Your failure mode is not hesitation
Spanish and English share a great deal of vocabulary and a similar word order, so Spanish speakers typically reach conversational fluency faster than speakers of, say, Japanese or Korean. You can talk. People understand you.
The good news: the list is short, specific and completely fixable. It is the same list for nearly every Spanish speaker.
False friends — these change your meaning
The most expensive category, because the sentence does not sound broken. It sounds fine and means something you did not intend, and the examiner cannot tell that you meant something else.
| You say | You mean | It actually means |
|---|---|---|
| Actually | currently, at the moment | in fact — Actually, that's wrong. For actualmente, say currently. |
| Embarrassed | pregnant (embarazada) | ashamed. I am embarrassed does not mean pregnant. Be careful. |
| Assist | to attend (asistir) | to help. For a class, say attend. |
| Realise | to carry out (realizar) | to become aware of. For a project, say carry out / complete. |
| Sensible | sensitive (sensible) | practical, showing good judgement. For sensible, say sensitive. |
| Constipated | to have a cold (constipado) | Something quite different. Say I have a cold. |
| Carrier | career (carrera) | a person or thing that carries. Say career. |
| Support | to tolerate (soportar) | to back, to help. For soportar, say put up with / bear. |
| Pretend | to intend (pretender) | to fake. Say intend / aim to. |
| Discuss | to argue (discutir) | to talk about calmly. For a row, say argue. |
Actually is the one you will use most and get wrong most. It means in fact, and it almost always signals a correction.
Articles — you use too many
This is the mirror image of what East Asian learners struggle with, and it is worth saying plainly: Spanish uses the definite article for general statements, and English does not.
- The life is difficult. → Life is difficult.
- The children need exercise. → Children need exercise. (if you mean children in general)
- I like the music. → I like music.
- The people are strange here. → People are strange here.
The rule that covers most of it: a general statement about a whole category takes no article. Use the only when you mean specific ones — the children in my class, the music you played last night.
Unlike article errors in Japanese or Korean speakers' English, this one is worth fixing early, because it is a single rule rather than a whole missing system — you already have articles, you are simply using them where English does not.
The structures that transfer badly
1. 'People is' — and other Spanish singulars
La gente is grammatically singular in Spanish. People is plural in English.
- People is very friendly. → People are very friendly.
- The police is investigating. → The police are investigating.
2. 'I have 20 years'
Tengo veinte años → I am twenty years old. English uses be for age, not have. Same for hunger, thirst and heat: I am hungry, not I have hunger.
3. 'Since' with the present tense
Spanish uses the present for something that started in the past and continues. English requires the present perfect.
- I live here since 2010. → I have lived here since 2010.
- I work here for five years. → I have worked here for five years.
This is a high-value fix, because the present perfect is a structure the grammar criterion actively rewards, and this is the exact context that requires it.
4. 'Explain me'
Explícame → Explain to me. Some English verbs cannot take an indirect object directly: explain, say, suggest, describe, recommend.
- Explain me the problem. → Explain the problem to me.
- He said me that… → He told me that… / He said to me that…
5. 'I am agree'
Estoy de acuerdo → I agree. It is a verb in English, not an adjective. No am.
6. Double negatives
Spanish requires them; English forbids them.
- I don't know nothing. → I don't know anything. / I know nothing.
- I didn't see nobody. → I didn't see anybody.
Smaller errors worth fixing
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| It depends of the situation. | It depends on the situation. |
| a house big | a big house (adjective before the noun, always) |
| differents opinions | different opinions (adjectives never take -s in English) |
| In the monday… | On Monday (days and months are capitalised, and take no article) |
| I speak spanish. | I speak Spanish. (languages and nationalities are capitalised) |
| I have the breakfast. | I have breakfast. |
| informations, advices | information, advice — uncountable |
| How is called…? | What is it called? |
| I am here since one hour. | I have been here for an hour. (since = a point; for = a duration) |
How to actually fix them
Because fluency is hiding these, the ordinary advice — practise more — makes it worse. More fluent practice of a fossilised error just reinforces it.
- Get your writing marked sentence by sentence, and look for the error that appears more than once. Almost every Spanish speaker has two or three from this page, and they cannot see them, because they are producing them fluently.
- Pick one, and hunt it for a week. Since + present perfect is a good first one: it removes an error and adds a structure the criteria reward.
- Slow down deliberately in practice. You do not need more fluency. You need accuracy at the fluency you already have.
- Learn the false friends as a list. They are finite, and they are the only errors here that change what you actually said.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Spanish speakers stay stuck at the same English level?
Because Spanish and English are close enough that you become fluent quickly, and fluency hides errors. You are understood, so nobody corrects you; you are fast, so you never notice. The same mistakes then appear in every sentence for years, and in the band descriptors a repeated error is a systematic one — which caps a band regardless of how fluent the delivery around it sounds.
What are the most dangerous false friends for Spanish speakers?
The ones that change your meaning without sounding broken. 'Actually' means 'in fact', not 'currently'. 'Assist' means to help, not to attend. 'Realise' means to become aware, not to carry out. 'Sensible' means practical, not sensitive. 'Pretend' means to fake, not to intend. And 'embarrassed' means ashamed — it does not mean pregnant.
Do Spanish speakers use too many articles in English?
Yes, which is the opposite of the problem Japanese and Korean speakers have. Spanish uses the definite article for general statements and English does not: 'the life is difficult' should be 'life is difficult', and 'I like the music' should be 'I like music'. Use 'the' only for specific things — the children in my class, the music you played last night.
Why is 'I live here since 2010' wrong?
Because Spanish uses the present tense for something that started in the past and continues, while English requires the present perfect: 'I have lived here since 2010'. This is a high-value correction, since the present perfect is a structure the grammar criterion actively rewards and this is exactly the context that demands it.
Why can't I say 'explain me the problem'?
Because some English verbs cannot take an indirect object directly — explain, say, suggest, describe and recommend all need 'to': 'explain the problem to me'. Spanish allows 'explícame', which is why the error is so consistent. Note also that 'he said me' should be 'he told me'.