English for Your Mother Tongue
Every Indian language creates unique English challenges. Find the guide built for your language background.
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Hear How Your English Really Sounds
Read a passage aloud and get scored word by word, with misread words highlighted and the sounds behind them a tap away. Used by 30,000+ learners.
Read Aloud, scored per word
Misread words highlighted
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The mistakes you make in English are not random — they are shaped by your mother tongue. This is called mother tongue influence (MTI). A Hindi speaker and a Tamil speaker will struggle with different sounds, drop different articles, and carry different sentence patterns into English, because each language "programs" the mouth and the grammar differently.
Generic English lessons ignore this, which is why so many learners feel stuck. These guides take the opposite approach: each one is built for a specific language background and targets the exact pronunciation, grammar, and fluency errors that speakers of that language tend to make — so you fix the things that actually hold you back instead of relearning what you already know.
We currently cover major Indian languages such as Hindi and Tamil, with more being added. Once you understand your MTI patterns, TalkDrill helps you retrain them out loud. In Read Aloud, every word you read is scored and misread words come back highlighted, with their sounds a tap away; some passages are built around the sounds Indian speakers mix up, such as v/w and "th". The how-to-pronounce guides name the usual Indian-English mistake for 290+ words, and AI tutor conversations catch the grammar your language carries over. Explanations are available in English or Hindi.
How These Language Guides Help
Find your language background
Open the guide for your mother tongue. It names the pronunciation and grammar patterns that speakers of your language carry into English.
Target your pronunciation gaps
Every language leaves certain English sounds hard. The guides show which sounds to focus on and how to form them correctly.
Fix grammar transfer errors
Article use, tense, and word order often transfer from the mother tongue. Learn the specific structures to unlearn and how to say it right.
Practise aloud with feedback
Awareness is not enough — you have to retrain your speech. Read the target sounds aloud in TalkDrill’s Read Aloud, where misread words come back highlighted, then use them in an AI tutor conversation and check the scored report.
Mother Tongue Influence & English — FAQs
What is mother tongue influence (MTI) in English?
Mother tongue influence is when the sounds, grammar, and rhythm of your first language carry over into English. It is why speakers of a particular language tend to share the same accent features and grammar mistakes. Identifying your MTI patterns is the fastest way to sound clearer.
How can I reduce my mother tongue accent in English?
You cannot fix an accent you have not identified. Start by learning which specific English sounds your language makes difficult, then practise those sounds slowly and out loud with feedback. Consistent spoken practice with word-level feedback, such as TalkDrill’s Read Aloud scoring, is what turns that awareness into new speaking habits.
Why do Indian language speakers make specific English mistakes?
Because each Indian language has its own sound system and grammar. Features that do not exist in your mother tongue — certain vowels, consonant clusters, or article rules — are the ones that trip you up in English. That is why a guide built for your language is more useful than generic lessons.
Which languages do these guides cover?
We currently have detailed guides for major Indian languages including Hindi and Tamil, and we are adding more. Each guide is written specifically for that language community rather than translated from a one-size-fits-all lesson.
Can I fix mother tongue influence as an adult?
Yes. Adults can absolutely reduce MTI — it takes targeted, repeated speaking practice rather than passive study. Focus on the specific sounds and structures your language makes hard, practise them aloud daily, and use feedback to correct yourself.