Common English mistakes Spanish speakers make, and how to fix them

If your first language is Spanish, many of your English mistakes follow Spanish grammar and sounds. They are not carelessness. Linguists call it transfer: the rules of your first language applied to a new one. Once you know where a mistake comes from, it is much easier to catch.

The big ones. 1) "I have 30 years" (tengo 30 años) → "I'm 30"; same with "I have hunger/cold" → "I'm hungry/cold". 2) "The life is hard", "the people are" → English drops "the" for general ideas: "Life is hard", "People are". 3) "People is" → "people are" (plural in English). 4) Dropped subjects: "Is raining" → "It's raining"; "Is important" → "It's important". 5) Adjective after the noun: "a car red" → "a red car". 6) Double negatives: "I don't know nothing" → "I don't know anything". 7) "Since two years" (desde hace) → "for two years". 8) False friends: "actually" ≠ actualmente (say "currently"), "assist" ≠ asistir (say "attend"), "sensible" ≠ sensible (say "sensitive"), "embarrassed" ≠ embarazada ("pregnant"), "carpet" ≠ carpeta ("folder"). 9) "Explain me" → "explain to me"; "make a question" → "ask a question". 10) Pronunciation: /b/ and /v/ merge ("berry" for "very"), an extra "e" before s-clusters ("eschool", "eSpain"), one vowel for "ship" and "sheep", "jes" for "yes", and "ch" for "sh" ("chip" for "ship").

A list alone does not change a habit. What helps is saying the sentence out loud, seeing the correction straight away and saying it again. That is what Airi is for: you talk, she answers out loud, shows one small fix at a time and keeps the conversation going. It's free to start.

Word-for-word translations from Spanish that sound wrong in English

Each of these is a correct Spanish phrase carried into English one word at a time. Listeners usually understand, but the preposition, verb or structure is not the one English uses. Learn the natural version as a block.

Spanish grammar habits that do not survive the trip into English

• Questions without "do". Spanish has no helper verb for questions. A yes/no question is the statement said with a rising voice, and after a question word the verb comes straight away: "¿Dónde trabaja tu hermano?" That gives "You like coffee?" and "Where works your brother?" English builds the question with "do", "does" or "did": "Do you like coffee?", "Where does your brother work?"
• One present tense doing three jobs. Spanish uses the simple present for a plan ("Te llamo mañana"), for something that began in the past and continues ("Vivo aquí desde 2019") and often for what is happening right now ("¿Qué haces?"). English uses three different forms: "I'll call you tomorrow", "I've lived here since 2019", "What are you doing?"
• "I am agree". "Estoy de acuerdo" has "estar" in it, so "am" slips in. In English "agree" is already the verb: "I agree", "I don't agree", "Do you agree?"
• His, her and their. "Su" can mean his, her, its, their or your, so it does not show who the owner is. That produces "Maria and his husband." English picks the word by the owner: "Maria and her husband."
• Plural adjectives. Spanish adjectives take a plural ending to match the noun; English adjectives never do. Say "different colors" and "the other students", not "differents colors" or "the others students".
• "The" with days and body parts. "Nos vemos el lunes" and "Me lavé las manos" come out as "See you the Monday" and "I washed the hands." English uses "on" with days and a possessive with body parts: "See you on Monday", "I washed my hands."

English sound contrasts Spanish does not make, and how to produce them

Spanish has five vowel sounds and English has more than twice as many, so two or three English vowels land on the same Spanish one. Spanish also has no separate "z" sound, almost never ends a word in two consonants, and says unstressed vowels as fully as stressed ones. Each row below is a difference that can turn one English word into another or blur a word ending.

Spanish-English false friends that change what you mean

Take extra care with the last row. In modern English "molest" means to touch or attack someone sexually, so "I don't want to molest you" alarms people. Say "bother" or "disturb". And "discuss" is a calm word in English: if voices were raised, the verb is "argue".

An eight-minute Airi drill for Spanish speakers

A transfer mistake is easiest to notice when you make it in a real sentence and see the right version straight away. Airi talks with you out loud and shows one small fix at a time. She does not score pronunciation, so use her as a listener. Your free credits cover about eight minutes, enough to run this once.

1. Choose three rows from the tables above and tell her: "Spanish is my first language. Please point out when I say 'depends of', 'I want that you' or ask a question without 'do'."
2. Ask her to interview you about last week. Your answers will need past endings: "worked", "asked", "watched".
3. Swap roles and ask her five questions that begin with "Do", "Does", "Did" or a question word: "Do you ...?", "Where did you ...?"
4. Use a sound pair on purpose: tell her where you live and what time you leave for work. If her reply shows she heard the other word, say the sentence again more slowly.
5. When a small fix appears, say the corrected sentence out loud once, for example "It depends on the price", and only then go on.
6. Next time, pick three new rows. She remembers your name and your last topic.

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Last updated: 2026-10-03