Common English Mistakes in Business Emails by Arabic Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Arabic speakers from Saudi Arabia when writing a Business Email in English.

Mistake Example #1

Misuse of verb tense (e.g., 'He go to school' instead of 'He goes to school')

Subject: Request for Meeting Confirmation Dear Mr. Ahmed,I am writing to confirm if you havereceived my previous email about the meeting schedule. We discussed the project details last week, and I suggested we meet again to finalize the plan. Please let me know if you agree with the proposed time, or if you want to change it. Thank you for your cooperation.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"It just needed a couple of changes to the verb tense. Great job!"

Subject: Request for Meeting Confirmation Dear Mr. Ahmed, I am writing to confirm if you have received my previous email about the meeting schedule. We discussed the project details last week, and I suggested we meet again to finalize the plan. Please let me know if you agree with the proposed time, or if you want to change it. Thank you for your cooperation.

Subject: Request for Meeting Confirmation Dear Mr. Ahmed, I am writing to confirm if you receive my previous email about the meeting schedule. We discuss the project details last week, and I suggest we meet again to finalize the plan. Please let me know if you agree with the proposed time, or if you want to change it. Thank you for your cooperation.

Mistake Example #2

Confusion between masculine and feminine pronouns

Dear Mr. Johnson, I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to inform you about the meeting with our new client, and she has requested to reschedule it to next week. Please let me know if hyou areis available on Thursday or Friday. TI thank you for your understanding, andI look forward to your response.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Very good! Just a couple of changes to make the email consistent. "

Dear Mr. Johnson, I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to inform you about the meeting with our new client, and she has requested to reschedule it to next week. Please let me know if you are available on Thursday or Friday. I thank you for your understanding and look forward to your response.

Dear Mr. Johnson, I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to inform you about the meeting with our new client, and she has requested to reschedule it to next week. Please let me know if he is available on Thursday or Friday. Thank you for your understanding, and I look forward to your response.

Mistake Example #3

Overuse of formal expressions ('I am honored to inform you...')

Dear Sir or Madam,I am honored to inform you thatI am writing this email to express my deepestgratitude for youresteemed consideration of our proposal. It is would lith great pleasurke that I amo reaching out to you to discuss the potential collaboration between our companies, which I am confident will be mutually beneficial. I am eagerly awaiting your esteemedresponse and am at your service for any further information you may require.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice work! I just took out some overly formal expressions while still retaining the professional tone of your message."

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing this email to express my gratitude for your consideration of our proposal. I would like to reach out to you to discuss the potential collaboration between our companies, which I am confident will be mutually beneficial. I am eagerly awaiting your response and am at your service for any further information you may require.

Dear Sir or Madam, I am honored to inform you that I am writing this email to express my deepest gratitude for your esteemed consideration of our proposal. It is with great pleasure that I am reaching out to you to discuss the potential collaboration between our companies, which I am confident will be mutually beneficial. I am eagerly awaiting your esteemed response and am at your service for any further information you may require.