5 Common "Chinglish" Mistakes Singaporeans Make (and How to Fix Them)

Common Chinglish mistakes made by Singaporeans and how to fix them

If you grew up speaking Mandarin, Hokkien, or Cantonese at home, you probably translate phrases directly into English without realizing it.

This direct translation is logical to us—but confusing to international colleagues and clients.

Here are 5 common "Chinglish" mistakes and how to fix them for clearer, more natural English.

1. "Open the Light"

❌ Chinglish: "Can you open the light?"

✅ Natural English:

  • "Can you turn on the light?"
  • "Can you switch on the light?"

💡 Why: In English, we "open" doors, windows, and bottles—but we "turn on" or "switch on" lights and appliances. This comes from the Chinese 开灯 (kāi dēng), where 开 means both "open" and "turn on."

2. "I Borrow You My Pen"

❌ Chinglish: "I borrow you my pen."

✅ Natural English:

  • "I'll lend you my pen."
  • "You can borrow my pen."

💡 The rule: Borrow = take something from someone. Lend = give something to someone. In Chinese, 借 (jiè) covers both meanings, which causes confusion.

3. "Please Off the Computer"

❌ Chinglish: "Please off the computer."

✅ Natural English:

  • "Please turn off the computer."
  • "Please shut down the computer."

💡 Why: "Off" is an adverb/preposition, not a verb. It needs a verb phrase like "turn off" or "switch off" to work in English. You can't "off" something directly.

4. "Got People?"

❌ Chinglish: "Got people?"

✅ Natural English:

  • "Is anyone there?"
  • "Is anyone available?"
  • "Is someone at the counter?"

💡 Tip: Full questions sound clearer and more professional. "Got people?" is efficient in spoken Singlish but reads as incomplete in written English.

5. "Can You Help Me Do This?"

❌ Chinglish: "Can you help me do this report?" (vague)

✅ Natural English:

  • "Could you help me with this report?"
  • "Could you handle this report?"
  • "Could you review this report for me?"

💡 Why: "Help me do" is vague—it doesn't specify what kind of help you need. Using specific verbs like "review," "complete," or "handle" makes your request clearer and more actionable.

The Solution: Stop Translating in Your Head

A normal grammar checker fixes spelling. It catches typos like "teh" instead of "the."

But Ai Grammar Buddy fixes logic and intent. It understands that "open the light" isn't a spelling error—it's a translation pattern that needs to be rewritten naturally.

Instead of translating Chinese → English in your head, let AI handle the conversion for you.

Quick Reference Table

ChinglishNatural English
Open the lightTurn on the light
I borrow youI'll lend you
Please off the...Please turn off the...
Got people?Is anyone there?
Help me do thisHelp me with this / Handle this

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