Top ten common mistakes to avoid while learning Spanish - Spanish Wizards Blog

30/03/11 22:18

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Oct 15 / 9:28am

Top ten common mistakes to avoid while learning Spanish

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Unless you have superhero powers theres no other way to learn a foreign language other that making mistakes, and getting caught at it. But what better way to get prepared than learning some of these common mistakes before they happen - thats why I put together the top ten most common mistakes made by Spanish learners. This list is based on my experience as a Spanish teacher and language learner. Note: they are not listed in order of importance.

1. Dont get tricked by false cognates. Many Spanish words sound and look like English words, but may have total different meanings. For example: the word actualmente is a false cognate often confused with actually, when the real meaning is currently. Likewise, preservative is translated as conservador and not preservativo, which truly means birth control. See? We can get in trouble while using words we think we know, or at least get a good laugh out of a situation once weve realized what weve said. Believe me, Ive had my own share of mistakes regarding false cognates while learning English.

2. Placing an adjective before a noun. In a sentence in English the adjective is put before the noun. On the other hand, in Spanish goes the other way around, the noun comes first. For example: the brown dog is equal to the Spanish el perro caf. A literal translation from Spanish to English would be the dog brown. To avoid making this common mistake, Id like to show you a cool trick Ive heard before. To remember this concept simply think of Charlie Brown (the cartoon character). Charlie (the noun) comes before Brown.

3. Using un otro or una otra to mean another. Unlike in English, the indefinite article (un/ una) isnt necessary in Spanish. For example: if you have the English sentence He wants another apple, you would say in Spanish l quiere otra manzana (not l quiere una otra manzana).

4. The word da is masculine. This word is often confused as a feminine noun since it ends with the letter a. I know weve learned that most masculine nouns end in o and most feminine nouns end in a, but theres always exceptions to the rule, and this is one of them. In fact, there are quite a few exceptions like this, but I just wanted to point out da because it is used so commonly. Since it is masculine, the word da requires the use of masculine articles and adjectives. For example: el da (not la da), buenos das (not buenas das). Tricky Spanish words, huh?
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Top ten common mistakes to avoid while learning Spanish - Spanish Wizards Blog

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5. The correct use of days of the week. In Spanish the days of the week are normally used with the definite article (el/ los), and it isnt necessary to say that an event happens on a certain day, instead, the article is always used. For example: Trabajo los lunes (I work on Mondays), Mi cita es el viernes (My appointment is on Friday). One cool thing about the days of the week in Spanish is that they all are masculine, so theres no trick to it!

6. Pronouncing the letter h. Avoid pronouncing the letter h as you would in English. In Spanish the h is always silent. For example: hermano sounds like ermah-no, cacahuate sounds like ca-ca-wah-teh.

7. Misuse of the term American. In the U.S. its common for someone to refer to himself as an American. However, Spanish speaking people consider anyone from either North, Central or South America to be an americano. If you are from the United States, use the phrase Soy de los Estados Unidos (I am from the U.S) to avoid confusion.

8. Dont overuse the subject pronoun yo. I know that because in English the subject pronoun is needed to formulate a sentence, it is common for the beginning student to think that the same holds true in Spanish. But in Spanish the subject of a sentence is often conveyed by the ending of the verb (thats why verb conjugations are very important in Spanish). For example: necesito means I need, necesitamos means we need; as you can see the subject pronoun is not necessary to be included. As a side note, in Spanish the constant use of yo is often interpreted as self-centered, so Id try to avoid its overuse. In the case where you want to emphasize the pronoun, including it is perfectly fine, like so: l quiere ir al treatro, pero yo no quiero (He wants to go to the theater but I dont). In this case the use of yo its acceptable because youre emphasizing the difference between what he wants and what you want.

9. Using possessive adjectives for body parts and clothing. As an English learner myself, Ive noticed the use of possessive adjectives when referring to body parts or clothing. In Spanish, however, the definite article (el/ la) is used instead. This is because Spanish speakers consider it automatic ownership when were talking about something thats already on or a part of a person. For example: El chico se puso los zapatos (The boy put on his shoes), Me lastim la mano (I hurt my hand).

10. Buscar instead of Buscar para. The meaning of buscar is best translated as to look for. However, Ive noticed that native English speakers tend to forget that the for in to look for is actually included as part of the verb. As a result, they add an extra para after the verb buscar, which looks like buscar para. This is a major nono! Just remember, when using buscar, the for is included in the verb itself, so theres no need to add an extra para after using it. For example: Im looking for the house is translated as Busco la casa (not Busco para la casa).

So often, mistakes are seen as big intimidating factors to move on in the learning process, but truly mistakes should be seen as friendly reminders of where we can improve. I can tell you of a number of times I, as an English learner, have repeatedly

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made common mistakes. I think its something you just have to laugh off and grow from. When learning a foreign language, its common for listening skills to develop more rapidly than speaking skills, leaving the learner able to understand, but sometime unable to respond or afraid to do so. This is totally natural, and not something to worry about. The reason I say this is because if you constantly immerse yourself in a language, through conversations between native speakers, reading, watching movies, etc., before long you will find yourself more comfortable speaking. Its actually quite a natural progression, and just the same one that we go through when learning our native language. We listen, we listen, we listen, and before you know it ... da da. The more we listen, the more we learn, and the sooner we begin speaking naturally.

When your comfort level does grow and you do get the opportunity to speak, dont be afraid of making mistakes, and enjoy the experience of seeing what its like to hear yourself speaking Spanish. I promise, a native speaker will be delighted with your intentions of learning their language and will appreciate every effort you make towards improving your skills; theyll even help! So go ahead and start applying these tips to your own conversations. Oh, and before I forget, go ahead and sign up for your free account at SpanishWizards.com to gain access to a bunch of great conversations and lessons to get the ball rolling. See you there! Y recuerda, aqu estamos los Wizards para ayudarte en este camino :)

Hasta pronto! Cinthia

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