
As you may see in your way of learning Spanish, there are a lot of obstacles that sometimes can make the process quite hard. Here, we are going to explain some of the most frequent mistakes that Spanish students make and how to identify and solve them.
Common mistakes learning Spanish
False Friends
One of the biggest mistakes is thinking that two words have the same meaning just because they seem similar. Some examples are “embarazada,” which means “pregnant,” not “embarrassed,” and “realizar,” which means “carry out,” not “realize.” “Embarrassed” means “avergonzado,” and “realize” means “darse cuenta.” A great tip to consider is to study a list of false friends and search for examples.
Confusion between “ser” and “estar”
In English, the verb “to be” is simple, but in Spanish, it corresponds to both “ser” and “estar.” We use “ser” to talk about permanent qualities, for instance, “ella es alta.” On the other hand, we use “estar” to talk about temporary states, for example, “ella está cansada.” You must memorize the rules and practice with examples so the distinction is clearer.
Wrong use of verb tenses
Even native Spanish speakers admit that the verb system in Spanish is more difficult than the English one. This leads to many foreign students having problems.
First, with the perfect and imperfect tenses. It’s not the same to say “ayer comí,” which is a complete action, as “cuando era niño, comía dulces,” which is a routine action in the past.
Then, the subjunctive. This verb form can be difficult, especially in sentences like “quiero que vengas,” where, normally, in English, “vengas” would be an infinitive.
Practicing verb tenses with specific exercises and analyzing the differences can help you improve your Spanish.
Incorrect word order
Adjectives are the perfect example of this. While in English adjectives go before the nouns (big house), in Spanish, they go after them (casa grande). However, sometimes they can go before the noun (un gran día). You must read and listen to native Spanish speakers to develop an intuition about the correct word order.
Incorrect use of prepositions
Prepositions can cause a lot of problems for students, just as they can for Spanish speakers when they learn English, because there are prepositions that sound similar and we tend to confuse them. Two examples of this are: we say “pensar en alguien,” not “pensar sobre alguien” (about), and “depender de algo,” not “depender en algo” (on). Learn prepositions in real contexts to make your learning process more effective.
Problems with gender and number
Gender affects nouns, adjectives, and articles, but in English, most of these are invariable. In Spanish, adjectives must match gender and number: “Las casas grandes.” Also, there can be confusion because of word endings. “El problema” ends with an -e but is a masculine noun.
Literal translation
This mistake is made by everyone who is studying another language. Translating a word or sentence literally can result in grammatically incorrect or less natural expressions. In English, to talk about age, we say, “I’m 25 years old,” but in Spanish, we don’t use the verb “to be”; we use the verb “to have”: “Tengo 25 años.” To avoid this mistake, it’s better to think in Spanish instead of translating directly.
The best way to avoid common mistakes in learning Spanish is to be aware of them so that you can avoid them. Your tutor in Spanish classes will help you.
Learning Spanish involves making mistakes, but each one is an opportunity to improve and continue practicing. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes—they are part of the journey!
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Author: Maria Pilar Casabán
Photo: Katrin Bolovtsova