English Grammar Mistakes Moroccan Learners Make
Most of the grammar mistakes we hear every week in class are not random — they come from Arabic or French structures being carried into English. Once you can name the pattern, it is much easier to catch it yourself.
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Written and reviewed by Mourade Boulanouar — Founder & Head of Teaching, EnglifyLast reviewed
In short
Most English grammar mistakes Moroccan learners make are not random — they come from Arabic or French structures carried into English: missing or wrong articles, present simple instead of continuous, "I have 25 years", wrong prepositions, and adjective order. Once you can name the pattern behind a mistake, you can catch it yourself while speaking. Work on two or three patterns at a time, not the whole list.
Key facts
- Mistakes follow patterns from Arabic and French
- Common: articles, verb tense choice, "I have 25 years"
- Naming the pattern is what lets you self-correct
- Fix two or three patterns at a time, not everything
- Knowing a rule is not the same as using it under pressure
- Study grammar in English once you are past A2
Related questions
"I am agree" — verb vs adjective confusion
French uses "je suis d'accord" (I am + adjective), which learners carry directly into English as "I am agree". In English, agree is a verb, so it stands alone: "I agree". The same pattern appears with "I am boring" instead of "I am bored" — confusing the -ing and -ed adjective forms is one of the most frequent errors we correct.
- Wrong: I am agree with you. → Right: I agree with you.
- Wrong: This lesson is boring for me (when you mean you feel bored). → Right: I am bored; the lesson was interesting.
- Wrong: I am afraid of dogs is normal. → Right: I am afraid of dogs. (correct already — the trap is only with -ing/-ed pairs)
Missing or wrong prepositions
Arabic and French attach different prepositions to the same verbs, so learners transfer the wrong one into English. "Discuss about" comes from French "discuter de"; "married with" comes from "marié avec". English discuss takes no preposition at all, and married uses to.
- Wrong: We discussed about the project. → Right: We discussed the project.
- Wrong: She is married with a doctor. → Right: She is married to a doctor.
- Wrong: I am good in English. → Right: I am good at English.
- Wrong: Depend of the weather. → Right: It depends on the weather.
The missing -s on third person singular
Arabic and Darija verb conjugation does not need an extra sound for he/she/it the way English does. This is why "he go", "she like" and "it work" slip out even from learners who know the rule perfectly on paper — the mistake is automatic, not a knowledge gap, so it needs to be caught in speech, not just on a worksheet.
Overusing the present continuous
Because French uses "être en train de" for ongoing actions and Arabic uses a present-tense structure for habits, learners often say "I am liking this" or "I am knowing him" for states that English keeps in the simple present: like, know, want, believe, need, own.
- Wrong: I am liking this song. → Right: I like this song.
- Wrong: I am not understanding. → Right: I don't understand.
Word order carried from French
French places adjectives after some nouns and structures questions differently, which shows up as errors like "the car red" instead of "the red car", or statement word order kept in a question: "You are going where?" instead of "Where are you going?"
False friends between French and English
- "Actuellement" ≠ actually — it means currently/at the moment
- "Assister à" ≠ to assist — it means to attend
- "Librairie" ≠ library — it means bookshop; library is bibliothèque
- "Demander" ≠ to demand — it means to ask
- "Sensible" in French means sensitive, not sensible (reasonable) in English
How to actually fix these, not just recognise them
Reading this list will not change your speech on its own — recognition and production are different skills. The fix is to speak regularly, get corrected on the exact pattern you personally repeat, and drill that one correction for a week or two until it becomes automatic, rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Frequently asked questions
- Why do I still make these mistakes even though I know the rule?
- Because knowing a rule and producing it automatically under the time pressure of a real conversation are different skills. Speaking practice with correction closes that gap; grammar study alone usually does not.
- Should I study English grammar in French or in English?
- Either works if it helps you understand the structure, but the correction itself should happen while you are speaking English, so the correct form gets attached to real use rather than to a translation exercise.
- Do these mistakes affect my level test result?
- Yes — recurring transfer errors are exactly what a spoken placement test picks up, which is why a written-only test tends to overestimate a Moroccan learner's real level.
- How many of these mistakes should I try to fix at once?
- One to three at a time. Trying to correct everything simultaneously usually means nothing sticks; a short, specific list corrected over two weeks works far better.
- How much do English lessons cost in Morocco?
- At Englify, small-group online English classes are the most affordable option and private one-to-one classes cost more per hour, because a private teacher works with one student only. Current group and private prices are confirmed on WhatsApp (+212 724 744 137) and on our prices page, since they depend on the format, the number of hours per week and the length of the plan. The trial class is free and no card is required.
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