Are you struggling with Spanish despite studying diligently? You're not alone. Common Spanish mistakes plague learners at all levels, from beginners to nearly-fluent speakers. In this comprehensive guide, we'll examine 13 of the most frequent errors English speakers make when learning Spanish, with clear examples of incorrect and correct usage. By understanding these common Spanish mistakes, you'll avoid embarrassing situations and sound more like a native speaker.
One of the most frequent Spanish grammar mistakes is directly translating "I am 30 years old" to Spanish. While in English we use the verb "to be" to express age, in Spanish we use the verb tener (to have).
❌ Incorrect: Yo soy 30 años. ["I am 30 years old." (literally: "I am 30 years.")]
✅ Correct: Yo tengo 30 años. ["I am 30 years old." (literally: "I have 30 years.")]
This mistake happens because in English we say "I am [age]," but in Spanish, you literally say "I have [age] years."
Hola, yo me llamo Miguel. Tengo veinte años y estudio composición.
Hi, my name is Miguel. I'm twenty years old and I study composition.
Captions 5-6, Amigos D.F. Consejos para la calle
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✏️ Related lesson: "Todo sobre los cumpleaños (All About Birthdays) in Spanish"
English speakers often use the present continuous tense to describe ongoing situations that started in the past. This is one of the common Spanish mistakes with tenses.
❌ Incorrect: Estoy viviendo aquí por 3 años. ["I am living here for 3 years."]
✅ Correct: He vivido aquí por 3 años. / Vivo aquí desde hace 3 años. ["I have lived here for 3 years." / "I have been living here for 3 years."]
When referring to an action that began in the past and continues into the present, Spanish prefers the present perfect ("he vivido") or a present tense construction with "desde hace."
Soy mariachi, soy papá, soy músico y vivo aquí desde hace veinte años en Alemania,
I'm a mariachi musician, I'm a dad, I'm a musician, and I've lived here in Germany for twenty years,
Captions 3-4, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Fernando y el mariachi
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✏️ Related lesson: "The Present Perfect In Spanish"
Collective nouns like gente (people) are singular in Spanish, even though they refer to multiple individuals.
❌ Incorrect: La gente son amables. ["The people are nice." (incorrectly using plural verb with singular collective noun)]
✅ Correct: La gente es amable. ["The people are nice." (literally: "The people is nice.")]
Remember that agreement must be maintained both with the verb and any adjectives that follow.
la gente es superhospitalaria,
the people are super hospitable,
Caption 72, Adriana y Laura Mijas
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✏️ Related lesson: "Grammatical Agreement in Spanish"
This is a frequent error made by English speakers because of the way we think about remembering in English.
❌ Incorrect: Me recuerdo de mi infancia. ["I remember myself of my childhood." (incorrect reflexive usage)]
✅ Correct: Me acuerdo de mi infancia. / Recuerdo mi infancia. ["I remember my childhood." (two correct ways to express remembering)]
The confusion stems from the fact that in English, we say "I remember," which might lead learners to translate it directly as me recuerdo. However, in Spanish, there are two distinct verbs: acordarse (reflexive, requiring "me acuerdo de") and recordar (non-reflexive, simply recuerdo). The incorrect form "me recuerdo" combines elements of both verbs incorrectly.
Pero ya no recuerdo cuándo fue la última vez que estuvimos juntos viendo un partido.
But now I don't remember when the last time was that we were together watching a game.
Captions 6-7, Fermín y Manuel El pasado - Part 1
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✏️ Related lesson: "35 Spanish Phrasal Verbs"
Many Spanish learners struggle with irregular past participles, often applying regular verb patterns to irregular verbs.
❌ Incorrect: He ponido mis llaves en la mesa. ["I have putted my keys on the table." (incorrect participle)]
✅ Correct: He puesto mis llaves en la mesa. ["I have put my keys on the table." (correct participle)]
Spanish has many irregular past participles that don't follow the standard -ado/-ido pattern. Common mistakes include saying ponido instead of puesto (to put), hacido instead of hecho (to do/make), abrido instead of abierto (to open), and escribido instead of escrito (to write).
Entonces, a las chicas les hemos puesto una flor,
So, we've put a flower on the girls,
Caption 98, Amaya Evento
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✏️ Related lesson: "The Different Uses of the Word Hecho in Spanish"
Prepositions rarely translate directly between languages, creating common Spanish mistakes for English speakers.
❌ Incorrect: Voy en España. ["I'm going in Spain." (incorrect preposition)]
✅ Correct: Voy a España. ["I'm going to Spain."]
In Spanish, en indicates location (being in a place), while a indicates movement or direction (going to a place).
Pues, me voy a Barcelona.
Well, I'm going to Barcelona.
Caption 7, El Aula Azul Conversación: Planes de fin de semana
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✏️ Related lesson: "The Preposition a in Spanish"
This is perhaps one of the most notorious common Spanish mistakes that English speakers make. Both por and para can be translated as "for" in English, but they have different uses in Spanish.
❌ Incorrect: Gracias para la cena. (When thanking someone) ["Thanks by the dinner." (incorrect preposition)]
✅ Correct: Gracias por la cena. ["Thanks for the dinner."]
The correct preposition to use when expressing gratitude in Spanish is por, not para. This is because por is used to indicate reason or cause - you're thanking someone because of the dinner they provided. Por expresses the reason behind your gratitude, while para would incorrectly suggest purpose or destination. In Spanish, we always say "gracias por..." when expressing thanks for something someone has done or given.
Gracias por la toalla.
Thank you for the towel.
Caption 12, Mónica El baño
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✏️ Related lesson: "Por vs. Para: How and When to Use These Spanish Prepositions"
Another common preposition mistake involves thinking "about" something.
❌ Incorrect: Estoy pensando sobre mi futuro. ["I am thinking on/about my future." (incorrect preposition)]
✅ Correct: Estoy pensando en mi futuro. ["I am thinking about my future."]
While sobre does mean about in some contexts, with verbs like pensar, the correct preposition is en.
Yo "estaba en las nubes", pensando en la tortilla que me iba a comer después.
I "was in the clouds" thinking about the tortilla that I was going to eat later.
Captions 48-49, Beatriz Expresiones relacionadas con el clima
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✏️ Related lesson: "The Preposition en in Spanish"
False friends (or falsos amigos) are words that look similar in both languages but have different meanings, causing frequent Spanish language errors.
❌ Incorrect: Estoy embarazada por tu pregunta. ["I am pregnant because of your question." (false friend mix-up)]
✅ Correct: Estoy avergonzada por tu pregunta. ["I am embarrassed by your question."]
Embarazada means "pregnant," not "embarrassed"! The correct word for feeling embarrassed is avergonzado/a.
✏️ Related lesson: "Top 10 False Cognates in Spanish"
This is a classic false cognate trap that English speakers often fall into when speaking Spanish.
❌ Incorrect: Realizé mi error. ["I carried out/fulfilled my error." (false cognate mistake)]
✅ Correct: Me di cuenta de mi error. ["I realized my error." (correct expression for becoming aware)]
The Spanish verb realizar means "to carry out," "to fulfill," or "to make real," not "to realize" in the sense of becoming aware of something. When you want to express that you've realized or become aware of something, use "darse cuenta de" instead.
Mire, yo me di cuenta de algo muy importante,
Look, I realized something very important,
Caption 13, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 5 - Part 11
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✏️ Related lesson: "Darse Cuenta: The Real "Realize""
English speakers often mix up these two words for expressing "very" and "much" in Spanish, creating common Spanish grammar mistakes.
❌ Incorrect: Tengo muy calor. / Estoy mucho cansado. ["I have very heat." (incorrect intensifier) / "I am much tired." (incorrect intensifier)]
✅ Correct: Tengo mucho calor. / Estoy muy cansado. ["I'm very hot" / "I am very tired"]
Remember that muy modifies adjectives and adverbs (muy cansado), while mucho can be an adjective itself (mucho calor) or can modify verbs (estudia mucho).
"Llevo un mes durmiendo fatal y estoy muy cansado".
"I've been sleeping horribly for a month, and I'm very tired."
Caption 47, Fermín y Manuel El verbo "llevar" - Part 2
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✏️ Related lesson: "Muy vs. Mucho in Spanish"
Some basic expressions in Spanish are constructed completely differently than in English.
❌ Incorrect: Estoy caliente. ["I am hot." (but with sexual connotations)]
✅ Correct: Tengo calor. ["I have heat." (meaning "I am hot" temperature-wise)]
In Spanish, you "have" sensations rather than "being" them. "Estoy caliente" would be understood as "I'm aroused," not "I'm hot temperature-wise."
Tenemos mucho calor.
We are very hot.
Caption 26, El Aula Azul Estados de ánimo
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✏️ Related lesson: "Idiomatic Expressions with The Verb Tener"
The distinction between ser and estar remains one of the most challenging aspects of Spanish, even for advanced learners.
❌ Incorrect: Soy aburrido. ["I am boring." (permanent characteristic)]
✅ Correct: Estoy aburrido. ["I am bored." (temporary state)]
Ser refers to permanent characteristics, while estar refers to temporary states or conditions.
Yo estoy aburrido y usted es... como tener una carga encima.
I'm tired of you, and you are... like having a weight on my shoulders.
Captions 66-67, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 2 - Part 7
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✏️ Related lesson: "Ser vs. Estar: An Easy Trick for Using These Verbs"
Being aware of these common Spanish mistakes will help you sound more natural and fluent in Spanish. Remember that making errors is a natural part of the language learning process – even native speakers sometimes make these mistakes! The key is to recognize them and gradually incorporate the correct forms into your speech and writing.
Practice identifying these errors in your own Spanish, and don't be afraid to ask native speakers for feedback. With time and attention, you'll avoid these common Spanish mistakes and develop more authentic, confident Spanish communication skills.
Which common mistake are you making when speaking in Spanish? Please, send us your comments and suggestions!
In a previous lesson, we focused on the relative pronouns el que, la que, los que and las que, which usually mean "the one" or "ones that" or "who." This time, we will introduce the remaining relative pronouns in Spanish, learning their English equivalents and how to use them in context.
Relative pronouns in English include "that," "which," "who," etc. in phrases like "the girl who is wearing black," "the house that we bought" and "the truck, which is brand new, broke down already." As we see, these words connect relative clauses like "is wearing black," "we bought" and "is brand new" to let the listener know what or whom specifically is being referred to and/or reveal qualities about them. Let's take a look at the equivalents of these terms in Spanish.
The relative pronoun que is the most commonly seen relative pronoun. It can refer to people or things and mean that, which, who or whom. Regardless of the number and gender of the antecedent (what the pronoun refers to), the relative pronoun que remains the same. Let's look at several examples from the Yabla Spanish video library that describe both objects and people and are translated in some of the aforementioned ways.
Hoy os quiero contar un poquito sobre el último libro que he leído.
Today, I want to tell you a little bit about the last book that I've read.
Caption 8, Adriana La lectura - Part 2
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y me inclino bastante por trabajar el realismo mágico, que es un género.
and I'm quite inclined to work in magic realism, which is a genre.
Caption 4, Julia Silva Su cortometraje "Crisálida"
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Necesito información sobre la mujer que acaba de entrar.
I need information about the woman who just went in.
Caption 32, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 11
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Refer to this lesson on the many uses of the word que in Spanish to hear this usage contrasted with many others.
Like el que, la que, los que and las que, the relative pronouns el cual, la cual, los cuales and las cuales must agree with their antecedent in terms of number and gender. Since this set of pronouns can refer to objects or people, they can be translated as which or who. Let's examine an example of each one, noting the agreement between the relative pronoun and its antecedent.
El tercer sentido es el sentido del gusto, con el cual podemos percibir el sabor de las cosas
The third sense is the sense of taste with which we can perceive the flavor of the things
Captions 33-34, Carlos explica Los cinco sentidos - Part 2
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Conocí a mi... la mamá de mis hijos, la cual tenía familia en Alemania
I met my... the mother of my children, who had family in Germany,
Captions 10-11, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Fernando y el mariachi
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y también los Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez, los cuales son muy famosos
and also, the Cecilio Rodríguez Gardens, which are very famous
Captions 27-28, Aprendiendo con Zulbany Visitando Madrid
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es decir, de opiniones en las cuales emitimos un juicio de valor sobre algo o alguien.
in other words, about opinions in which we cast a value judgment about something or someone.
Captions 11-12, Carlos explica Cómo expresar opiniones en español - Part 3
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Were you able to pick out the antecedents in each sentence and see how their corresponding relative pronouns agree in number and gender? They are: el gusto/el cual (masculine singular), la mamá de mis hijos/la cual (feminine singular), los Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez/los cuales (masculine plural) and (las) opiniones/las cuales (feminine singular).
In contrast to the relative pronouns we have seen thus far, quien and quienes can only refer to people. While gender does not matter, quien must be used for just one person whereas quienes is used for more than one. As we see below, the English equivalents of quien and quienes are who and whom.
La una que es la persona quien conduce el bote, que se le dice el lanchero,
[Number] one is the person who drives the boat, who is called the boatman,
Caption 13, Instinto de conservación Gorgona - Part 7
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Los corsarios eran marinos en su mayoría respetables a quienes los monarcas otorgaban las patentes de corso,
The corsairs were, for the most part, respectable sailors to whom the monarchs granted letters of marque,
Captions 57-58, Viajando con Fermín Pasajes (Pasaia) - Part 3
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Note that this use differs from the use of the word quién (with an accent) as a Spanish question word.
In contrast to the relative pronouns we have seen thus far, lo que (what, that, which, that which) and lo cual (which) refer not to an antecedent noun but to an entire antecedent clause. Since these clauses include nouns and verbs and entail concepts and situations, gender is not applicable. Keep in mind that while lo que may refer to something stated explicitly in the sentence or something that is not, el cual must refer to something within the sentence. With this in mind, let's see a few examples:
Pero realmente, lo que hice fue dedicarme a buscar la tierra perfecta.
But really, what I did was devote myself to looking for the perfect land.
Captions 56-57, Amaya Recordando - Part 2
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¿Qué era lo que decía, mamita?
What was it that it said, Mommy?
Caption 16, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 1 - Part 11
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podrán ver objetos colgados por todos lados, lo cual crea un ambiente bastante colorido y surreal.
you'll be able to see objects hanging everywhere, which creates a quite colorful and surreal atmosphere.
Captions 54-55, Viajando con Carlos Andrés Carne de Res
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