Do you repeat again and again the same mistakes in Spanish? Don’t worry all students of a foreign tongue struggle with these at some point or another during the process. So before you throw in the towel, check out these 7 common mistakes in Spanish and how to avoid them:
Happy learning!
Common mistake 1
“Gente” in Spanish means “people” in English.
In English “people” is a plural noun, so it must be always followed by a verb in the third-person plural. In the example below the verb is “to be”. “People are kind”
However, in Spanish the collective noun “gente” is a singular noun and must be always followed by a verb in the third-person singular and singular adjectives also.
“La gente es amable”
Common mistake 2
One common mistake is using “un otro” or “una otra” in Spanish to mean “another” in English.
In Spanish the indefinite articles “un” “una” “unos” “unas” aren’t needed before “otro” “otra” “otros” “otras”
Common mistake 3
In Spanish to express “destination” we use the preposition “a” with the verbs of movement like “ir”, “viajar”, “llegar”
Examples
Voy a la playa / I’m going to the beach.
Ellos viajan a la India cada año / They travel to the India every year.
In Spanish to express “position” we use the preposition “en”.
Examples:
Estoy en mi casa / I am in my house
Paco está en Valencia / Paco is in Valencia
Common mistake 4
In Spanish possessive adjectives are normally not used when talking about body parts. But This recommendation only refers to same person’s actions over his/her body.
Example
It is all right to say ” Sus brazos son grandes” / Their arms are big
o ” Mi nariz es pequeña” / My nose is small
But I you want to say…
” My arm hurts” is better ” Me duele un /el brazo” than ” Me duele mi brazo”
Common mistake 5
“Buscando para” doesn’t exist in Spanish. It’s a literal translation from English.
” Look for” means “search” = “buscar” in Spanish but it has no preposition.
Example:
I’ve looked for my keys in everywhere and I can’t find them / He buscado mis llaves por todas partes pero no las he encontrado
Common mistake 6
The general rule for “ser” and “estar” says that “estar” it is used when we want to express LOCATION. Example: Valencia está en España. – Valencia is located in Spain.
However, there is an exception. When we want to locate events (ceremonies, concerts, conferences, talks, weddings and parties) we need to use “ser”
Example: ¿Dónde es el cumpleaños? – Where will the birthday take place?)
Common mistake 7
Never say ” me encanta mucho”.
As the “encanta” already implies you like something a lot, saying “Me encanta mucho España” is like saying “I like Spain a lot a lot”
Did you know these common mistakes in Spanish? Do you usually do these mistakes or others? Tell me in comments 😉
