COMMON CHALLENGES FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING LEARNERS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Emily has been to Paris. (She is back.) Emily has gone to Paris. (She is still in Paris.)

Question words

Grammar Extra Unit 2.1 Exercise 1.

Spanish students oen make mistakes when forming questions that begin with Who or What. Remember that when Who or What is the subject, we do not use the interrogative form of the verb. When Who or What refers to the predicate, we must use the corresponding auxiliary verb. ¿Quién fue a la reunión? → Who came to the meeting? NOT Who did come to the meeting? ¿Con quién te reuniste? → Who did you meet with? NOT Who you met with? It is also important to use the correct word order when using auxiliary verbs to form questions. ¿A dónde fuiste ayer? → Where did you go yesterday? NOT Where you did go yesterday? ¿Cómo lo pueden arreglar? → How can they fix it? NOT How they can fix it?

The future In English the rules for speaking about the future are more rigid than in Spanish. To make predictions, promises or offers, or to announce spontaneous decisions, we use the auxiliary will; to speak about decisions we have already taken we use be going to. To speak about something programmed or organised we use the present continuous. Voy a comprar un portátil nuevo pronto. → I’m going to buy a new laptop soon. NOT I will buy a new laptop soon. Te prometo que no voy a llegar tarde. → I promise I won’t be late. NOT I promise I am not going to be late. Vamos a viajar a Praga el 22 de febrero. → We are travelling to Prague on the 22nd February. NOT We will travel to Prague on the 22nd February.

Grammar Extra Unit 1.1 Exercises 1 and 2.

Grammar Extra Unit 3.1 Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 3.2 Exercises 1 and 2.

Word order The word order in English is more rigid than in Spanish and the normal order is: subject + verb + object. No me gusta mucho tu chaqueta nueva OR Tu chaqueta nueva no me gusta mucho. I don’t like your new jacket very much. NOT Your new jacket I don’t like very much.

must, have to and should The difference between have to and must is oen confusing for Spanish speakers as both can express tener que hacer algo. English uses must to impose an obligation and have to to speak about an obligation. Should is used to give advice or to recommend. Eric, tienes que tomar el jarabe. → Eric, you must take the syrup. Mañana tengo que levantarme a las 8 para coger el tren. → I have to get up at 8 tomorrow to catch the train. Deberías hacer más deporte. → You should do more exercise.

Grammar Extra Unit 1.2 Exercise 2; Unit 3.2 Exercise 1; Unit 10.2 Exercises 2 and 3.

Present perfect and past simple Spanish students are oen confused about when to use past simple and present perfect. In Spanish the present perfect is compatible with expressions of finished time, e.g. hace media hora. However, In English it is important to distinguish between saying when the action happened (past simple), referring to an indefinite time in the past (present perfect) and speaking about an action that started in the past and continues in the present (present perfect). He visto a tu hermano hace media hora. → I saw your brother half an hour ago. NOT I have seen your brother half an hour ago. Ella ha tocado el piano mucho esta mañana y ahora está cansada. → She played the piano a lot this morning and now she’s tired. NOT She has played the piano a lot this morning and now she’s tired.

Grammar Extra Unit 4.1 Exercises 1 and 2.

used to and would The use of would can be confusing because it can be used in a conditional sentence but also to speak about past habitual actions, in the same way as used to. Cuando éramos niños, mi hermano y yo solíamos jugar al fútbol casi todos los días. → When we were kids, my brother and I would play football nearly every day. OR When we were kids, my brother and I used to play football nearly every day. Grammar Extra Unit 4.2 Exercises 1 and 2.

Question tags This can be a challenging point because it is more complicated than in Spanish. While in Spanish we can say ¿no? or ¿verdad? when we want to ask for confirmation, in English we have to use the interrogative form of the corresponding auxiliary verb. If the sentence is positive then the question tag must be negative, and vice versa. Lo comprará mañana, ¿no? → He will buy it tomorrow, won’t he? No te gusta la merluza, ¿verdad? → You don’t like hake, do you?

Grammar Extra Unit 2.1 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.

been to and gone to Been is when someone has travelled and come back whereas gone is used when that person is still there. It causes confusion because in Spanish the verb ir can be used for both cases. Emily ha ido a Paris. (In Spanish we don’t really know if she is back.)

Grammar Extra Unit 5.2 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.

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Present perfect simple and continuous

Verb patterns

In Spanish the present continuous or simple can be used to express that an activity started in the past and continues in the present but in English we must use the present perfect. The present perfect continuous is used much more in English than in Spanish and is used to emphasise that the action continues in the present. He leído la revista. → I have read the magazine. ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas comiendo golosinas? → How long have you been eating sweets? NOT How long are you eating sweets?

In English some verbs are followed by the -ing form of the verb and some by the infinitive. This can be a problem for students because there is no rule. Some of the most important verbs followed by the -ing form are: mind, enjoy, like, hate, avoid, succeed in, be used to, finish. Evitó hablar del tema. → He avoided speaking about the matter. Some common verbs that are followed by the infinitive form are: promise, offer, manage, intend, would like, mean, want. Quieren terminar lo antes posible. → They want to finish as soon as possible.

Grammar Extra Unit 7.1 Exercises 1 and 2.

Relative clauses

Grammar Extra Unit 10.2 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.

In English, some relative clauses don’t require the use of a relative pronoun where Spanish does. Also note that in nondefining relative clauses we cannot use the pronoun that and this can be very confusing for Spanish students. In these clauses, we use who for people and which for inanimate objects, whereas in Spanish we can use que in both cases. Los altavoces que compré de segunda mano no funcionan. → The second-hand speakers (that/which) I bought don’t work. La niña que ganó el premio tiene 5 años. → The girl who/that won the prize is 5 years old. NOT The girl which won the prize is 5 years old. Mi madre, que normalmente odia viajar, va a volar a Ibiza mañana. → My mother, who that normally hates travelling, is flying to Ibiza tomorrow.

VOCABULARY 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. Collocations with make and do cause many of the most common mistakes. Ana se ha cogido un constipado. → Ana has caught a cold. NOT Ana has taken a cold. Tuve dos errores en el examen. → I made two mistakes in the exam. NOT I did two mistakes in the exam. Van a hacer dos nuevos experimentos. → They are going to do two new experiments. NOT They are going to make two new experiments.

Grammar Extra Unit 8.2 Exercises 1 and 2.

The passive voice The passive voice is used more frequently in English than in Spanish. One reason is that there is no expression equivalent to se hace, se vendió, etc. so the passive voice is used in these cases. It is important to conjugate the verb be correctly to indicate the tense of the action. Están construyendo un rascacielos. → A skyscraper is being built. (Present continuous) Aquí se habla italiano. → Italian is spoken here. (Present simple)

Vocabulary Extra Unit 1 Exercises 4, 5, 7 and 8; Unit 6 Exercise 5; Unit 9 Exercises 4, 5 and 7.

Dependent prepositions English and Spanish prepositions do not correspond exactly and this is a major challenge for Spanish students. ¡Nunca llegas a la hora! → You are never on time! Vamos a dar un paseo. → Let’s go for a walk. Tu padre está muy orgulloso de ti. → Your father is really proud of you.

Grammar Extra Unit 9.2 Exercises 1 and 2.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 2 Exercises 2, 3 and 7; Unit 7 Exercises 7 and 9.

Reported speech The use of tell and say can be a major difficulty in reported speech because English has two verbs for the Spanish verb decir. Use the verb say if we do not include the listener in the sentence and the verb tell when we include the listener. In Spanish we normally use the verb contar or decir equally whereas in English the structure of the sentence is different if we use one verb or the other. Dijo que traería la bebida. → He said that he would bring some drinks. Me dijo que traería la bebida. → He told me that he would bring some drinks.

Expressions with say and tell. There are some fixed expressions with the verbs say and tell that are oen a major difficulty because there isn’t a rule that explains which verb to use. ¿Alguna vez has dicho una mentira? → Have you ever told a lie? NOT Have you ever said a lie? Dijo adiós llorando. → He said goodbye crying. NOT He told goodbye crying. Vocabulary Extra Unit 2 Exercise 6.

Grammar Extra Unit 10.1 Exercises 1 and 2.

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Idioms

Multi-word verbs (phrasal verbs)

Some idioms can be difficult for Spanish students because they are fixed expressions with meanings that are not usually obvious. Sometimes the context can help with understanding the meaning. Arreglar la bici fue pan comido. → Fixing the bike was a piece of cake. ¡Siempre das en el clavo! → You always hit the nail on the head!

Phrasal verbs can be difficult to learn because their meaning is oen unguessable for Spanish speakers. Después de estar un rato llorando, se calmó. → Aer having been crying for a while, he settled down. Finalmente, se han establecido en Manchester. → Finally, they have settled down in Manchester. ¡No te rindas, lo puedes hacer! → Don’t give up, you can do it!

Vocabulary Extra Unit 3 Exercises 3 and 4.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 6 Exercises 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9.

The verb get

Prefixes

The verb get has multiple meanings and there isn’t a single verb in Spanish that covers all the meanings. Consequently, this is one of the verbs which causes lots of confusion among Spanish speakers. Estaremos en contacto pronto. → We will get in touch soon. Estás mejorando muy rápido. → You are getting better really quickly.

English and Spanish prefixes do not correspond exactly, which oen results in students making mistakes. Es inusual que la peluquería esté cerrada a esta hora. → It is unusual that the hairdresser is closed at this time. La habitación está limpia pero desordenada. → The room is clean but untidy. Vocabulary Extra Unit 10 Exercises 3, 4, 7 and 8.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 3 Exercises 6 and 7.

Confusing words

PRONUNCIATION

Some words are confusing for Spanish speakers for different reasons. Some are ‘false friends’ which do not translate literally. Others have different meanings (e.g. banco) and each meaning is expressed by a different word in English. Actualmente estoy estudiando ciencias. → Currently I’m studying sciences. NOT Actually I’m studying science. Recuérdame que coja las llaves. → Remind me to take the keys. NOT Remember me to take the keys. Han perdido el avión. → They’ve missed the plane. NOT They have lost the plane.

Silent letters English has got a higher number of silent letters than Spanish and these letters can cause lots of pronunciation mistakes. Creo que estudiaré ciencias en la Universidad. → I think I will study science /ˈsaɪəns/ at university. (Silent C) Aunque también estoy interesado en psicología. → Although I am also interested in psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/. (Silent P) Pronunciation Extra Unit 1 Exercises 1A, 1B and 1C; Unit 2 Exercise 2A.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 4 Exercises 4 and 5.

Suffixes

Verbs and nouns with the same form

Forming nouns from adjectives in English can be problematic for Spanish speakers because the Spanish ending does not always indicate which suffix to use in English. Puedo ver la felicidad en sus ojos. → I can see happiness in his eyes. Ha sido una gran mejora. → It has been a great improvement.

Sometimes a verb and a noun have the same form but with different pronunciations. This can be difficult for Spanish speakers who tend to pronounce these words identically. La exportación de jamón a China era ilegal. → The export (Oo) of ham to China was illegal. Nos gustaría exportar naranjas a Chile. → We would like to export (oO) oranges to Chile. ¡Qué regalo tan bonito! → What a nice present! (Oo). Quieren que presente el premio. → They want me to present (oO) the prize.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 5 Exercises 5, 7, 8 and 9.

-ing/-ed adjectives Many adjectives in English have two forms: one ending in -ing and the other ending in -ed (e.g. tiring – tired). Choosing the correct form is oen confusing for Spanish speakers. Try to remember that adjectives ending in -ing describe characteristics of something/somebody while adjectives ending in -ed, describe feelings. Qué música más relajante, me encanta. → What relaxing music, I love it. NOT What relaxed music, I love it. Después de escuchar música, me siento muy relajado. → Aer listening to some music I feel really relaxed. NOT Aer listening to some music I feel really relaxing.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 1 Exercises 4A and 4B.

The schwa sound 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 museo está a 1 km. → The museum /mjuːˈziːəm/ is 1 km away. /əˈweɪ/

Vocabulary Extra Unit 6 Exercises 1 and 2.

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pronounced. This can be a challenge for Spanish speakers because in Spanish sounds don’t change in fast speech. Mark solía estudiar mucho más. → Mark used to /ˈjuːstə/ study a lot more. Deberías ser más cuidadoso → You should be /ˈʃʊbɪ/ more careful.

Varios políticos han sido arrestados. → Several /ˈsevrəl/ politicians /ˌpɒlɪˈtɪʃənz/ have been arrested. /əˈrestɪd/ Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercises 4A and 4B.

Weak forms in auxiliary verbs English auxiliary verbs are also oen pronounced with the weak form /ə/ and this can make listening difficult for Spanish speakers and make speaking sound unnatural. ¿Qué estabas buscando? → What were /wə/ you looking for? Tom ya había visto la película. → Tom had /həd/ already seen the film. ¿Qué has hecho? → What have /ˈwɑtəv/ you done?

Pronunciation Extra Unit 4 Exercises 1A and 1B; Unit 6 Exercises 2A, 2B and 2C.

Weak forms in passive sentences It is important to remember that the verb to be is pronounced as a weak form in passive sentences so that your English will sound more natural. Decían que era muy mal estudiante. → It was /wəz/ said that he was a really bad student. Creo que fueron pintados por Frida Kahlo. → I think they were /wə/ painted by Frida Kahlo.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercises 1, 3A and 3B; Unit 7 Exercises 1A and 1B; Unit 9 Exercises 2A, 2B and 2C.

Intonation When a question begins with a Wh- word, the intonation falls at the end of the question. However, when the question begins with an auxiliary verb, the intonation rises at the end. Using the correct intonation for question tags in English can be problematic for Spanish students because sometimes the intonation rises and other times it falls. If the speaker is not sure of the facts and is asking for confirmation, then the intonation rises. However, if the speaker is sure of the facts and is only making conversation, the intonation falls.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 9 Exercises 3A and 3B.

Stress on prefixes While in Spanish we pronounce every part of a word clearly, in English prefixes are usually unstressed so we stress the root word. Los niños suelen desobedecer a sus padres. → Children tend to disobey (ooO) their parents. ¡Es imposible llegar a tiempo! → It’s impossible (oOoo) to be on time!

¿A qué hora te acostaste? → What time did you go to bed?

Pronunciation Extra Unit 10 Exercises 2A and 2B.

¿Te gustó el concierto? → Did you enjoy the concert?

Long and short vowel sounds

You haven’t seen Vince today, have you? (Not sure – rising intonation)

In general, in Spanish all vowels take the same length of time when pronouncing them but English has short vowels and long vowels and we must differentiate the pronunciation of these to avoid misunderstandings and to sound natural. ¿Dónde deja ella sus llaves? → Where does she leave /li:v/ her keys? (Long vowel sound) ¿Dónde vive ella? → Where does she live? /lɪv/ (Short vowel sound)

It’s really cold today, isn’t it? (Sure – falling intonation) Pronunciation Extra Unit 1 Exercises 2A and 2B: Unit 5 Exercises 2A and 2B.

Stress shi on nouns With many English words the position of the stress changes when we add a suffix to an adjective in order to form a noun, which can result in Spanish speakers not pronouncing words correctly. Todos los alumnos han aprobado el examen de biología. → All the students have passed the biology (oOoo) exam. Sudar es una respuesta biológica del cuerpo. → Sweating is a biological (ooOoo) body response. ¡Me llamó estúpido! → He called me stupid! (Oo). No te enfades por esa estupidez. → Don’t get angry because of that stupidity (oOoo).

Pronunciation Extra Unit 10 Exercises 4A and 4B.

WRITING Formal and informal expressions When writing formal and informal emails, Spanish speakers must be aware of inappropriate expressions and incorrect or literal translations. Estimado…… → Dear ….. (formal) ¡Hola! → Hi! (informal) Esperando recibir noticias suyas → I look forward to hearing from you (formal) Nos vemos pronto → See you soon (informal) Le saluda atentamente → Yours sincerely (formal) Te deseo lo mejor → All the best (informal)

Pronunciation Extra Unit 5 Exercises 3A, 3B and 3C.

Connected speech in modals In fast speech the pronunciation of many words may change a little, e.g. to is usually pronounced /tə/. Also, when a word finishes with a consonant and the next word begins with a consonant, the final consonant of the first word is oen not 6

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Si en un futuro próximo no encuentro un buen trabajo probablemente me iré al extranjero. → If I don’t find a good job in the near future, I will probably go abroad.

Writing Extra Unit 1 Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Time linkers

Writing Extra Unit 6 Exercises 4 and 5.

Linkers of time are important for writing, so students should know how to use them and if they are followed by grammatical structures which are different from those used in Spanish. Tan pronto como terminó, se quedó dormido. → As soon as he finished, he fell asleep. Durante sus vacaciones, ganó algo de peso. → During her holidays, she gained some weight.

Relative pronouns Relative pronouns are important to write more elaborate sentences. However, because in Spanish the pronoun que can refer to both people and objects, students can confuse who, that and which in English. Be careful to spell which correctly. Este libro, que es una nueva edición, te ayudará con la gramática. → This book, which is a new edition, will help you with grammar. NOT This book, wich/who is the new edition, will help you with the grammar.

Writing Extra Unit 2 Exercises 4 and 5.

Abbreviations Native speakers oen use abbreviated forms when writing informal messages and notes, e.g. omitting auxiliary verbs, articles and prepositions, or using short forms which omit vowels or have the same sound as a longer word. Obviously this can present a challenge for Spanish speakers. Tengo un regalo para ti. → Gotta present 4 u. (I’ve got a present for you.) Vuelve lo antes posible. → Come back asap. (Come back as soon as possible.)

Writing Extra Unit 8 Exercises 2 and 3.

Writing suggestions Spanish students oen make mistakes when using the verb suggest because the Spanish structure is different and there is a tendency to translate it too literally. In English we must not put an object pronoun aer suggest. We can follow the verb suggest with that + a subject pronoun (that is optional). Sugiero que cambiemos la contraseña. → I suggest (that) we change the password. NOT I suggest us to change the password.

Writing Extra Unit 3 Exercises 2 and 3.

Punctuation

Writing Extra Unit 8 Exercise 4.

There are some differences between English and Spanish punctuation. One of the main differences is the use of the colon, in Spanish, when starting a letter and the use of the comma in numerals. Estimado Sr. López: (colon in Spanish) → Dear Mr. López, (comma in English) 2,04 (comma in Spanish) → 2.04 (point in English)

Time sequencers Using time sequencers to link ideas makes writing more ordered, cohesive and interesting to read. However, students oen make mistakes by translating too literally from Spanish. En primer lugar, este tema es muy controvertido. → In the first place, this is a very controversial topic. NOT In first place, this is a very controversial topic. Vi una película y después me fui a la cama. → I watched a film and aer that, I went to bed. NOT I watched a film and aer I went to bed.

Writing Extra Unit 4 Exercises 2 and 3.

Starting and finishing formal letters In English, when we begin a formal letter with Dear + the person’s name, at the end of the letter we write Yours sincerely + our name. However, if we begin with Dear Sir/ Madam, we finish the letter with Yours faithfully + our name. Estimado Mr. Dougan: … Atentamente, Robert Smith → Dear Mr Dougan, … Yours sincerely, Robert Smith. Estimado señor: … Atentamente, Robert Smith → Dear Sir, … Yours faithfully, Robert Smith.

Writing Extra Unit 9 Exercises 3 and 4.

Capitalisation Some rules about capitalisation are different in English and Spanish. For example, in English when writing the title of a book or film, all the words are capitalised except articles and conjunctions. In addition, nationalities, languages, ethnic groups, months and cardinal points are capitalised in English. Me encanta la película Bailando con lobos. → I love the film Dances with Wolves. Los masáis viven en África. → The Maasai tribe live in Africa.

Writing Extra Unit 1 Exercises 2 and 3.

Writing about the future When writing about future events and the probable future, use will and will probably. It is also important to know some useful expressions related to the future time to avoid mistakes. En dos años se celebrará aquí el festival de cine. → In two years’ time, the film festival will be held here.

Writing Extra Units 1–10.

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