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Quirky Indian vs American English phrases go viral
The video shared on Instagram shows two people sitting side by side—one speaking in American English and the other in Indian English.
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Malvika Choudhary - Sat, 23, Aug 2025
- 16:30 EDT
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Screengrab from the social media post / Instagram (@furry002)
A recent social media post highlighting the differences between Indian English and American English has captured widespread attention, eliciting laughter from users who resonate with the amusing everyday nuances presented.
The video, shared by Instagram user Lalit Kumar Sharma, features two people sitting side by side—one speaking in American English and the other in Indian English. Their contrasting phrases highlights how commonly used expressions take a distinct form in Indian English.
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What is simply “return” in American English often becomes “return back karo”. Similarly, “let’s start” turns into “chalo shuru se start karte hain”, while “forward” is extended to “aage forward kar diya hai maine”.
Other examples include “gift” versus “free ka gift mila hai”, “sure” versus “pakka sure hai na”, and “sorry” versus “sorry yaar, maaf kar dena”. Even simple words are lengthened in everyday speech, such as “fruits” becoming “phal fruits”, “just” becoming “just abhi”, and “background” turning into “peeche ka background”.
This is the second reel by the duo on the subject, and it has resonated strongly with viewers. Their first video has already crossed 9.7 million views and attracted thousands of comments, while the second has recorded more than 494,000 views.
Instagram users have shared their own examples in response. One user wrote, “Dinner:- rat ka dinner.” Another commented, “Or ye sab hum daily life me kar re hain” (And we say all this in daily life). A third user observed, “Now I am realising mai bhi aise hi bolti hu”
(Now I am realising I also speak this way).
Linguists describe such expressions as pleonasms—phrases where words are redundant or repeated. These are not confined to Indian English alone. American English and other global varieties of English also make frequent use of them. Common international examples include “chai tea” (literally “tea tea”), “naan bread”, “PIN number”, and “ATM machine”.
Despite their redundancy, such phrases have become widely accepted, reflecting how languages evolve and adapt through everyday use.
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