Spanish Mistakes You Must Avoid To Master The Language

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If you’re deciding to learn a new language, it is important to avoid these mistakes when mastering Spanish. Making Spanish mistakes is normal and important when learning a new language, but if you can understand them before you start, you’ll be ahead of everyone else learning and sound further along your journey.

Here are ten common Spanish mistakes that you must avoid when you want to master Spanish. Following these Spanish mistakes, you can speak more confidently, easily and more accurately. 

1. Not Learning the Articles

There are many differences between English and Spanish. However, one of the biggest, and sometimes most difficult, is understanding the articles placed before certain words.

 In English, we would use “a,” “an”, and “the,”. For all words in English, when you only have a handful of prefixes to remember, this makes your life a lot easier when speaking or even when you’re learning the language (although there are a lot of elements which are difficult when learning English, too).

However, on the other hand, when learning Spanish, there are two sets of articles that you need to know. Although these can sometimes be confusing and difficult to learn, you shouldn’t let them put off practising, as people might still be able to understand you.

These are ‘definite’ and ‘indefinite’:

• Definite articles (el, la, los, and las)
• Indefinite articles (un, una, unos, and unas)

2. Falling for False Friends

Similar to many other languages, English and Spanish have similar words that sound or look the same in both languages—this is what we would call a cognate. However, in this instance, false friends are words that look the same and might even sound the same, but they do not have the same meaning.

This is why learning the common false cognates, also known as false friends, is a good idea. For example, embarazada means “pregnant” rather than “embarrassed,” Here are a few more examples of the most common false friends between English and Spanish:

• Actual / Actual: Actual (English: real) ≠ Actual (Spanish: current).
• Assist / Asistir: Assist (English: help) ≠ Asistir (Spanish: attend).
• Constipated / Constipado: Constipated (English: unable to defecate) ≠ Constipado (Spanish: having a cold).
• Exit / Éxito: Exit (English: way out) ≠ Éxito (Spanish: success).
• Fabric / Fábrica: Fabric (English: cloth) ≠ Fábrica (Spanish: factory).
• Introduce / Introducir: Introduce (English: to present someone) ≠ Introducir (Spanish: to insert).
• Parent / Pariente: Parent (English: father or mother) ≠ Pariente (Spanish: relative).
• Question / Cuestión: Question (English: inquiry) ≠ Cuestión (Spanish: issue/topic).
• Sympathetic / Simpático: Sympathetic (English: compassionate) ≠ Simpático (Spanish: nice/friendly).

3. Always Following English Word Order

When writing in Spanish and putting together sentences, it is normal for you to follow the English sentence order most of the time while being understood. However, since you’re learning the language, paying attention and extra care to how often the subject is placed after the verb is important.

If you change the word order, it can sometimes change the meaning of the sentence, and your use of the language might change as you learn the word order. Be careful, as you might miss this! It is also important to notice that some English constructions, such as placing a preposition at the end of a sentence, should not be the same in Spanish.

4. Mixing “ser” and “estar”

Arguably, this is one of the most important things you can learn while understanding Spanish. When using “ser”, this is used for something that describes or identifies people or things as well as permanent things. On the other hand, you should use “estar” when you are discussing the temporary state of a person or object.

This is why it is important because if you mix the two, your sentences will become confusing and can mean something that you do not intend. This will be one of the first elements you should learn when learning Spanish. 

Examples of the differences between ser and estar

Category	Ser	Estar
Identity/Essence	El agua es transparente. (Water is transparent.)	El agua está fría. (The water is cold.)
Origin/Nationality	Soy de México. (I am from Mexico.)	Estoy en México. (I am in Mexico.)
Time and Dates	Hoy es jueves. (Today is Thursday.)	Estamos en noviembre. (We are in November.)
Events	La fiesta es en mi casa. (The party is at my house.)	Mis amigos están en la fiesta. (My friends are at the party.)
Profession/Role	Ella es doctora. (She is a doctor.)	Ella está de guardia. (She is on duty.)
Physical Traits	Él es alto. (He is tall.)	Él está más delgado. (He looks thinner.)
Personality Traits	Juan es simpático. (Juan is nice.)	Juan está serio hoy. (Juan is serious today.)
Feelings/Emotions	—	Estoy feliz. (I am happy.)
Location	—	El libro está en la mesa. (The book is on the table.)
Conditions of Objects	—	La puerta está cerrada. (The door is closed.)
General Facts	El sol es amarillo. (The sun is yellow.)	El cielo está gris. (The sky is grey.)
Ongoing Actions	—

5. Overusing Capitalisation

Between English and Spanish, the rules of capitalisation are very different. The words you capitalise in English wouldn’t usually be capitalised in Spanish. This is what could lead to you overusing capitalisation. In Spanish, the words that wouldn’t be capitalised are names of people, places, newspapers and magazines, and the first word for titles of movies, books, articles, plays, etc. 

However, for the comparison, many elements must be capitalised in Spanish, such as the days of the week, months of the year, words in titles, languages, religions, and nationalities. Additionally, pronouns like “yo” (I) are not capitalised in Spanish, unlike in English. Recognising these differences and paying attention to context is key to avoiding common Spanish mistakes and writing naturally.

6. Confusing “muy” and “mucho”

Although it’s not the biggest mistake you can make while learning Spanish, one of the most common is confusing the differences between muy and mucho. It is very common to mix the two.

Starting with “muy” is an adverb that means “very” or “really.” This would go in front of an adverb or an adjective and would never change. It is used to express when something is happening a lot or a heightened feeling.

For “mucho”, this is an adjective which can “a lot”, “many” or “much”. This would go before a noun and change form depending on the gender and number of that noun, such as mucho, muchos, mucha or muchas. As “muy” and “mucho” can overlap in meaning, this is why they can be confusing. 

As an additional rule for “mucho”, this can also be used as an adverb which modifies the verbs. In this instance, it would translate to “a lot” and go after the verb. In this instance, it would not change form. Two examples of this would be:

• Te quiero mucho (I love you a lot)
• Trabajaron mucho ayer. – (They worked a lot yesterday.)

7. Forgetting the personal “a”

As a Spanish learner, this is one mistake that I made while learning, and it is important to understand. Although people will still understand what you’re saying, it will be obvious that you’re a learner and still at the basic level. This personal “a” is a preposition that must be placed before a direct object person in a sentence.

When using the personal “a”, you must use it with direct objectives. This is used when a person is the direct object of a verb. In addition, you need to use it with pets. This is something that is important for clarity, as the “a” can sometimes lead to confusion about who is performing the action.

Examples of how to use the personal “a”

1. Yo veo a mi amigo – (I see my friend.)
   1. Basic example: “Mi amigo” is a person and the direct object, so the personal “a” is required.
2. Llamo a mi madre. – (I call my mother.)
   1. Basic example: “Mi madre” is the direct object, requiring the personal “a.”
3. Voy a visitar a mis abuelos. – (I am going to visit my grandparents.)
   1. Intermediate example: “Mis abuelos” are people and the direct object, necessitating the personal “a.”
4. Ellos ayudan a su profesor. –(They help their teacher.)
   1. Intermediate example: “Su profesor” is the direct object and a person, so the personal “a” is used.
5. El policía está buscando a los testigos del accidente. – (The police officer is looking for the witnesses of the accident.)
   1. Advanced example: “Los testigos” are people and direct objects, requiring the personal “a.”
6. Ella convenció a su jefe para cambiar la política de la empresa. – (She convinced her boss to change the company policy.)
   1. Advanced example: “Su jefe” is the direct object and a person, so the personal “a” is necessary.
7. Vi a mi gato durmiendo en el sofá. – (I saw my cat sleeping on the sofa.)
   1. Advanced example: The personal “a” is used because pets, like “mi gato,” are treated as direct objects with personal significance in Spanish.

8. Not understanding “gustar”

There are around 20,000 verbs in Spanish, and one of the most confusing ones is gustar. This one is confusing because it functions differently from its English meaning. When you say “me gusta” with a verb, it is saying that something is pleasing you.

This is also confusing because the verb gustar is talking about the thing or the activity, not the person who likes the thing or the activity. In addition, you need to change its form depending on the gender and the noun that comes after it.

How does “gustar” work

The person experiencing the feeling is represented by an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les), while the thing or activity causing the feeling is the sentence’s subject.

• Me gusta el café. (I like coffee.) → Literally: Coffee is pleasing to me.
• Te gustan los perros. (You like dogs.) → Literally: Dogs are pleasing to you.

9. Forgetting accents and tildes

One of the most common Spanish mistakes learners make is forgetting to use accents and tildes correctly. At the same time, it may seem like a small detail; accents and tildes are essential in Spanish because they can completely change the meaning of a word or sentence. Without them, your writing can appear unclear, or you might unintentionally say something entirely different.

The accent is also important because you must choose which country your accent will be from, as this slightly changes. This is also important if you do cultural immersion and understand the different countries with your Spanish learning.

Why Accents and Tildes Matter To Avoid Spanish Mistakes

Accents are used to indicate where the stress falls on a word. Tildes (´) appear over vowels to show stress when the pronunciation rules don’t apply or to distinguish between otherwise identical words (e.g., tú vs. tu). Forgetting them can lead to confusion or miscommunication.

Example of changing meaning due to accents:

• Público (I publish) vs. publico (audience)
• Papá (dad) vs. papa (potato)

Example of identical spelling with different meanings:

• Tú tienes un libro. (You have a book.)
• Tu libro es interesante. (Your book is interesting.)

10. Pronouncing the “h” sound

When you’re learning a new language, whether this be Spanish or not, pronunciation can be a difficult part of the learning process. This is especially important and most common with ‘h’. Even more so when ‘h’ is in the middle of the word.  This is because, in Spanish, the h is silent. It is important to pay attention when pronouncing a Spanish word with a h.

It is typically not pronounced when encountering an ‘h’ at the beginning or middle of a word. For example:

• “Hola” (hello) is pronounced “ola”.
• “Hablar” (to speak) is pronounced “ablar”.
• “Ahora” (now) is pronounced “aora”.

Examples of when the ‘h’ is silent to avoid Spanish Mistakes

Even when the ‘h’ appears in the middle of a word, it remains silent:

• “Alcohol” is pronounced “alcol”.
• “Vehículo” (vehicle) is pronounced “veículo”.

This silent ‘h’ can be especially tricky for speakers of languages where the ‘h’ is pronounced, such as English or German. Mispronouncing it can lead to misunderstandings or signal to listeners that you’re a non-native speaker. For instance, saying “hola” with an audible ‘h’ might confuse a native Spanish speaker or sound unusual.

However, there are important exceptions to note. The combination of ‘c’ and ‘h’ forms the digraph ‘ch’, which represents a specific sound in Spanish—similar to the ‘ch’ in the English word “church”. Examples include:

• “Muchacho” (boy)
• “Escuchar” (to listen)
• “Noche” (night)

In these cases, the ‘ch’ is pronounced as a single consonant sound and is an integral part of the word’s pronunciation. Additionally, some words borrowed from other languages may retain the pronunciation of the ‘h’. For example, words of foreign origin or scientific terms might pronounce the ‘h’, but these are rare and often context-specific.