It’s only natural to make mistakes when learning a new language. It’s not only natural, it’s essential for improving your Spanish. You should consider that mistakes are opportunities to learn. They allow you to gain knowledge and accelerate your learning (in any circumstances). The important thing is to view mistakes as a useful stepping stone to speaking and understanding Spanish better. Be proud of yourself for embarking on something new, challenging and rewarding!

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” Unknown

Fortunately, after more than a decade of teaching Spanish to children and adults, I’ve recognized many of the same mistakes occurring again and again. This list of the most common pitfalls for English-speakers learning Spanish should be very helpful for your learning process. Read through the many errors below and keep a mental or written note to help give you a boost to communicating like a native speaker.

Gender Confusion of Nouns

All Spanish nouns are either feminine (la casa – the house) or masculine (el sombrero – the hat). English nouns don’t have a gender, so it’s confusing for English-speakers to assign an object with a masculine or feminine quality. The standard rule in Spanish is that nouns that end in “a” are feminine and the rest are masculine. If only it were that simple. Just like in English, there are exceptions to the rules of grammar. For example, many words that end in “ma” are usually masculine despite ending in the letter a.

Unnecessary Pronouns

In Spanish, the verb form tells listeners about whom they’re speaking; so actually saying the pronoun (yo, tú, él, nosotros, etc) isn’t necessary. In fact, using pronouns often gives away that you’re not a native speaker and you’ll also sound too formal. It’s understandable, because in English a sentence wouldn’t make sense without the pronoun, i.e. wants to learn to play piano. Who wants to learn to play piano? But in Spanish, the verb tells you the who.

Backwards Adjectives

Basically Spanish is “backwards” from English with regards to where adjectives are placed. In English, we put most adjectives before the noun. For example, we would say “the black bird”, but in Spanish, many adjectives come after the noun. The correct way to say the black bird in Spanish would be: el pájaro negro (the bird black).

Adjective/Noun Non-Agreement

In English, adjectives do not agree (masculine or feminine) with the nouns. This makes it difficult for English-speakers to automatically think of matching the adjective to the noun, as in Spanish (you also need to agree with the noun with singular or plural). For example, las casas blancas (the white houses) matches the noun gender (a) and number (s) with the adjective.

Using “False Friends” (False Cognates)

Cognates are words that sound and look similar in Spanish and English, i.e. clase and class. There are many cognates, but some are “false friends”; they seem to mean the same thing, but they actually don’t. For example, you may think that asistir means to assist, but it actually means to attend (as in to attend a college). Be careful of false cognates because you could say something you really don’t want to, i.e.: estoy embarazada sounds like – I’m embarrassed, but it really means – I’m pregnant.

Pronunciation Errors

Spanish vowels are easy for English-speakers because they’re the same sound in English and they never change. Consonants are another story. Most are similar, but some are completely different in Spanish. For example, with words that begin with the letter “h”, the “h” is not pronounced (it’s silent). When you see “ll” it’s pronounced like a “y” (in most countries). Also the “j” is said like the “h”. There are many more like this, so make sure you practice the correct pronunciation!

Forgetting to be Respectful

The cultural influence of Spanish-speakers is built into their language usage. Hispanics show respect for elders and people in authority with the language they use to communicate with them. For example, in Latin America they use the tú form of a verb (informal) to speak with an “equal” or the usted form (formal) to show respect to another person. English-speakers may become confused on when to use which form and might unknowingly insult elders or be too formal with friends.

Confusing Ser and Estar

This is probably the most confusing aspect for English-speakers because ser and estar mean exactly the same: to be, but they are used in different circumstances. In general, ser is used for permanent states of being, like how someone looks, their career, their personality traits, etc. while estar refers to temporary states of being, like a location or a feeling. There’s much more to learn about ser and estar, so you’ll just have to learn the rules and do your best.

Remember to keep note of these common errors in hopes of avoiding them. And never feel embarrassed that you’ve made a mistake. Learning Spanish is a process that takes time, patience and persistence. If you learn from your mistakes, they can be your best teachers. Mistakes will propel you forward on your language learning journey. Be patient and gentle with yourself and you’ll surely get to your Spanish-speaking destination!

I believe it’s important that people aren’t fooled by myths to keep themselves or others from obtaining a skill that can so greatly improve their lives. Here are some of the myths I’ve heard about language learning over the years:

In the Past, Immigrants Learned English with the “Sink or Swim” Method

Many people argue that we shouldn’t give any special treatment for immigrants to learn English in America. They believe that, in the past, immigrants learned the language quickly and without any help, so current immigrants should do the same. This theory has some flaws.

It’s highly possible that many adult immigrants of the past did not learn English well, for quite some time, if at all. People moved into ethnic neighborhoods, socialized with each other and worked in entry level jobs where little English was needed.  Think about how multilingual the country must have been during the European immigration years. For example, there were newspapers in many different languages in all the major cities.

In addition, immigrants of the past had fewer reasons to learn English than they do today. Today many jobs require at least a high school degree. You’ll need more than that, if you want to actually support a family. Not to mention, the myriad of forms you’ll have to fill out (in English) to get a job, deal with insurance issues, government papers, enroll your children in school, etc.

It may have been possible to “get by” without English a hundred years ago, but this is not true today. We need to help immigrants learn English, so that they can have a better life for themselves and their families and contribute to the society as a whole.

Children Learn Languages Quicker & Easier than Adults

A child is exposed to a language for at least a full year before he ever utters a word. Then when he does, it’s very elementary. He may start with one word at a time and then add others, but without using the correct grammar. We don’t even start teaching grammar formally until the second grade; after a child’s been exposed to the language for about seven years with parents helping his progress along the way. I wouldn’t say this is considered “learning a language quickly and easily”.

Then, when we start teaching a child a second language, we do it more naturally than we do for adults. We teach children simple vocabulary and phrases, with pictures, short stories and fun activities. Conversely, we typically start teaching older students with grammar first. This is the complete opposite of how we learned our first language. It’s much harder than gradually being exposed to the language naturally. This is another reason why we think it’s easier for children to learn, but it’s definitely not true.

The Best Way to Learn a Foreign Language is to Live in another Country

Living in a foreign country for a substantial period of time, will help you to understand the everyday language of the country and learn basic speaking skills. But, you’ll have to support your learning with formal instruction or independent study. Otherwise, you will just learn what you need, in order to survive.

By living in a country where you don’t know the language, you’ll be forced into a position where it’s inevitable that you’ll make many mistakes, because you’ll have to speak. Natives won’t correct you, because they’ll try to be nice and understand you, even if your grammar or pronunciation is horrendous. Then, your mistakes can turn into bad habits, which are hard to break.

Learning in your own country may be a better option, if you can find a good language school, can motivate yourself and can find opportunities to practice the language you’re learning. After you’re confidently fluent in the target language, then going to another country can help to improve your language proficiency. Not to mention, it will be great fun, to be able to speak well to the natives.

Unfortunately, these and many more myths surrounding language learning keep people from embarking on an exciting adventure of learning a new language and culture. Now that you know some of the truths, I hope you won’t let any myths stop you from benefiting from all the great assets you could obtain from being bilingual!

The video reminded me of how people judge others who speak another language without even thinking about the struggles that person may be going through.  What if there were ‘magic’ glasses that translated the thoughts of others? When you put on these glasses with non-English speakers, you might see: “feeling insecure because I can’t speak English well”, “wish I could talk to them”, “trying to get a job so I can support my family”, “miss my family in my native country”, etc.

Millions of people in the U.S. speak more than one language and approximately 337 different languages are spoken in the United States. It’s inevitable that everyone in this country has come across someone who may not speak English well. What do you think when you see or meet someone who has difficulty speaking English? Do you speak a little slower, so they can understand you? Are you patient with them, as they try to think of and pronounce the words they want to say to you? Do you realize how insecure they feel speaking in their second language? Do you think about how hard it is for them to find a good job or get promoted?

From a human perspective, we all want to be understood; whether we speak another language or not. We all have similar worries, dreams and hopes swimming around in our minds. No one lives their lives without joys and struggles. Moreover, our lives and the difficulties we experience are not any more or less important than the people we meet. Neither is there a time when we should consider ourselves better or less than any other human being. It’s a shame to see examples of times when people don’t realize this and put themselves on an exalted level at the suffering of someone else.

Unfortunately, I experienced an example of this when I was standing at the end of a line at an airport fast food establishment. A gentleman was placing his order and the counter person (being from India) had difficulty understanding what he was saying, because her English skills were poor. He loudly and angrily repeated the order. The poor woman behind the counter was so shaken by his yelling and obvious aggressive nature she ended up giving him the wrong order. He kept yelling at her and he finally said: “You dumb $%#@! You can’t even speak English! Go back to your country!” Believe it or not, things turned worse from there.

The people behind him in the line started to get aggravated that they had to wait, (it was only a few minutes that had passed). They started saying things, like: “Come on!” “Hurry Up!” “What’s taking so long?” Now, with everyone making the matter worse, it was as if the woman behind the counter was faced with an angry mob, all because of a lousy cheeseburger and fries.

Everything happened so fast, I felt I was almost in a state of shock. Looking back, I wish I had reacted faster to help this woman. Just as I started to go up to the counter and defend the woman, another worker came to her rescue. The Indian woman retreated through a back door. I imagined she went somewhere and cried or went straight home. Who knows how that experience affected her life?

I was so distraught after seeing this happen. I couldn’t believe that people could be so cruel, just because someone had a little difficulty understanding the language. If the counter person was having trouble understanding because of her language difficulties, the customer could have spoken slower or wrote down what he wanted. Instead, he automatically felt he was better than the worker and used his false sense of superiority to abuse the woman.

In reality, she may be fluent in more languages than the man at the counter and may even have an advanced degree from her country; but has to take an entry level job because she is still learning English. Maybe she fled her country due to violence or poverty. Maybe she works two jobs and studies English every day, so she can provide a better life for her child. Without the ‘magic’ translation glasses we never know what struggles someone may be going through (without asking).

What if everyone had these ‘magic’ translation glasses? Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had empathy or sympathy for others? Whether it’s how we look, how we speak or what we say. There would no language or other barriers between us. We would never judge others or be judged. It seems it would be a kinder world in which to live.

When people are beginning to learn a new language, they usually try to listen to every single sound in every single word that a speaker says. Then they translate each word they hear. When they’ve finally translated the word in their head, they’re already many words behind. It can certainly be frustrating for beginning learners, but if they keep practicing, it won’t be so difficult.

Eventually, listening to Spanish becomes just like listening to English; you hear the whole sentence and you understand everything that was said, naturally, without translating. When you have a strong grasp of the language, you no longer have to focus on each word individually. You understand the language in chunks instead of separate words.

I also suggest to those with the concern about Spanish-speakers talking too quickly, to pay attention to their own rate of speech and realize how fast English must sound to a non-native English-speaker. If you say a few sentences out loud, you’ll notice how the words sometimes blend together as you say them. It’s the same as when you’re listening to a Spanish-speaker. It seems fast, but it’s just a natural rate of speech.

Besides the above mentioned reasons why Spanish may seem faster to English-speakers, there are some other factors to consider. I’ve noticed that there are definite variations in the pronunciation of words and the rate of speech among native Spanish-speakers. The differences I’ve observed depend on gender, the country of origin and the topic being discussed.

As far as gender affecting a person’s language, in my experience, sometimes women seem to pronounce words more completely from the first syllable to the last. Their pronunciation of words appears to be clearer and at a slower pace. On the contrary, men seem to cut off the endings of words and blend them together more often. I can’t say that I’ve read research on this topic; it’s just something I’ve observed personally.

Another factor to consider is that Spanish-speakers may come from an array of countries and that may also affect how fast they talk. Culture influences the language of people, so it seems only natural that those from different countries may speak differently. Next time you’re listening to a Spanish-speaker, pay attention to how they pronounce their words and how quickly they are speaking. Take note of the country where they were born and see if you can find a correlation with others from the same country.

A final aspect that I’ve noticed affects a person’s rate of speech is the particular topic the speaker is discussing. If it is a casual conversation, the speaker has a relaxed, slower pace to their communication. If it is a sensitive or volatile subject being discussed, the speaker increases the speed at which they speak. This probably happens no matter what language is being spoken.

Overall, I believe that a Spanish-speaker may sound like he or she is speaking faster, but there are many reasons why this may seem true to a beginning language learner.  After much practice with the new language, it won’t matter how fast they are speaking. When you internalize the language, understanding it becomes natural to you, no matter how fast they talk. It just takes lots of practice with the language, but you’ll get there!

An example of ‘Spanglish” is when a Spanish-speaker says troca for truck instead of the true Spanish word camion, or carpeta for carpet which is actually alfombra in Spanish. Another instance is when a sentence contains both Spanish and English words, i.e. Voy a pagar con cash. (I’m going to pay with cash.)

‘Spanglish’ originated in the late 1960s, within the Latino community in the U.S. and it is generally positively regarded as a bi-cultural means of communicating that reflects the bi-cultural identity of Latino-Americans. Many academics believe that ‘Spanglish’ is just a bastardization of both languages.

However, one could argue that it is a new language that is evolving in order for Spanish and English-speakers to be able to communicate with each other. Isn’t that what language is all about? The goal of language is to communicate thoughts and ideas. As long the speaker and the listener know the words being spoken then there is communication.

Of course there are other considerations besides the mere act of communicating. Some fear that it isolates Hispanics in America from the rest of the Hispanic world because they no longer speak the “pure” Spanish. ‘Spanglish’ also elicits disapproval from many, because it implies that a person is uneducated in their native language or that they are not honoring their ancestors or origin of birth.

Regardless of how we may feel about it, ‘Spanglish’ is a reality in America. It is used by millions of Hispanics, studied by scholars and taught in universities. There is even an official ‘Spanglish’ dictionary with over 300 words and phrases that aren’t exactly Spanish or English.

The majority of Hispanics are completely bilingual; talking to both Spanish and English-speakers on a regular basis. It seems only natural that the two languages they know are going to blend together occasionally. Moreover, throwing in a little ‘Spanglish’ is a great way to bring people who speak English into the conversation. Everyone can communicate a little with each other.

Not knowing another’s language creates a great divide among people. How can you connect with someone if you can’t communicate? We have so many other things that divide us for different reasons; why not bend the language a bit so we can connect?

Simply connecting through communication is what has driven my company for the last ten years. It is the basis of how we design our language learning programs. Not that we teach ‘Spanglish”, but our programs are created in a way that let people immediately communicate with each other. No worries about perfect grammar, perfect pronunciation or syntax; just learn what you need to facilitate communication. That’s it!

KAMMS’ programs teach essential Spanish and teach essential English. Our vision is that each person will learn a little, communication will occur and ultimately a connection will be made. We hope to help build the bridge of communication that brings people together.

‘Spanglish’ seems to do the same thing in another way. Some Hispanics have developed their own manner of communication where everyone can be included in the conversation. In the big picture, the essence of humanity is connecting with other humans on some level. ‘Spanglish’ is just another way to do it.

Please feel free to comment below! Thanks!

But recently, I thought about the many people that tell me all of the reasons that they should not learn a new language. I’ve heard it all: I can’t learn languages. I’m no good at it. I failed that class in high school. Why should I have to learn? I tried, but it’s too hard. I get bored. I don’t need to know another language. And so on…

I’d like to ask these people: If learning languages was completely “easy” would they feel the same way? Probably not. It seems those antiquated foreign language classes in high school and the old school techniques used in most self-paced language programs has put a sour taste on learning a new language.

It’s going to take some undoing, but KAMMS plans to help change the bum rap language learning has earned. People need to understand it’s like anything else; it’s all about how you learn. Just like when you had a bad teacher in school. If they don’t know how to teach, it makes for a bad experience and you don’t want to go to class.

I always go for the simplest, easiest and most direct way to do something. That’s the way people can learn a second language too. I don’t want to digress to a shameless plug for KAMMS, but I don’t want to leave you hanging either. So how can it be easy? Well, that’s the way KAMMS‘ Spanish and English on the Job programs are designed. It can be so easy!

I wish you great success! Stacey Kammerman CEO KAMMS

If you have any ideas about how to change the perception about language learning to show people it is easy and fun, please comment below.

Basically, there are two ways we experience language: input and output. “Input” is what we take “in”, i.e. reading and listening. “Output” is what we put “out”. For example speaking and writing. Input is the most effective way to learn (internalize) a new language. When you are first learning a new language, concentrate on listening and reading everything possible in the target language. Once you feel confident that you have internalized the new vocabulary, then start to use “output” and speak and write what you have learned.

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