Errores comunes en Business English en reuniones (Common Business English Mistakes in Meetings)
Sabrena Doherty 
I’ve been teaching Business English for 15 years now, and one thing has become very clear:
The same Business English mistakes in meetings are repeated over and over again.
Hoy me gustaría analizar algunos de los errores más comunes que cometen los profesionales en reuniones de trabajo en inglés. Estos errores son especialmente frecuentes entre hablantes de español, ya que muchas veces se traducen estructuras directamente desde el idioma materno.
From this point onwards, we’ll keep the article in English for the explanations and examples, so you can see these mistakes in real Business English context.
Let’s go!
The Most Common English Mistakes in Meetings
❌ “I have 10 years working here.”
✅ I have been working here for 10 years.
❌ “Can you repeat me?”
✅ Can you repeat that?
❌ “I explain you the problem.”
✅ I’ll explain the problem to you.
❌ “Depends of the client.”
✅ Depends on the client.
❌ “We are searching a solution.”
✅ We are looking for a solution.
❌ “We discussed about this yesterday.”
✅ We discussed this yesterday.
❌ “She is responsible of sales.”
✅ She is responsible for sales.
❌ “I’m agree.”
✅ I agree.
❌ “We need more faster results.”
✅ We need faster results.
❌ “More easy / more simple.”
✅ Easier / simpler.
❌ “The actual situation…”
✅ The current situation…
(“Actual” in English usually means “real.”)
❌ “Assist to the meeting.”
✅ Attend the meeting.
❌ “I have a doubt.”
✅ I have a question.
❌ “We will comment this later.”
✅ We’ll discuss this later.
❌ “We are in the same page.”
✅ We are on the same page.
❌ “Sorry for the inconveniences.”
✅ Sorry for the inconvenience.
❌ “I have a new.”
✅ I have some news.
These are especially common among Spanish-speaking professionals in business meetings and emails.
Now let’s look at why these mistakes happen and how to avoid them.
1. Present Perfect Continuous
❌ “I have 10 years working here.”
✅ I have been working here for 10 years.
In Spanish, it is completely normal to say:
“Trabajo aquí desde hace 10 años.”
But in English, when an action started in the past and continues today, we use the present perfect continuous.
I\ have\ been\ working\ here\ for\ 10\ years
Business examples:
I have been managing this team since 2021.
We have been working with this client for six months.
She has been leading the project since January.
Non-action (stative) verbs exception:
Some verbs are not used in continuous forms:
know, believe, understand, like, love, hate, need, want, own, prefer
Correct:
I have known him for years.
We have owned this company since 2018.
She has understood the problem since yesterday.
❌ Not: I have been knowing him for years.
2. Direct Translation from Spanish
❌ “Can you repeat me?”
✅ Can you repeat that?
In Spanish:
“¿Puedes repetirme?”
This leads to direct translation into English, but the structure is not correct.
Correct alternatives:
Can you repeat that?
Can you say that again?
Could you repeat the last point?
Similar mistakes:
❌ Explain me / Describe me / Recommend me
✅ Explain it to me / Describe it to me / Recommend something to me
3. Missing “to” After Certain Verbs
❌ “I explain you the problem.”
✅ I’ll explain the problem to you.
In Spanish:
“Te explico el problema.”
But in English, many verbs require to + person:
Explain it to me
Describe it to them
Introduce me to the client
Send it to John
❌ Not: Explain me / Describe me the problem
4. Preposition Problems
❌ “Depends of the client.”
✅ Depends on the client.
❌ “We are searching a solution.”
✅ We are looking for a solution.
❌ “We discussed about this yesterday.”
✅ We discussed this yesterday.
❌ “She is responsible of sales.”
✅ She is responsible for sales.
These mistakes happen because English prepositions rarely match Spanish directly.
More examples:
interested in
good at
focused on
involved in
You can learn more about prepositions after verbs in this article: Prepositions after verbs.
5. “I’m Agree”
❌ “I’m agree.”
✅ I agree.
In Spanish:
“Estoy de acuerdo.”
So learners try to use “to be + adjective”, but in English agree is a verb.
Correct:
I agree.
We agree with your proposal.
Do you agree?
❌ Not: I’m disagree / I’m agree with you
6. Double Comparatives
❌ “We need more faster results.”
✅ We need faster results.
❌ “More easy.”
✅ Easier.
In English, we use:
more + adjective OR
-er form
Not both.
7. False Friends
❌ “The actual situation…”
✅ The current situation…
“Actual” ≠ “actual” in Spanish
It means “real” in English.
Correct:
current situation
current strategy
current version
Other false friends:
assist = help (not “attend”)
eventually = finally
library = biblioteca
8. “Assist” vs “Attend”
❌ “Assist to the meeting.”
✅ Attend the meeting.
Assist = help
Attend = go to
Examples:
I attended the meeting.
Can you attend tomorrow’s session?
Can you assist the client? (help the client)
9. “I Have a Doubt”
❌ “I have a doubt.”
✅ I have a question.
In English:
doubt = uncertainty / suspicion
Better options:
I have a question.
Can I ask something?
10. “Comment” Does Not Mean “Discuss”
❌ “We will comment this later.”
✅ We’ll discuss this later.
“Comment” = give an opinion, not have a full discussion.
Correct:
discuss
talk about
review
11. “In” vs “On”
❌ “We are in the same page.”
✅ We are on the same page.
Common expressions:
on the agenda
on the list
in the meeting
at work
12. Countable vs Uncountable Nouns
❌ “Sorry for the inconveniences.”
✅ Sorry for the inconvenience.
❌ “I have a new.”
✅ I have some news.
Some nouns are uncountable in English:
information
advice
news
furniture
equipment
Correct:
some information
a piece of advice
some news
❌ Not:
informations
advices
a new
Conclusión
Making Business English mistakes in meetings es completamente normal, especialmente cuando estás bajo presión o traduciendo mentalmente desde tu idioma.
Lo más importante no es hablar un inglés perfecto, sino comunicarte de forma clara y con confianza.
Sin embargo, si quieres mejorar tu nivel profesional, identificar y corregir tus errores más comunes es una de las formas más efectivas de progresar.
El progreso en Business English no viene de aprender reglas complicadas, sino de corregir pequeños errores de forma constante.
Y lo mejor es que, una vez que eres consciente de estos errores, empiezas a detectarlos y corregirlos de forma mucho más natural y rápida.
Contáctanos para formación completa de inglés, clases de speaking estructuradas y acceso a nuestra plataforma online.
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Categories: : Business English, Grammar & Vocabulary