Most mistakes Spanish speakers make in English aren't random — they come directly from how Spanish grammar works. Once you see why a mistake happens, it's much easier to stop making it.
1. False friends
Spanish and English share a lot of Latin vocabulary, which is usually helpful — except when the words have drifted apart in meaning.
❌ I'm so embarrassed about the exam tomorrow. (meaning worried) ✅ I'm so nervous about the exam tomorrow.
Embarazada means "pregnant" in Spanish, not "embarrassed" — a classic trap.
❌ Actually, I live in Madrid. (meaning "currently") ✅ Currently, I live in Madrid. / Actually, I live in Madrid, not Barcelona. (meaning "in fact")
Actualmente means "currently," while English actually means "in fact" — the opposite kind of word.
A few more worth knowing:
| Spanish word | Looks like | Actually means |
|---|---|---|
| sensible | sensible | sensitive |
| constipado | constipated | having a cold |
| éxito | exit | success |
| carpeta | carpet | folder |
| librería | library | bookshop |
| asistir | assist | to attend |
| realizar | realise | to carry out |
2. Missing "do" in negatives and questions
Spanish doesn't need a helper verb to make a negative or a question — English almost always does.
❌ I no like coffee. ✅ I don't like coffee.
❌ You have a car? ✅ Do you have a car?
The same gap produces double negatives, which Spanish requires and English forbids:
❌ I didn't see nothing. ✅ I didn't see anything. / I saw nothing.
One negative per clause is the English rule.
3. Dropping the subject pronoun
Spanish regularly drops the subject because the verb ending already shows who's doing the action (hablo clearly means "I speak"). English verbs don't carry that information, so the subject can't be dropped.
❌ Is raining today. ✅ It is raining today.
This is why it appears in English sentences that seem to have no subject at all: It's cold. · It's five o'clock. · There are three people waiting.
4. Adjective placement
In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun (una casa grande). In English, they almost always come before it.
❌ I bought a car red. ✅ I bought a red car.
Adjectives also never take a plural -s in English:
❌ two reds cars → ✅ two red cars
5. "Make" vs "do"
Spanish uses one verb, hacer, for both. English splits it: make for creating something, do for performing an activity or task.
❌ I need to make my homework. ✅ I need to do my homework.
❌ Let's do a plan. ✅ Let's make a plan.
Worth learning as fixed pairs:
| make | do |
|---|---|
| make a decision, a mistake, a plan | do homework, business, the washing-up |
| make an effort, a noise, money | do research, a favour, your best |
6. Prepositions of time
En covers a lot of ground in Spanish (en la mañana, en 2020) — English splits it into in, on, and at.
❌ I'll see you in Monday. ✅ I'll see you on Monday.
❌ The meeting is in 3 o'clock. ✅ The meeting is at 3 o'clock.
7. "Since" vs "for"
Both often translate to desde in Spanish, but English needs the right one depending on whether you're naming a starting point or a duration.
❌ I've lived here since five years. ✅ I've lived here for five years. (a duration) ✅ I've lived here since 2021. (a starting point)
Notice what these have in common — none of them is a gap in your English. Every one is a Spanish rule applied correctly to the wrong language. That is good news: you don't need new knowledge, only a note of where the two systems diverge.
A few more worth knowing
Age uses be, not have. Tengo 25 años becomes ❌ I have 25 years → ✅ I am 25. The same goes for tener frío / hambre / razón: I am cold, I**'m** hungry, you**'re** right.
"Explain" and "tell" take different shapes. ❌ Explain me the rule → ✅ Explain the rule to me. (but tell me the rule is fine)
Two pronunciation habits give it away instantly. Spanish has no word-initial s + consonant, so school becomes "eschool" — practise starting the word on the s itself. And the -ed ending is one sound, not a syllable: worked is one beat, not "work-ed".
People and other plurals. ❌ The people is waiting → ✅ The people are waiting.
Try it yourself
The quiz below tests all seven of these patterns with fresh example sentences.