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Mastering English, with all its rules and exceptions, is hard enough. But when you want to learn Spanish, too, you really have to work hard at internalizing a whole new set of structures and rules. Naturally, mistakes will be made. Here are four of the most common mistakes that English-speaking people make when they're learning Spanish.
Confusing gender differences
In English, a noun is a noun and an adjective is an adjective. You can use adjectives in front of nouns to describe anyone or anything without regard to gender or to the number of people or things you're speaking about.
In Spanish, however, every noun — no matter who or what it is — is either masculine or feminine. The gender of the noun determines whether you must use a masculine or feminine adjective to describe that noun. Also, if the noun is singular, the adjective you use to describe it must also be singular; likewise for plural nouns. And to complicate matters further, unlike in English, Spanish adjectives generally follow the nouns they describe.
To perfect your writing in Spanish, make sure your adjectives agree with your nouns and that they're in the right position.
Insisting on word-for-word translations
Whatever you do, don't try to translate your English thoughts word for word into Spanish. It simply won't work, and you may sound quite foolish if you make an unwise word selection.
Every language has its own set of idiomatic phrases that just don't translate well. Here's a Spanish example: Él se ahogó en un vaso de agua. The literal translation is He drowned in a glass of water. The corresponding English expression for the Spanish ahogarse en un vaso de agua is To make a mountain out of a molehill.
 | A computer language translator or even the best bilingual dictionary won't help you write Spanish properly unless you take idioms into consideration. |
Forgetting the personal a
Because English has no equivalent for the Spanish personal a, many English speakers tend to forget all about it. No doubt, if you omit the personal a, you'll be marked as a gringo (foreigner)!
Use the personal a when the direct object in a sentence refers to a person. And don't forget that the preposition a contracts with the definite article el to become al before a masculine singular noun. Here are some examples:
- Busco los libros. (I'm looking for the books.)
- Busco a Ana. (I'm looking for Ana.)
- Busco al muchacho. (I'm looking for the boy.)
- Busco a las muchachas. (I'm looking for the girls.)
Using the indefinite article with an unqualified profession
"What do you do for a living?" "Well, I'm a teacher, and my husband is an artist." In English, you use the indefinite article a or an when referring to a person's profession. In Spanish, the only time you use the indefinite article with a career is when the career is qualified or described. If you're mentioning only the profession, omit the indefinite article:
- Es ingeniero y su esposa es dentista. (He's an engineer and his wife is a dentist.)
- Es un buen ingeniero y su esposa es una dentista popular. (He's a good engineer and his wife is a popular dentist.)
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