COMMON CHALLENGES FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING LEARNERS
OF ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
Modal verbs: can, might, will
Spanish speakers sometimes have problems with the
different uses of some modal verbs. We use can to express
possibility or to speak about ability. However, it is not correct
to use can with the function of deduction or interpreting
evidence. For this function English uses may, might or could.
To make predictions, promises, announce spontaneous
decisions or offers, we use the auxiliary will.
Mi hermana sabe tocar la guitarra. → My sister can play the
guitar. NOT My sister knows to play the guitar. (Ability)
Podemos ir en coche. → We can go by car. (It’s possible to go
by car.)
Puede que esté en la cocina. → It might be in the kitchen. NOT
It can be in the kitchen. (Perhaps it’s in the kitchen)
Te ayudaré con el proyecto. → I will help you with the project.
(Spontaneous offer)
Questions with the verb to be
It is important to remember that when we ask questions
using the verb to be we don’t need to use an auxiliary verb.
¿Ella es de Italia? → Is she from Italy? NOT Does she is from
Italy?
¿Estamos solos? → Are we alone? NOT Do we are alone?
Grammar Extra Unit 1.1 Exercises 1 and 3.
Word order
Word order in English is more rigid than in Spanish and the
normal order is subject + verb + object.
Tomo huevos para desayunar OR Para desayunar tomo huevos.
I eat eggs for breakfast. → NOT I eat for breakfast eggs.
Grammar Extra Unit 4.2 Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 9.1
Exercises 1, 2 and 3; Unit 10.2 Exercises 1 and 2.
Grammar Extra Unit 2.1 Exercise 3; Unit 3 Consolidation
Exercise 1; Unit 8.3 Exercise 1.
Modal verbs: have to, should
Prepositions
It is important to remember that we use have to to speak
about an obligation whereas the verb should is used to give
advice or to recommend.
No deberíamos gastar tanto dinero. → We shouldn’t spend so
much money.
Tenemos que comprar los billetes hoy. → We have to buy the
tickets today.
English and Spanish prepositions do not correspond exactly
and this is a major challenge for Spanish students.
Nos vemos el lunes. → See you on Monday. NOT See you the/
in Monday.
Te llamaré por la noche. → I’ll phone you at night. NOT I’ll
phone you in the night.
Grammar Extra Unit 2.3 Exercises 2 and 3.
Grammar Extra Unit 9.1 Exercises 1, 2 and 3; Unit 11.1
Exercises 1 and 2.
Adverbs of frequency
Spanish students are oen confused about the position
of adverbs of frequency. In Spanish, we usually put these
aer the subject and on some occasions at the end of the
sentence. In English, the adverbs of frequency go before the
verb but aer the verb to be.
Carol nunca toma café. → Carol never drinks coffee. NOT Carol
drinks never coffee.
Normalmente, Eric está contento. → Eric is usually happy. NOT
Eric usually is happy.
Countable and uncountable nouns
Understanding the difference between countable and
uncountable nouns can be difficult for Spanish speakers.
Countable nouns can be singular or plural but uncountable
nouns are always singular. We use a/an only with singular
countable nouns; some in affirmative sentences with
uncountable and with plural countable nouns; and any in
negative and interrogative sentences with uncountable
and with plural countable nouns. To ask Cuánto(s) we use
How much before uncountable nouns and How many before
plural countable nouns.
¿Puedes pasarme un tomate, por favor? → Can you pass me a
tomato, please?
Tenemos que comprar leche. → We have to buy some milk.
No hay café. → There isn’t any coffee.
¿Cuánto queso compraste? → How much cheese did you buy?
Grammar Extra Unit 3.2 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
too and enough
The position of too and enough in the sentence is oen
confusing for Spanish speakers. In English, the structure is:
too + adjective/adverb and adjective/adverb + enough but
in Spanish the position of these words is demasiado/
suficiente + adjective/adverb.
La mesa es demasiado grande. → The table is too big.
La mesa es lo suficientemente grande. → The table is big
enough.
Grammar Extra Unit 5.1 Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 5.2
Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
Comparatives and superlatives
Forming comparatives and superlatives in English can be
more complicated than in Spanish and students must study
the rules carefully.
Grammar Extra Unit 4.3 Exercise 2.
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Ana es la mejor profesora. → Anna is the best teacher. NOT Ana
is the goodest teacher.
Esta maleta es más grande. → This suitcase is bigger. NOT This
suitcase is biger.
Es la calle más sucia. → It’s the dirtiest street. NOT It’s the
dirtyest street.
¿Quieres un helado? → Do you want an ice cream? NOT Do you
want a ice cream?
Vocabulary Extra Unit 1 Exercise 4.
Collocations
Collocations are combinations of words which are frequently
used by native speakers. Consequently, Spanish speakers
could sound unnatural if they don’t know how to use
them. For example, there are some fixed expressions with
the verbs have and get or when talking about means of
transport that can be confusing for Spanish speakers.
¿A qué hora tomas el desayuno? → What time do you have
breakfast? NOT What time do you take breakfast?
Los domingos me levanto tarde. → I get up late on Sundays.
NOT I stand up late on Sundays.
Voy al trabajo andando. → I go to work on foot.
Iré a Londres en tren. → I’ll go to London by train.
Grammar Extra Unit 7.1 Exercises 1, 2 and 3; Unit 7.2
Exercise 1.
Articles
When we speak about something in general, in Spanish we
use the definite article (el, la, etc.) but in English we omit the
article. Another difference is that when we refer to a person’s
profession, in English we use the article a/an.
Quiero ser cantante. → I want to be a singer.
Los cantantes viajan mucho. → Singers travel a lot. (Singers in
general) NOT The singers travel a lot.
Grammar Extra Unit 9.2 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 2 Exercises 2 and 3; Unit 9 Exercise 3.
Adverbs
The time
The formation of adverbs can be difficult because the rules
and exceptions can result in confusion and mistakes.
Hiciste el examen muy bien. → You did the exam very well.
NOT You did the exam very good.
Reparó las gafas cuidadosamente. → He repaired the glasses
carefully. NOT He repaired the glasses carefuly.
Telling the time can be difficult for Spanish students
because the structures are different in English and Spanish.
Son las siete menos cuarto. → It’s quarter to seven. NOT It’s
seven to quarter.
Son las cinco y diez. → It’s ten past five. NOT It’s five past ten.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 2 Exercise 6.
Grammar Extra Unit 11.2 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
Time expressions
Present perfect and past simple
Some time expressions can cause confusion among Spanish
speakers because of the tendency to translate literally.
Iker va al gimnasio todos los días. → Iker goes to the gym
every day. NOT Iker goes to the gym all the days.
Visito a mi sobrina una vez al mes. → I visit my niece once a
month. NOT I visit my niece one time a month.
Spanish students are oen confused about when to use
the simple past and present perfect. In Spanish, but not in
English, the present perfect is compatible with expressions
of finished time, e.g. hace una hora. In English it is important
to distinguish between saying when the action happened
(simple past) and referring to an indefinite time in the past
(present perfect).
He visto a Sebastian hace una hora. → I saw Sebastian an hour
ago. (Expression of finished time.) NOT I have seen Sebastian
an hour ago.
Ella ha ido a la biblioteca todos los días esta semana. → She
has gone to the library every day this week. (Expression of
unfinished time.)
Maggie ha vendido su piso. → Maggie has sold her flat. (We
don’t say when the action happened.)
Vocabulary Extra Unit 3 Exercise 5.
Prepositions
Prepositions are oen problematic for Spanish speakers,
sometimes because there isn’t a perfect match with Spanish
prepositions or because we translate them word for word.
El gato está debajo de la mesa. → The cat is under the table.
NOT The cat is under of the table.
Las llaves están en el sofá. → The keys are on the sofa. NOT The
keys are in the sofa.
Grammar Extra Unit 12.1 Exercises 1, 2 and 3; Unit 12.2
Exercises 1 and 2.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 4 Exercise 3.
Confusing words
VOCABULARY
Some words can be confusing for Spanish speakers because
they look similar to Spanish words but the meaning is
different. We call these words False Friends.
Please buy a carton of juice. → Por favor, compra un cartón brik
de zumo.
I’d like a cup of tea. → Me apetece una copa taza de té.
The article a/an
In English we use the indefinite article a before a noun
beginning with a consonant sound, and an before a noun
beginning with a vowel sound.
Ayer compré un diccionario. → Yesterday I bought a dictionary.
NOT Yesterday I bought an dictionary.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 5 Exercise 3.
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Dates
The schwa sound
There are many differences when expressing dates in
English and in Spanish. It is important to remember that in
English we express dates using ordinal numbers.
Nuestro cumpleaños es el 22 de febrero. → Our birthday is on
the 22nd of February.
El 1 de abril es un día muy importante para la ciudad. → The
1st of April is a very important day for the city.
While Spanish vowels are always pronounced in the same
way, unstressed vowels in English are usually pronounced
with the weak form schwa /ə/. This sound is especially
difficult to pronounce for Spanish speakers but necessary to
sound natural as it is extremely common.
El médico es de Escocia → The doctor/ˈdɒktə/ is from
Scotland. /ˈskɒtlənd/
El profesor estaba esperando en la estación. → The teacher
/ˈtiːtʃə/ was waiting at the station /ˈsteɪʃən/.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 6 Exercise 3.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercises 2A, B and C.
Verbs + prepositions
In English some verbs are followed by specific prepositions
which do not correspond exactly with Spanish prepositions
and this can be a challenge for Spanish students.
Me gusta hablar contigo por teléfono. → I like talking on the
phone with you.
Esperamos a Sam en la parada del autobús. → We waited for
Sam at the bus stop.
Weak forms
In fast speech the pronunciation of many words may
change a little and the vowels of some syllables are usually
pronounced with the weak form /ə/. This can be a challenge
for Spanish speakers because in Spanish sounds don’t
change in fast speech.
¿Estudias aquí? → Do you /ˈdəjə/ study here?
Nigel estaba viendo una película. → Nigel was /wəz/ watching
a film.
¿Has visto la luna llena? → Have/həv/ you seen the full moon?
Vocabulary Extra Unit 8 Exercise 1.
The verb get
This is one of the verbs which cause lots of confusion among
Spanish speakers because it has multiple meanings and
there isn’t a single verb in Spanish which can cover all the
meanings.
Coge el paraguas o te mojarás. → Take your umbrella or you
will get wet.
Nos perdimos en Venecia varias veces. → We got lost in Venice
several times.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercise 3A and B; Unit 6
Exercises 1A and B; Unit 12 Exercises 1A and B.
Similar but different vowel sounds
In Spanish there is only one way to pronounce the vowel
a. However, in English there are several sounds similar
to the Spanish a – /æ/, /ʌ/ and /ɑː/. It is important
to differentiate between these sounds to make our
pronunciation sound more natural.
Ayer compramos un ordenador portátil. → Yesterday we
bought a laptop. /ˈlæptɒp/
¿Tienes un hermano? → Do you have a brother? /ˈbrʌðə/
Este es mi coche. → This is my car. /kɑː/
Vocabulary Extra Unit 10 Exercise 3.
Vocabulary about health
There are some expressions related to health that can be
difficult to learn for Spanish speakers as the structure is
different and can cause some confusion.
El profesor tiene fiebre. → The teacher has got a temperature.
NOT The teacher has got temperature.
Estoy resfriado y me duele la garganta. → I’ve got a cold and a
sore throat. NOT I’m cold and I have a sore throat.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 3 Exercises 1A, B and C.
The pronunciation of th
The pronunciation of words containing th can be a major
problem for Spanish students because it can be pronounced
in different ways depending on the word.
Martin está muy delgado. → Martin is very thin. /θɪn/
Aquellos edificios están abandonados. → Those /ðəʊz/
buildings are abandoned.
Vocabulary Extra Unit 11 Exercise 3.
PRONUNCIATION
Pronunciation Extra Unit 4 Exercises 1A and B.
Stress in numbers
When saying numbers we have to be especially careful when
pronouncing numbers which finish in -een or -ty to avoid
confusion or misunderstanding.
13 /θɜːˈtiːn/ thirteen → 30 /ˈθɜːtɪ/ thirty
15 /fɪfˈtiːn/ fifteen → 50 /ˈfɪftɪ/ fifty
Long and short sound u
In Spanish there is only one way to pronounce u. However,
in English there is a long form /u:/ and a short form /ʊ/. It
is important to differentiate between these sounds to make
our pronunciation sound more natural.
Me encanta la comida italiana. → I love Italian food. /fuːd/
El estadio está lleno. → The stadium is full. /fʊl/
Pronunciation Extra Unit 1 Exercises 2A and B.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 5 Exercises 5A and B.
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Pronunciation of the past simple
Hay una botella de agua en la mesa. → There is a bottle of
water on the table.
Encienda la luz. → Turn on the light.
Pronouncing the past simple of regular verbs can be a
problem for Spanish speakers because sometimes we
pronounce an extra syllable but other times we pronounce
only an extra consonant, so it is important to learn the
pronunciation rules in order to pronounce these verbs
correctly.
Caminé durante dos horas. → I walked /wɔːkd/ (O) for two
hours.
Sam quería estudiar biología. → Sam wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/ (Oo)
to study biology.
Pronunciation Extra Unit 3 Exercises 2A, B and C;
Unit 4 Exercises 5A, B and C; Unit 5 Exercises 3A and B;
Unit 7 Exercises 5A and B; Unit 8 Exercises 4A and B; Unit 12
Exercises 4A, B and C.
WRITING
Pronunciation Extra Unit 6 Exercises 3A and B.
Capitalisation
Some rules about capitalisation are different in English and
Spanish. For example, it is important to remember that in
English nationalities, languages, days of the week, months
of the year and the word I are capitalised.
Mi profesor de karate es japonés. → My karate teacher is
Japanese.
En junio iré a Nueva Zelanda. → In June I’ll go to New Zealand.
Todos los sábados voy a patinar. → Every Saturday I go
rollerblading.
Intonation
English intonation can be difficult for Spanish speakers
but using the right intonation is essential to sound natural.
For example, when a question begins with a Wh- word, the
intonation falls at the end of the question but in questions
where there is the option or, the intonation is different.
¿A qué hora fuiste a la playa? → What time did you go to the
beach?
Writing Extra Unit 1 Exercises 1A, 1B, 2, 3 and 4.
¿Es verde o azul? → Is it green or blue?
Linkers
Pronunciation Extra Unit 6 Exercises 5A and B; Unit 8
Exercises 3A and B.
Linkers are important for making written language cohesive
and more interesting. The linkers and, but and or are very
commonly used and students should know how to use them.
No toca ni la guitarra ni el piano. → He doesn’t play the guitar
or the piano. NOT He doesn’t play the guitar and the piano.
Soy de Sevilla pero vivo en Mallorca. → I’m from Seville but I
live in Majorca.
Consonant clusters
Pronouncing two or more consecutive consonant sounds
(consonant clusters) is much more frequent in English than in
Spanish and may require a lot of practice.
Habló con ellos seriamente. → He talked /tɔːkt/ to them
seriously.
¿Cuál es tu deporte favorito? → What’s your favourite sport?
/spɔːt/
Writing Extra Unit 2 Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4.
apostrophes ’s
Pronunciation Extra Unit 7 Exercises 3A, B and C.
In written English the apostrophe can mean three different
things. It is important to understand these to avoid
confusion and mistakes.
Es una tienda nueva. → It’s a new shop. → It is a new shop.
Ha ido a la tienda nueva. → He’s gone to the new shop. → He
has gone to the new shop.
Es la tienda de Mary. → It’s Mary’s shop. (The shop belongs to
Mary.)
Pronouncing the sound /j/
This sound is oen pronounced incorrectly by Spanish
speakers because there is a tendency to pronounce it like
the Spanish y. It is important to distinguish between /j/ and
/dʒ/.
Prefiero la chaqueta amarilla. → I prefer the yellow /ˈjeləʊ/
jacket /ˈdʒækɪt/
¿Vendrás en enero? → Will you /jə/ come in January?
/ˈdʒænjʊərɪ/
Writing Extra Unit 3 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
The use of commas
Pronunciation Extra Unit 11 Exercises 3A and B.
As in Spanish we use commas when writing a text and want
to separate different items. It is important to use them
correctly.
Ayer compré tomates, patatas y cebollas. → Yesterday I bought
some tomatoes, potatoes and onions. NOT Yesterday I bought
some tomatoes, potatoes, and onions.
Linking
Native English speakers join words together when speaking
and this can make understanding difficult for Spanish
speakers.
¿Puedo tomar un zumo de naranja? → Can I have an orange
juice?
Writing Extra Unit 4 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
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because and so
Time sequencers
These linkers are important for making written language
cohesive and more interesting. Consequently, students
should know how to use them, for example using a comma
before the linker so but not before because.
Tenía hambre porque no había desayunado. → I was hungry
because I didn’t have breakfast.
Ayer llovió mucho, por eso están las sillas mojadas. →
Yesterday it rained a lot, so the chairs are wet.
Using time sequencers to link ideas makes writing more
ordered, cohesive and interesting to read. However, some
mistakes can be made if students translate words literally or
if the grammatical structures are different from those used
in Spanish.
Compramos el regalo y después nos fuimos a la fiesta de
cumpleaños. → We bought the present and aer that, we went
to the birthday party. NOT We bought the present and aer we
went to the birthday party.
Writing Extra Unit 6 Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Writing Extra Unit 9 Exercises 1 and 2.
Common mistakes
too, also and as well
When writing text in English there are some mistakes that
Spanish speakers make very frequently. These are called
common mistakes and can refer to grammar, punctuation or
spelling.
Las gafas de Diana están en la mesa. → Diana’s glasses are on
the table. NOT The Diana glasses are in the table.
A mi madre le gustan estos vestidos. → My mother likes these
dresses. NOT My mother like this dreses.
In Spanish the word order is less rigid than in English. The
words too, also and as well correspond to the Spanish word
también but knowing their position in a sentence can be
difficult for Spanish students.
Tengo un loro y también tengo un gato. OR Tengo un loro y
tengo un gato también.
I have a parrot and I have a cat too.
I have a parrot and I have a cat as well.
I have a parrot and I also have a cat.
Writing Extra Unit 7 Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Pronouns
Writing Extra Unit 10 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
Using personal pronouns to avoid repetition makes written
language more natural and cohesive. It is important not to
confuse them with other pronouns to avoid mistakes.
Mi hermano estudia en la universidad, tiene 18 años. → My
brother studies at university, he is 18. NOT My brother studies
at university, his 18.
El libro es muy interesante, es una novela policíaca. → The
book is very interesting, it’s a crime novel. NOT The book is very
interesting, its a crime novel.
Adverbs of manner
Using adverbs of manner makes written work more
impressive and interesting, and gives more complete
information. It is important to remember how to form them
and especially to pay attention to irregular adverbs.
Daniel conduce rápido. → Daniel drives fast. NOT Daniel drives
fastly.
Hicieron la prueba muy bien. → They did the test very well.
NOT They did the test very good.
Writing Extra Unit 8 Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Writing Extra Unit 11 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.
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