You speak English well. You understand meetings, read articles, follow conversations. But when you write — Slack messages, emails, LinkedIn posts — something feels off. Not wrong, exactly. Just not
quite native.

Here are the patterns that give away non-native writers, and how to fix them.

1. Cut the formal opener

Starting with "I hope this email finds you well" or "As per my previous email" — technically correct, but native speakers almost never write this. It reads as bureaucratic.

Instead:

❌ "I am writing to inquire about the status of my application."
✅ "Just checking in on my application — any updates?"

2. Use contractions in casual contexts

Non-native writers avoid contractions because they learned formal grammar first. "I am," "it is," "do not" — stiff when the context is casual.

In Slack, casual emails, LinkedIn comments — use contractions. Save full forms for legal documents.

3. Stop hedging everything

"I was wondering if perhaps it might be possible to..." reads as uncertain, not polite.

❌ "I was thinking that maybe we could perhaps consider moving the deadline if that would be okay."
✅ "Could we push the deadline by a day? I want to make sure the output is solid."

Direct requests with a brief reason are more respected — not less polite.

4. Watch for literal translations

Phrases that make sense in your native language produce awkward English word-for-word:

• "Make a question" → Ask a question
• "It depends of" → It depends on
• "In the other hand" → On the other hand

5. Vary your sentence length

Non-native writers often write in uniform, medium-length sentences. Each one correct. Each one the same rhythm. Native writing mixes it up — short punches followed by longer sentences that build on the
idea.

Read your draft out loud. If it sounds like a metronome, break it up.

6. Articles: the invisible enemy

If your native language has no articles (Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish...), "a," "an," "the" will trip you up for years.

Highest-impact fix: use the for specific/established things, a/an for introducing something new.

❌ "We need to make decision. Decision will affect entire team."
✅ "We need to make a decision. The decision will affect the entire team."

7. End emails with action, not formality

❌ "Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information."
✅ "Let me know if you have questions." / "Happy to jump on a call if easier."

8. Read out loud

If you stumble reading it aloud, your reader stumbles mentally. Rewrite until it flows.

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The shortcut

All of this takes years to internalize. If you need to write professionally in English right now — in a job interview, a client email, a LinkedIn post — I built Limato: a Chrome
extension that rewrites your text in a native tone, inline, wherever you type.

Originally published on limato.app