Common Mistakes Spanish Learners Make

 

Here are the typical linguistic issues Spanish-speaking learners have when writing at the upper-intermediate level:

Grammar

·         Wrong article use: saying the staff was very friendly → correct (no article before staff as a group noun).

·         Confusing prepositions: depend of ❌ → depend on ✅

·         Literal translations: I am agree ❌ → I agree ✅

·         Tense confusion: mixing past simple and present perfect incorrectly (I have stayed last summer ❌ → I stayed last summer ✅).

·         Word order errors: very disappointed I was ❌ → I was very disappointed ✅.

Vocabulary and Register

·         Overuse of very good / very bad → instead: excellent / disappointing / unsatisfactory.

·         False friends: sympathetic staff ❌ (means “compasivo”), should be friendly / helpful staff.

·         Overly formal or informal tone: reviews should sound natural, not academic.

Discourse and Cohesion

·         Overuse of and / but / so: replace with however, moreover, although, in contrast.

·         Missing connectors between ideas or paragraphs.

·         Forgetting to include a final opinion or recommendation, essential for task completion.