Linguistic Stumbles: common mistakes among Spanish students and their curious causes

Learning Spanish as a second language is an adventure full of discoveries... and inevitable misunderstandings.
From false friends to challenging pronunciations, Spanish learners often make recurring mistakes that, more than simple slip-ups, reveal fascinating aspects of the language’s structure and cultural differences.

One of the most frequent errors is the confusion between the verbs “ser” and “estar”, both of which translate to “to be”in English. It’s not unusual to hear beginners say “soy cansado” instead of “estoy cansado”, changing the meaning from “I’m tired” (I feel fatigued) to “I’m a tired person by nature.”

Another classic mistake is the incorrect use of verb tenses. For learners whose native languages have simpler verb systems—like English or Mandarin Chinese—navigating tenses such as the preterite and imperfect can become a labyrinth. Phrases like “cuando era niño, comí muchos dulces” can draw smiles: the student meant they used to eat sweets regularly, but chose a tense that implies a one-time action.

False friends also lead to hilarious confusion. A classic case: students seriously stating “Estoy embarazada” when they mean “I’m embarrassed”, influenced by the English word “embarrassed”, without realizing they’ve just announced a fictional pregnancy.

Prepositions are another battleground. Expressions like “pensar sobre” instead of “pensar en”, or “buscar por” instead of simply “buscar”, stem directly from the logic of other languages.

Why do these mistakes happen? According to Laura Morales, a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language, most errors stem from linguistic interference: “Students tend to apply the rules of their native language to Spanish, unconsciously. Sometimes their brains look for quick ‘bridges’ to communicate, even if those bridges aren’t always correct.”

Other mistakes have cultural roots. For instance, in cultures where extreme verbal politeness is common, students may use unnecessarily formal expressions in casual situations, creating a distant or exaggerated impression.

Despite everything, experts agree: making mistakes is an essential part of learning. “Each mistake is an opportunity to better understand not just the language, but also the way of thinking and feeling in Spanish,” says Morales.

And so, amid confusions between ser and estar, false linguistic pregnancies, and tricky verbs, Spanish learners keep moving forward—with humor, patience, and passion.