COMMON CHALLENGES FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING LEARNERS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

is not always identical in the two languages. In Spanish the present simple can be used for an action which is taking place at this moment but in English we use the present continuous. ¡Guau! ¡La oruga salta! → Wow! The caterpillar is jumping! NOT Wow! The caterpillar jumps! Also, in Spanish the present simple can refer to the future when English uses will. Te recojo a las seis. → I’ll pick you up at six. NOT I pick you up at six. In Spanish the present continuous can be used for activities that started in the past and continue in the present but in English the present perfect continuous is used for these activities. ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas haciendo la colada? → How long have you been doing the laundry? NOT How long are you doing the laundry?

Word order In Spanish, statements can start with the subject or with the object. Yo compré el reloj en las rebajas. El reloj, lo compré en las rebajas. However English is more rigid and the normal order is: subject + verb + object. I bought a watch in the sales. Grammar Extra Unit 4 Exercise 1; Unit 6 Exercise 1; Unit 7 Exercise 2; Unit 9 Exercise 1.

Indirect questions In Spanish the word order doesn’t change when we ask a direct or an indirect question. However, in English when we ask an indirect question, the first part of the sentence is interrogative but the second part of the sentence is not a direct question, so we don’t use the interrogative form. ¿Por qué te despidieron? → Why did they fire you? (Direct question) ¿Puedes decirme por qué te despidieron? → Can you tell me why they fired you? (Indirect question) NOT Can you tell me why did they fire you? ¿Dónde está el paseo? → Where is the promenade? (Direct question) ¿Sabes dónde está el paseo? → Do you know where the promenade is? (Indirect question) NOT Do you know where is the promenade?

Grammar Extra Unit 2 Exercise 1; Unit 4 Exercise 1.

Present and past habit The Spanish verb soler can be used to speak about present or past habits but the equivalent expression in English, used to, can only be used to speak about past habits and situations. Antes de la crisis, solían ganar mucho dinero → Before the recession they used to earn lots of money. Another way of speaking about past habits is by using would. Él solía pasar el verano en Noruega. → He would spend the summer in Norway. To speak about present habits in English we use the adverb usually or normally. Yo suelo hacer punto los domingos. → I usually/normally do some knitting on Sundays. NOT I use to do some knitting on Sundays.

Grammar Extra Unit 1 Exercises 1 and 2.

Past simple and present perfect Spanish students are oen confused about when to use the past simple and present perfect. One important reason for this is that in Spanish the present perfect is compatible with expressions of finished time e.g hace media hora. In English, however, 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). Me he bebido un refresco hace media hora. → I drank a so-drink half an hour ago. NOT I have drunk a so-drink half an hour ago. Ella ha estudiado mucho esta mañana, pero no ha hecho mucho esta tarde. → She studied a lot this morning but she hasn’t done much this aernoon. NOT She has studied a lot this morning but she hasn’t done much this aernoon.

Grammar Extra Unit 4 Exercises 1 and 2.

Articles Unlike Spanish, English does not use the definite article the when referring to nouns with a general meaning. La gente está harta de la situación. → People are fed up with the situation. NOT The people are fed up with the situation. Another difference is that English never uses the definite article with possessive pronouns. Aquellos son los míos y estos son los de ella. → Those are mine and these are hers. NOT Those are the mine and these are the hers. Also note that in Spanish un or una can be a number or an indefinite article, whereas in English we must use a(n) for the indefinite article and one when we refer to the number. He comprado un ordenador de última generación. → I have bought a state-of-the-art computer. NOT I have bought one state-of-the-art computer.

Grammar Extra Unit 1 Exercises 1 and 2.

Simple, progressive and future tenses

Grammar Extra Unit 4 Exercises 1 and 2.

Although English has simple, progressive, perfect and future tenses as we do in Spanish, the use of these tenses 3

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Modal verbs

Some common verbs that are followed by the infinitive form are: promise, offer, manage, intend, would like, mean. Ella prometió sacar al perro a pasear. → She promised to take the dog out for a walk. Me gustaría invitarte a mi fiesta. → I would like to invite you to my party.

Spanish speakers oen have problems with modal verbs. For example, there is a tendency to use can incorrectly with the function of deduction or interpreting evidence. In English the verbs commonly used are may, might or could. Michael tiene escalofríos, puede que esté enfermo. → Michael’s shivering, he may/might/could be sick. NOT Michael’s shivering, he can be sick. Also, the difference between have to and must is oen confusing for Spanish speakers as both can express tener que hacer algo. English uses the verb must to impose an obligation and have to to speak about an obligation. Sara, tienes que tomar la pastilla. → Sara, you must take the tablet. Los atletas tienen que sacrificar gran parte de su vida social. → Athletes have to sacrifice a large part of their social life.

Grammar Extra Unit 8 Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 9 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.

VOCABULARY Noun forms from adjectives Forming nouns from adjectives in English can be difficult for Spanish speakers because of the multitude of different endings and the lack of a simple rule. La profundidad del lago me preocupa. → The deepness depth of the lake worries me. Su enfado fue excesivo. → His angry anger was excessive.

Grammar Extra Unit 6 Exercises 1 and 2; Unit 9 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.

The passive voice

Vocabulary Extra Unit 1 Exercises 4 and 5; Unit 10 Exercise 6.

The passive voice is used more frequently in English than in Spanish. One reason is that there is no English expression equivalent to se hace, se vendió, etc. Consequently, the passive voice is used in these cases. Se envió la foto por correo electrónico. → The photo was sent by email. El CD se grabará en Londres. → The CD will be recorded in London.

Suffixes In English many nouns finish in -ness and many in -ment. This can be problematic for Spanish speakers because the Spanish ending does not always indicate which suffix to use in English. La oscuridad de la noche me daba miedo. → The darkness of the night frightened me. Llegaron a un acuerdo después de una hora. → They reached an agreement aer an hour.

Grammar Extra Unit 2 Exercises 1, 2 and 3.

Relative clauses In English, some relative clauses don’t require the use of a relative pronoun where Spanish does. Also note that in non-defining relative clauses we cannot use the pronoun that, which can be very confusing for Spanish students. In these clauses, we must use the pronoun who for people and which for inanimate objects, whereas in Spanish we can use que in both cases. El portátil que compré en las rebajas fue un chollo → The laptop (that/which) I bought in the sales was a bargain. El hombre que fue arrestado es mi vecino. → The man who/that was arrested is my neighbour. NOT The man which was arrested is my neighbour. Se ofreció a poner la rueda de repuesto, lo que fue muy amable de su parte. → He offered to fit the spare wheel, which was very kind of him. NOT He offered to fit the spare wheel, that was very kind of him.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 1 Exercises 7 and 8.

Verbs and nouns with the same form It is important to remember that in English the same word can be both a noun and a verb. La charla fue breve pero efectiva. → The talk was short but effective. Hablemos sobre tu trayectoria. → Let’s talk about your career. El regalo fue espectacular. → It was an outstanding present. Para presentar el proyecto necesitamos una hora. → To present the project we need one hour. Vocabulary Extra Unit 2 Exercises 3, 7, 8 and 9.

Multi-word verbs (phrasal verbs)

Grammar Extra Unit 10 Exercises 1 and 2.

Phrasal verbs can be difficult to learn because their meaning is oen unguessable for Spanish speakers. No inventes más excusas. → Don’t make up more excuses. Ya hemos hecho las paces. → We have already made up. ¿Apagaste las luces? → Did you put off the lights? La reunión ha sido pospuesta. → The meeting has been put off.

Verbs followed by -ing or infinitive 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. No me importa ayudarte. → I don’t mind helping you. Están acostumbrados a levantarse temprano. → They are used to getting up early.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 3 Exercises 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9; Unit 7 Exercises 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9.

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Idioms and sayings

Dependent prepositions

English idioms and sayings can be difficult for Spanish students because they are fixed expressions with meanings that are not usually obvious. Sometimes, the context can help to understand the meaning. Tal vez sea lo mejor, no hay mal que por bien no venga. → Maybe it’s for the best, every cloud has a silver lining. ¡Estoy encantada porque he aprobado el examen! → I’m over the moon because I’ve passed the test!

English and Spanish prepositions do not correspond exactly and this is a major challenge for Spanish students. Es sospechoso de robar una cartera. → He is suspected of for stealing a wallet. Depende de cómo lo hagas. → It depends on of how you do it. Soñé con Alex anoche. → I dreamt about with Alex last night. Vocabulary Extra Unit 9 Exercises 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 3 Exercise 1; Unit 6 Exercise 5; Unit 8 Exercise 6.

PRONUNCIATION

Countable, uncountable and plural nouns

Stress on nouns finishing in -tion and -ty

Some nouns can have a plural form in Spanish but in English are uncountable. Also note that some nouns that are singular in Spanish are always plural in English. No encuentro el pijama de Eric. → I can’t find Eric’s pyjamas. ¿Dónde puedo comprar muebles nuevos? → Where can I buy new furniture? Tus consejos siempre son sabios. → Your advice is always wise.

For many Spanish words ending in -ión there is an English word ending in -tion. However, the English word is usually stressed on the second to last syllable, not on the last syllable. Also, for Spanish words ending in -dad there is oen a similar English word ending in -ty but with the stress on the third to last syllable not the last. Fue una creación (ooO) sobresaliente. → It was an outstanding creation (oOo). La obra está llena de orginalidad (oooooO). → The work is full of originality (oooOoo).

Vocabulary Extra Unit 4 Exercises 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8.

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. La previsión del tiempo era pésima. → The weather forecast prevision was disastrous. Vamos a hacer una fiesta de disfraces. → We’re going to have make a costume party.

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

Silent letters English has got a higher number of silent letters than Spanish; these letters can cause lots of pronunciation mistakes. El salmón estaba delicioso. → The salmon /ˈsæmən/ was delicious. (silent ‘l’) Era una isla paradisíaca. → It was a Paradise island /ˈaɪlənd/. (silent ‘s’) Tiene razón. → He is right /raɪt/. (silent ‘gh’ )

Vocabulary Extra Unit 5 Exercise 6; Unit 6 Exercise 6; Unit 7 Exercise 6; Unit 8 Exercise 1.

Prefixes English and Spanish prefixes do not correspond exactly, which oen results in students making mistakes. Su reacción fue impredecible. → His reaction was impredictable unpredictable. No seas irrespetuoso con los ancianos. → Don’t be irrespectful disrespectful to the elderly.

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

Verbs and nouns with the same form Sometimes the pronunciation of a word is different when a verb and a noun have the same form. This can be difficult for Spanish speakers who tend to pronounce the noun the same as the verb or vice versa. Quieren grabar la canción. → They want to record (oO) the song. El ladrón tenía un historial terrible. → The thief had a terrible prison record (Oo). El descenso del número de voluntarios es alarmante. → The decrease (Oo) in the number of volunteers is alarming. Tenemos que reducir nuestra dependencia de los combustibles fósiles. → We need to decrease (oO) our dependence on fossil fuels.

Vocabulary Extra Unit 6 Exercises 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9.

Compound adjectives In English it is possible to form compound adjectives in a way that we cannot in Spanish. El hombre de los ojos azules se desvaneció. → The blue-eyes blue-eyed man fainted. Necesitamos a una persona bien organizada. → We need a good-organised well-organised person. Vocabulary Extra Unit 8 Exercises 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercises 2A and B.

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Vowel sounds: minimal pairs

Connected speech in past modals

Some minimal pairs are usually a problem for Spanish speakers because English contains vowel sounds which are similar to but different from Spanish sounds, so students oen make mistakes both when listening and when speaking. Tienes un gran corazón. → You’ve got a big heart. /hɑːt/ Tienes un sombrero grande. → You’ve got a big hat. /hæt/ ¿Cómo te sientes hoy? → How do you feel today? /fi:l/ ¿Cómo se rellena este impreso? → How do you fill in this form? /fɪl/

When pronouncing past modals (must have, couldn’t have, etc.), it is usual to pronounce have as /əv/ and to connect it to the preceding modal. Lo deben de haber olvidado. → They must have /ˈmʌstəv/ forgotten. No lo podía haber sabido. → She couldn’t have /ˈkʌdəntəv/ known. Pronunciation Extra Unit 9 Exercises 3A, B and C.

Consonant clusters

Pronunciation Extra Unit 7 Exercises 5A and B.

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. El autobús salpicó agua sucia por toda mi chaqueta nueva. → The bus splashed /splæʃt/ dirty water all over my new jacket. ¿Aceptas mis disculpas, por favor? → Will you please accept /əkˈsept/ my apology?

Weak forms in connected speech (have and be) While in Spanish vowels are always pronounced in the same way, in English auxiliary verbs are oen pronounced with a weak form, /ə/ or /ɪ/ and this can make understanding them difficult for Spanish speakers and make speaking sound unnatural. Estaré viviendo en Oviedo entonces. → I’ll be /bɪ/ living in Oviedo then. Ella habrá terminado en el colegio pronto. → She’ll have /əv/ finished school soon. Lo habría hecho. → I would have /ˈwʊdəv/ done it.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 9 Exercises 4A and B.

Word Stress In English, as well as Spanish, every multi-syllable word has a stressed syllable. It’s important to stress the right part of a word in order to be understood and sound natural. Su historia me fascinó. → Her story fascinated me. Me susurró algo al oído. → She whispered something in my ear.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 2 Exercises 1A, 1B and 3B; Unit 3 Exercises 1A and B. Unit 4 Exercises 1C; Unit 6 Exercises 2A and B. Unit 8 Exercises 1A and B; Unit 9 Exercises 2A and B.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 8 Exercises 4A and B; Unit 10 Exercises 2A and B.

Intrusive /w/ in connected speech

In Spanish words are always pronounced one way only. However, in English the word to is pronounced /tə/ before a consonant but /tuːw/ before a vowel. ¿A qué hora vas al colegio? → What time do you go to /tə/ school? Voy a una fiesta el sábado. → I’m going to a /ˈtuːwə/ party on Saturday.

WRITING Use of adverbs The position of the adverb can be different in English and Spanish. In Spanish we can put the adverb between the subject and the object but this cannot be done in English. Abrió lentamente el libro. → He opened the book slowly OR He slowly opened the book. NOT He opened slowly the book.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 8 Exercises 3A and B.

Weak forms in dependent prepositions In Spanish the vowels in prepositions are always pronounced clearly. However, in English these vowels are oen pronounced with the weak form /ə/. Pronouncing the strong form of these vowels makes speech sound unnatural. ¡No me culpes por el desorden! → Don’t blame me for /fə/ the mess! Uno de estos días te arrepentirás. → One of /əv/ these days you’ll regret it.

Writing Extra Unit 3 Exercises 4, 5 and 6.

Phrases to support your opinion Some phrases used when supporting your opinion can lead to confusion because Spanish speakers tend to translate them literally. Por otra parte, me gustaría visitarlo. → On the other hand, I’d like to visit it. NOT On the other side, I’d like to visit it. Para empezar, este tema es muy controvertido. → To start with, this is a very controversial topic. NOT To start, this is a very controversial topic.

Pronunciation Extra Unit 9 Exercises 2A and B.

Writing Extra Unit 4 Exercises 3, 4 and 5.

Numbers and percentages 6

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The most common mistake among Spanish students is putting an object pronoun aer the verb suggest. In English, we can follow the verb suggest with that + a subject pronoun (the use of that is optional). Sugiero que lo apuntemos. → I suggest (that) we write it down. NOT I suggest us to write it down. Sugerimos que lo haga ella. → We suggest (that) she does it. NOT We suggest her to do it.

Spanish and English have different expressions when speaking about numbers, for example when speaking about the number 0 or percentages. El 15% son desempleados. → 15 per cent are unemployed people. NOT The 15 % Quedaron uno a cero. → The final score was one–nil. NOT one to zero Writing Extra Unit 5 Exercises 2 and 3.

Writing Extra Unit 10 Exercises 2 and 5.

Informal expressions

Capitalisation

When writing informal emails or letters, Spanish speakers must be aware of inappropriate expressions and incorrect or literal translations. Estamos en contacto. → Let’s keep in touch. (more informal) NOT Let’s keep in contact. (too formal) Escríbeme pronto. → Write soon. NOT Write me soon.

Some rules about capitalisation are different in English and Spanish. For example, in English when writing a title, all the words are usually capitalised except articles and conjunctions. Nationalities, languages, races, months and cardinal points are capitalized as well. ¿Has leído ‘La sombra del viento’? → Have you read ‘The Shadow of the Wind’? Los inuit viven en el norte de Alaska. → The Inuit live in Northern Alaska.

Writing Extra Unit 6 Exercises 1 and 5.

Writing Extra Units 1–10.

Linkers of contrast Some linkers of contrast are particularly difficult for Spanish students because they are followed by grammatical structures which are different from those used in Spanish. A pesar de ser tímido, lo hizo. → In spite of/despite being shy, he did it. NOT Despite of being shy, he did it.

Punctuation 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. Querido John: (colon in Spanish) → Dear John, (comma in English) Gana 2.000€ al mes. → He earns €2,000 per month.

Writing Extra Unit 7 Exercises 4 and 5.

Find + it + adjective

Writing Extra Units 1–10.

Spanish students tend to forget the use of it aer the verb find followed by an adjective because this structure is different in Spanish. Me resulta difícil concentrarme por la noche. → I find it difficult to concentrate at night. Writing Extra Unit 8 Exercises 1 and 2.

Imperatives Unlike Spanish, English simply uses the infinitive form of verbs (without to) to form imperatives. These can be preceded by always or never for extra emphasis. Procura evitar discusiones. → Try to avoid arguments. Asegúrate siempre de apagar la calefacción. → Always make sure to turn off the heating. Writing Extra Unit 9, Exercise 3; Unit 9, Exercise 5.

The verbs suggest and recommend

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