Do you want to know the common mistakes that English speakers tend to make? There are 18 common Spanish mistakes most Spanish learners make. If you have made these errors in Spanish, don’t worry! You can correct them easily! Just read on.

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Common Mistakes in Spanish

1. The incorrect verb for the noun “Gente” (people)

This is a very common mistake among Spanish learners. The noun “gente” is singular even though it means “people.” So, La gente es, not son. For example, La gente es amable (People are nice.)

2. Word Usage Mistake: Muy vs. Mucho

When to use muy and mucho? “Muy” means “very,” and it is an adverb, so it goes in front of an adjective or adverb. A good example would be Aprendes muy rapido (you learn very fast).

On the other hand, “Mucho” has two types of meaning. One is to express the quantity of something “a lot,” “many” or “much” and in this case, it appears before a noun. For instance, Tienes mucho dinero (you have a lot of money). Esa librería vende muchas revistas (that bookstore sells a lot of magazines).

The second one is that it is also used as an adverb to indicate “a lot.” For instance, I like it a lot. In this case, mucho is used after a verb. Here’s an example. Me gusta mucho el vino (I like wine a lot).

3. Tilde is important!

“Año (year)” is such a common and well-used word in Spanish. Most Spanish learners would learn this word when they first start learning Spanish. In the beginning, you might not realize how important the squiggly thing above the “N” is, but yes, the tilde (~) is super important because it can change the meaning of a word! With the tilde, it means years, but without, it means anus…

Here are some of the words that change the meanings completely.

Moño vs. Mono

Moño means a bun (put hair up in a bun), a chignon
Mono means monkey

Uña vs. Una

Uña means nail (finger or toe nail) – Me voy a cortar las uñas. (I’m going to cut my nails.)
Una is a feminine form of one (uno, una) – Compré una camisa. (I bought a shirt.)

Campaña vs Campana

Campaña means campaign
Campana means bell

4. “Pollo” and “Polla” Are Two Totally Different Things!

You definitely don’t want to confuse “pollo” with “polla.” Why? Because the “pollo” is chicken, but “polla” means a male organ!

I have to tell you a story about a friend of my classmate. This is a true story!

When I was living in Spain, a friend of my classmate came to visit her in the Summer. We took him to a sandwich place nearby for a quick bite. Since he was also learning Spanish back home, each of us ordered for ourselves.

First, I ordered un bocadillo de jamon (Ham sándwich). Then my classmate ordered un bocadillo de tortilla (Spanish omelette sandwich). And it was her friend’s turn to say what he wanted…and he said to the waiter, “un bocadillo de polla, por favor.” There was a shocked and uncomfortable look on the waiter’s face, but luckily, the friend realized what he had just ordered! He quickly said, “Oh, no, quería decier un bocadillo de pollo! “We all burst out laughing almost into tears including himself!

Spanish mistakes Bocadillo de tortilla de patatas

I’m sure it was an embarrassing moment for my classmate’s friend, but it turned out to be a funny memory. And most importantly, he will never ever make the same mistake again😊 Which brings us to the next phrase…

5. “I’m embarrassed!” Has Nothing to Do with the Verb “Embarazarse.”

Many English speakers tend to want to say “Estoy embarazado/a,” but this means “I’m pregnant.” The correct phrase is “Estoy avergonzado /a.” This is one of the false cognates you want to remember.

6. Hambre vs. Hombre: You might have both but…

These two words look very similar, but “hombre” is man and “hambre” is hunger. So, make sure to differentiate correctly. You don’t want to say “Tengo hombre (I have a man)” instead of “Tengo hambre (I’m hungry)” unless that’s what you really want to say 😊

7. Hombre vs. Hombro: Again, Similar but Different

These words are super similar as well. “Hombre” means man as I mentioned above, and “Hombro” means shoulder.

8. Don’t say “Gracias para…” and say “Gracias por…”

If you want to say “Thank you for something,” use “por” not “para.” You can find more examples and a detailed explanation about the usage of Por and Para in this post: “The Ultimate Guide to Por vs Para.” Warning: It is a long post. Gracias por leer.

9. Caliente vs. Calor

If you say “estoy caliente” in public, people might give you funny looks. If what you mean to say is “I’m hot.” “Tengo calor” is the correct sentence. If you say “estoy caliente,” that means you are hot and bothered (horny).

10. “Me gusta mucho” but not “Me encanta mucho.”

You can see more explanations here (64 Easy hobbies and activities).

11. “Me gustó” vs. “Me gusto”

A little tiny accent mark on the O makes a big difference. The first one with the accent mark on the O means “I liked (something)” which is totally fine. However, the second one without the accent mark means “I like myself” in an odd way. So be sure to put the accent mark on the O and pronounce it with an emphasis on the O.

12. The Use of the Verb “Excitar”

You don’t want to use this one casually! The verb “Excitar” is to become sexually aroused, rather than just being excited as normally used in English. If you just want to say “I’m excited,” you want to use the verb “emocionar” – “Estoy emocionado(a).”

13. When you say “I don’t understand” in Spanish

Although the phrase “no comprendo” is very famous, it sounds more natural to say “No entiendo” when you don’t understand something. So, use the verb “entender” and save the verb “comprender” for other occasions when you don’t comprehend.

14. Cuál and Qué: Which one should I use?

¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? (What is your phone number?)

¿Cuál es tu color favorito? (What is your favorite color?)

¿Qué quieres? (What do you want?)

¿Cuál quieres? (Which one do you want?)

15. Spanish Vowel Pronunciation of the O

The Spanish O has a short sound, not “ou” or “ow,” so try not to stretch it or add the U or W sound at the end.

16. Don’t Pronounce the H

It’s a silent letter. So just skip the H. I know it’s hard to ignore, but you can do it. So, for example, one of the common Spanish names for men “Hector” is pronounced “Ector.” I had to use this as an example because it’s my father-in-law’s name ha ha. Other examples include Hospital, Hotel, Ahora, Hola, Hambre, Hombre, Almohada, etc.

17. The Z is Not Pronounced Like the English Z

The Spanish Z is pronounced like the English S in Mexico and Latin America. In Spain, it’s pronounced like “TH.” Check out this post to find out the 102 differences between Mexican Spanish and Spain Spanish!

18. Remember to Pronounce E before S

This may not be a crucial mistake, but don’t forget to pronounce the letter E before S when E is the first letter of a word! For example, especial (special), escanear (to scan), etc.

To Wrap up

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when you are learning a new language. It may be embarrassing for two minutes, but it usually turns into a funny memory even you yourself will tell your fellow Spanish-leaning friends later on. So let’s embrace the mistakes, have fun, and learn from mistakes!

Happy Spanish-ing!

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