Spanish and English have many similarities, but also real differences. Language students often tend to copy their native language to the one they are learning. This is sometimes a source of error, as we will see.

Pronominal expressions

Pronominal verbs are numerous in Spanish, and are a frequent source of error:

• Te lo mereces.
  You deserve it (literally: you deserve yourself).
• ¡Comete lo! ¡Tomate lo!
  Eat it! Drink it!
• Tengo que irme.
  I have to go.
• ¿No te avergüenzas?
  Aren’t you ashamed?
• No puede dormirse.
  He can’t sleep, he can’t fall asleep.
• ¿Te inventaste este mueble?
  Did you make this furniture (yourself)?
• Me arrepiento de esas palabras.
  I regret these words.
• Se negó a ayudarme.
  He refused to help me.
• Se me perdieron las gafas.
  I lost my glasses.
• Me hice el loco.
  I acted like a fool, pretending not to understand.
• Peleamos.
  We had an argument.
• Recuerdo muy bien que lo hice.
  I remember very well that I did it.
• Tengo que descansar.
  I have to rest.

Imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is essential in Spanish, even in everyday and colloquial language.

• Le dijo que se callara.
  He told him to be quiet.
• Te lo di para que lo usaras.
  I gave it to you to use.

Present and future subjunctive

In a subordinate time clause, the Spanish present subjunctive has the value of future tense. A common mistake is to use the future tense in this case.

• Te lo diré cuando vuelvas.
  I’ll tell you when you get back.
• Avíseme tan pronto como el caso esté listo.
  Let me know as soon as the case is ready.​

Use of the past simple

This grammatical tense is commonly used in Spanish, especially in Latin America.

• ¿Donde lo compraste?
  Where did you buy it?
• ¿A que hora llegaron anoche?
  What time did they arrive last night?
• ¡Te equivocaste!
  You made a mistake!

The compound past tense opens the field of possibilities for the present, whereas the simple past tense expresses that an action or fact belongs definitively to the past.
This point is important in negative sentences, where the choice of tense allows for very clear nuances of expression in Spanish, obvious to a Spanish speaker, and often a source of awkwardness or error when the language is poorly mastered.

• No lo he hecho.
  I didn’t do it (but maybe I will later).
• No lo hice.
  I haven’t (and won’t).

• Esa mujer no ha tenido hijos.
  This woman has not had children (not yet, but she may).
• Esa mujer no tuvo hijos.
  This woman did not have children (and will not have any more).

Ser and Estar

This is a classic difficulty in learning Spanish, since these two verbs translate the same way in English and many other languages.

Basic rules

We use ser when we talk about the nature of beings or things, which cannot change (or not easily).

• Soy plomero.
  I am a plumber (that’s my job).
• Es ingles.
  He is English.
• Este regalo es para mí.
  This gift is for me.

We use estar to designate what is related to circumstances, time and space.

• Estoy en mi cuarto.
  I am in my room.
• España está en Europa.
  Spain is in Europe.
• Estábamos en el siglo 19.
  We were in the 19th century.
• ¿Está Juan?
  Is Juan here (is he present)?

The basic rule is simple and useful, but unfortunately, it is not always applicable. In the following cases, the choice of verb is imperative, although it may seem to contradict the basic rule.

• Somos cinco personas en el coche, en el ascensor…
  We are five people in the car, in the elevator…
• Son las tres.
  It is three o’clock.
• Hoy es el 2 de agosto.
  Today is August 2.
• Portarse así de mal no está bien.
  It is not good to behave so badly.

Without attribute, ser has the meaning of occurring, standing, taking place.

• La cumbre es en Madrid.
  The summit is held in Madrid
• El concierto será en Londres.
  The concert will take place in London.

The same sentence can sometimes use ser or estar, but with a different meaning:

• Es de mal genio.
  He is in a bad mood (he usually is, it’s his character).
• Está de mal genio.
  He is in a bad mood (right now, today, these days…).

• Este abrigo es caliente.
  This coat is warm (it keeps you warm).
• Este abrigo está caliente.
  This coat is warm (to the touch, it comes out of the dryer, it was in the sun…).

• Es negro.
  He is black (of color).
• Está negro.
  He is angry.

• Es vivo.
  It is lively (fast, agile).
• Está vivo.
  He is alive.

The distinction is not always clear, especially in references to a fixed place. Both verbs are used interchangeably by native speakers in many sentences with essentially the same meaning, although only estar is correct according to academic courses.

• ¿Dónde es/está tu casa?
  Where is your house?
• Mi casa es/está en la esquina.
  My house is around the corner.
• Minneapolis es/está en Minnesota.
  Minneapolis is in Minnesota.

In the same way, estar is normally de rigueur with a past participle, but ser is commonly used.

• Está/es prohibido pisar el césped.
  It is forbidden to walk on the grass.

The meaning is much the same, with perhaps a nuance in the temporary or permanent nature of the ban.

Por and para

This is the other classic difficulty. These two words are often translated as “for” in English.

Basic Rules

Por expresses cause, feelings, the notion of duration or circumscribed movement.

Para expresses finality, spatial destination, a future date, a perception or an opinion.

• Me lo prestó por dos meses.
  He lent it to me for two months.
• Paseamos por el centro comercial.
  We are walking through the shopping center.
• Lo compré por 50 €.
  I bought it for 50 €.
• Gracias por su confianza.
  Thank you for your trust.

• Esta tarea es para el lunes.
  This task is for Monday.
• Fue un golpe muy duro para él.
  It was a very hard blow for him.
• Este regalo es para mí.
  This gift is for me.
• A caballo vamos para el monte.
  We are going to the mountains on horseback.
• Estamos para acabar.
  We are almost finished.

Here again, the basic rule is sometimes contradicted, at least in appearance, especially because the notions of cause and purpose can be joined. Por is mandatory in the examples below.

• Luchábamos por la vida.
  We were fighting for life (because of life).
• Pelearon por eso.
  They fought over it (because of it).

Both prepositions are sometimes possible, but the meaning is not exactly the same.

• Lo hago por ti.
  I do it for you (because of you, for your sake).
• Lo hago para ti.
  I am doing it for you (to please you, to do you a favor).

We can see that while Spanish may sometimes seem easy when you hear people speak it, mastering it is not always so. But knowing a few basic ideas coupled with practice helps to avoid common mistakes that will soon seem obvious.

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