Common Mistakes in English for Spanish Speakers

A lot has been written about false friends in English and Spanish. Although a lot of cognates (similar words) exist in the languages, there are also a lot of false friends and also differences in phases, which are confusing for Spanish-speaking learners of English. This is just a quick look at some common mistakes that I've come across in my time in Spain as a learner of Spanish and my private classes.

Firstly this is a phrase that is really useful to learn:

I've been = llevo
Example: I've been here for four months. (Llevo aquí cuatro meses.)

In English we use the present perfect tense to refer to a period of time that continues until the present day and this can't be expressed in the present tense, as in Spanish.

Some vocabulary related to education:

marks/ grades (notas) - Don't say 'notes'!
folder (carpeta) Don't say 'carpet'!

Verbs

These English verbs can be confusing as there are false friends in Spanish.

attend (assitir)

The verb 'attend' is a more formal way of expressing 'go to'. It collocates (goes with) nouns such as 'meeting' or 'conference'. It does not mean 'assist', which in English means 'help' (but is more formal).

Example: Are you attending the meeting next week?

Example: Should you need somone to assist you, you can call the helpline.

treat (invitar)

Spanish friends have (fortunately) often said to me 'I'll invite you!', when offering to pay for a coffee. In English we actually say 'I'll treat you!'.

It can also be used reflexively (treat oneself).

Example: I'm going to treat myself to a coffee at Starbucks.

have (tomar)

It is a very common mistake to use 'take' with food or drink. In english we use 'have'.

Example: Would you like to have drinks on Friday after work?

argue (discutir)
discuss/ talk about (hablar sobre)

In English 'argue' and 'discuss' are often confused. 'Argue' (discutir) has the meaning of speaking angrily to someone because you disagree with them. 'Discuss' or 'talk about' has the meaning of talking about a subject with someone in order to share opinions.

Other words and phrases

agree (estar de acuerdo)
I agree (NOT: I am agree)

In discussions in English students often say 'I am agree'. This is a mistranslation as in English the verb 'be' is not used with the verb 'agree', as in the Spanish.

constipated (estreñido)/ congested (constipado)
actually (en realidad)/ currently (actualmente)
disappoint (decepcionar)/ deceive (engañar)

Phrasal verbs

take off (remove) = quitar

Example: You should take off your make-up before going to bed.

run out of = quedarse sin

Example: I've run out of milk.

get on with (one meaning) = llevarse con

Example: We've always got on well.

Indirect/ Reported Speech

Often students get confused when using this structure and misuse an auxiliary verb (eg.does) as if asking a direct question. Instead, the subject and verb structure should be used as in a normal statement.

I asked him how long does it take to get to Manchester. X
CORRECT: I asked him how long it takes to get to Manchester.
I don't know why does he always behave badly. X
CORRECT: I don't know why he always behaves badly.