22 Common Mistakes by Non-Native Speakers
Iâve compiled a short list of some very common and sometimes embarrassing mistakes made by non-native speakers of Spanish that are almost always a clue that the person doing this is not fluent or wholly proficient in Spanish.
This isnât a complete list, itâs things that Iâve thought of as very common. So if Iâve missed any of your most embarrassing mistakes or you have some other examples, send them in!
1. Overusing a personal pronoun
In some cases, the use of a personal pronoun (yo, tĂș, nosotros) is not necessary. In Spanish, most verbs have a specific conjugation that applies to a certain subject that are unique⊠so thereâs less of a reason to add a pronoun. When you do, you sound overly emphatic.
yo hablo = the one who is speaking is me
This can be a useful thing to know if youâre answering questions like âWho did ___?â but in everyday speech if you go through a routine like:Â yo hago la cama, yo me ducho, yo como el desayuno and so on sounds incredibly tiresome to a native speaker because youâre putting unneeded emphasis on it.
Where emphasis is better served is when the subject is doubtful - 3rd person singular and plural.
Because if âheâ is conjugated like âsheâ, and âtheyâ could be anyone, itâs sometimes useful to write the pronoun él or ella or name them to avoid confusion.
This is especially useful in the subjunctive where 3rd person singular looks like yo.
2. Capitalizing nationalities
In English, we write English. We write American as American, and Chinese as Chinese.
In Spanish, itâs not like that.Â
inglés / inglesa = English
español / española = Spanish
francés / francesa = French
japonés / japonesa = Japanese
The only reason you would capitalize someoneâs nationality or ethnicity would be if it were a tribe like los Iroquois or if it was their nickname/title like la Chinita [a historical woman]
Ser is used with description, qualities, telling time, passive voice, what something is made of, what something is used for, set personality traits, and a few others.
Estar is used for location, temporary conditions (sick, tired, cloudy etc.), a personâs mood and NOT their personality, the progressive, and a few others.
The difference is best learned by practice and repeated example.
While ser is used for âto beâ, one of the main functions of haber is âto be present/existingâ which is typically hay but may be hubo/habĂa/habrĂĄ etc. depending on the tense.
Son sillas = They are chairs
Hay sillas = There are chairs
When itâs a question of, âWhat is it?â you use ser.
When itâs a question of, âDoes it exist?â use haber.
5. Addressing all letters with Querido/a for âdearâ
In English, we just have âdearâ. In Spanish there are two ways to say it.
Querido/a comes from querer which means âto loveâ. So querido/a means âdearâ as in âperson I care aboutâ or sometimes âbelovedâ.
Generally, estimado/a is what you want to use when itâs someone above your station like a boss or a teacher, because âesteemedâ is giving them respect and is more formal.
The real difference is if youâre on a first name basis, querido/a is fine.
If youâre not, or if youâre being formal, or itâs a stranger, estimado/a is what you want to use.
If youâre comfortable enough to begin a letter with, âHey!â or âYo!â then you can use querido/a but it can be seen as disrespectful or extremely buddy-buddy friendly to use querido/a instead of estimado/a in some contexts.
6. The use of americano/a
While americano/a is very commonly used for âAmericanâ, there are places where itâs frowned upon when you mean âfrom the United Statesâ.
Because, while americano/a means âAmericanâ it refers to North AND/OR South America. Canada is âAmericanâ, Brazil is âAmericanâ, Haiti is âAmericanâ, Argentina is âAmericanâ.
So you might see: España tuvo colonias americanas / âSpain had American coloniesâ.
When you mean âfrom/pertaining to the U.S.â, itâs better to use estadounidense which means âfrom Los Estados Unidosâ just to avoid accidentally being ethnocentric.
7. âIâm hotâ =/=Â estoy caliente & âIâm coldâ =/=Â estoy frĂo/a
Tengo calor. = I am hot.Â
Estoy caliente. = I am aroused.
Tengo frĂo. = I am cold.
Estoy frĂo/a. = I am distant, not friendly, frigid, or a cold fish.
[Note: estoy frĂo/a can also be used in the sense of âmy body is colder than averageâ; generally the estar kind of implies âa bodyâ and not a person⊠so you could say el muerto estĂĄ frĂo which would mean âthe dead man is coldâ which is âto the touchâ. Worse than this would be soy frĂo/a which is more obviously âI am frigid and dislike peopleâ.]
The Differences between por and para
9. Preterite vs. Imperfect
Should I use Preterite or Imperfect?
10. Position and Directionality - debajo vs. abajo, atrås vs. detrås, ante vs. antes etc.
Generally, de- implies that something is in a particular position. And generally, a- implies that there is motion.
The trick to these words is if you are describing somethingâs static position, versus a state of movement.
atrĂĄs = moving behind [<<ÂĄAtrĂĄs!>>Â as an interjection is, âStand back!â]
tras = after / pursuing / chasing / following
ante = (to stand) before [e.g. ante la Corte "before the Court"; ante la Corona âbefore the Crownâ]
antes = before (something happens) / just in front
excitado/a = aroused sexually
emocionado/a = excited / filled with emotions of anticipation and maybe nervousness
capar = to neuter / to castrate
capable = able to be castrated
capaz = capable / having ability
13. Darse cuenta vs. Realizar
Both translate as âto realizeâ but in different senses.
Using darse cuenta is saying âto realizeâ as in âto have a revelationâ or âto come to understand somethingâ and is usually what you want.
Using realizar is saying âto make a realityâ or âto finalizeâ. This is used primarily with projects or when making dreams a reality. Itâs better translated as âto carry outâ or âto finishâ.
14. Preguntar vs. Pedir
Both mean âto askâ but not in the same way.
To ask a question is usually hacer una pregunta or preguntar. When you use preguntar youâre saying âto question (someone)â or âto ask about something of which you donât knowâ. Hacer una pregunta is more often âto ask (someone) a questionâ.
Pedir on the other hand is âto ask for (something)â. It may be easier to think of it as âto requestâ. Itâs most often associated with asking forgiveness [pedir disculpas], making demands, and especially in the sense of âorderingâ at a restaurant.
15. Capitalizing everything in a sequence/title
Spanish typically capitalizes only the first letter of a sentence or sequence or title. English takes after German in the way of capitalizing every noun but not the prepositions or particle. Just be aware that this does not apply for proper names within the title.
Cien años de soledad = One Hundred Years of Solitude
Alicia en el paĂs de las maravillas = Alice in Wonderland
Lo que el viento se llevĂł = Gone with the Wind
La vuelta al mundo en ochenta dĂas = Around the World in 80 Days
El mago de Oz = The Wizard of Oz
16. Overuse of para with various verbs
Most commonly, this mistake happens with esperar "to wait for" and buscar âto look forâ.Â
People commonly write buscar para or esperar para, but because the âforâ is already implied, thereâs no need to add para.
Busco mi libro. = Iâm looking for my book.
Busco novio. = Iâm looking for a boyfriend.
Busco a ella. - Iâm looking for her.
Estoy esperando el autobĂșs. = Iâm waiting for the bus.
Estoy esperando a ella. - Iâm waiting for her.
17. Moverse vs. Mudarse
moverse = to move physically
mudarse = to move places of residence
*Note:Â mudar by itself means âto mutateâ or âto moltâ which is different from both of these meanings
18. Older/Younger vs. Elder/Younger
This is a problem that exists because English, but in Spanish thereâs a clear distinction between both sets of words.
viejo/a / joven = old / young as in age
mayor / menor = elder / younger as in sequence of age
Mi hermana es mucho mĂĄs mayor que yo. - My sister is much older than me. [âMy sister is my senior in age because she was born firstâ]
Mi hermana es mucho mĂĄs vieja que yo. - My sister is more of an old woman than me. [âMy sister is a senior citizenâ]
*Note: Thereâs a bit more leeway with joven and menor⊠the general distinction is that joven implies âyouthâ, but menor means âyounger thanâ which implies a sequence.
19. Using en with days of the week / months of the year
Generally, with days of the week or months of the year, people are more likely to say: âOn Tuesdayâ and write en martes
In Spanish, thatâs not how itâs done. Itâs more common to use el to imply a due date or when something occurs.
La tarea es para el lunes. - The homework is due Monday.
Hagan la tarea para el viernes. - Do the homework by Friday
Mi cumpleaños es en febrero. = My birthday is in February.
Mi cumpleaños es el diez de febrero. = My birthday is February 10th.
20. Historia vs. Cuento
la historia = a long story / history (the subject)
el cuento = a short story [related to contar âto tellâ]
21. Words that end in -a that are masculine, words that end in -o that are feminine
This is mastered by repetition. Sometimes itâs because theyâre loanwords (especially from Greek)
el dĂa [Indo-European and not Greek] = day
el clima [Greek] = climate
el aroma [Greek] = smell / aroma
el programa [Greek] = program
Other times theyâre abbreviations
la radio(grafĂa) = radio / radiography
la moto(cicleta) = motorcycle
la tele(visiĂłn) = television
You just have to do your best to learn them as you go.
la radio = radio [the machine or a radio program]
el radio = radius [geometry]
22. Reflexives with me, te and nos
When a reflexive is listed, itâs often in the âunconjugatedâ infinitive + reflexive se.
So for instance, irse âto leaveâ is listed as irse in the dictionary. When itâs conjugated however, the reflexive must adhere to the subject.
So when it's yo it turns to me and so on:
Tengo que irme. = I have to leave.
Tienes que irte. = You need to leave.
Ella tiene que irse. = She needs to leave.
Ellos tienen que irse. = They need to leave.
Tenemos que irnos. = We need to leave.
*Note: This applies to all reflexives and in all tenses; me fui, te fuiste, se fue; me iba, te ibas, se iba; me vaya, te vayas, se vaya and so on.
The se is only used for 3rd person, singular or plural.
