“After meeting a client, I usually follow up with a summary and clear next steps.”
Project status update
“I followed up on the pending approval, and it should be ready by Thursday.”
Manager request
“Could you follow up with IT and check when the access will be activated?”
Why does this matter in a professional context?
Saying 'I make follow up' is understandable, especially in Gulf workplaces where many people use English as a second language. However, it can sound translated from Arabic rather than natural English. In a meeting, email, or interview, small phrases like this can affect how fluent and confident you sound. Using 'I will follow up with the client' or 'I followed up on the request' signals that you can communicate clearly in professional situations. It helps you sound organised, proactive, and comfortable in workplace English.
Ready-to-use follow-up phrases
“I will follow up with them.”
Use this when you will contact a person or team again.
“I followed up with the client yesterday.”
Use this when reporting that you contacted someone again.
“I need to follow up on the invoice.”
Use 'on' when the focus is a task, document, request, or issue.
“Could you follow up with the supplier?”
Use this to ask someone to contact another person or company.
“I just wanted to follow up on my previous email.”
A polite and common opening for a professional email.
“I'll follow up and share an update by the end of the day.”
Useful when you want to sound proactive in a meeting or daily update.
What many Arabic speakers say vs what to say instead
Weak version
“”
Strong version
“”
Other phrases to double-check
- •Say 'discuss the issue', not 'discuss about the issue'.
- •Say 'reply to my email', not 'reply my email'.
- •Say 'explain it to me', not 'explain me it'.
- •Say 'I contacted the client', not 'I communicated with the client' when you mean one specific call or message.
- •Say 'I will update you', not 'I will update to you'.
- •Say 'send it to me', not 'send me it' in formal professional English.
Frequently asked questions
Is 'I make follow up' correct in English?▾
Why do many Arabic speakers say 'make follow up'?▾
What is the difference between 'follow up with' and 'follow up on'?▾
How can I remember the correct phrase?▾
Practise a short daily work update
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