Translation is the most common reason for people using the wrong word when learning English. Spanish has many words that are also used in English (usually with different pronunciation), which can be a good thing but also a bad thing when the meanings of the words are different in the two languages.
In this lesson, I'll explain some English mistakes related to words that Spanish speakers and Portuguese speakers often use incorrectly and what word they should say instead.
If you find this lesson useful, you'll love my books "Stop Saying That!" with 200 lessons on wrong phrases that Spanish and Portuguese students use in English and how to correct them, as well as "What's the Difference Between....?" with 100 lessons explaining the differences between words that Spanish and Portuguese students get confused about like either & neither, hope & wish, make & do, and to & for, among many others.
The 10 Common Mistakes Are...
Saying "compromise" when it should be "commit" (verb) or "commitment" (noun)
The verb "commit" and noun "commitment" express that someone is dedicated to something. The verb/noun "compromise" does exist and is an agreement that people make when they have different preferences but this is a very different idea.
Everyone on this team compromised to our goal (incorrect)
Everyone on this team committed to our goal (correct)
Saying "actually" when it should be "currently"
The phrase "actually" can be used to introduce the truth about something ("people think I'm young but actually I'm 42 years old") but "actually" can not describe the present time. If you want to talk about the present time, you can use "currently", "these days", or "nowadays":
I'm taking English classes actually (incorrect if it's about the present time)
I'm taking English classes currently/nowadays/these days (correct)
Saying "no" when it should be "not"
Spanish speakers tend to say "no" to make an adjective or adverb negative but this is incorrect. You need to use "not" to make these words negative (or the contraction n't):
It's no cold outside / She no likes it (incorrect)
It's not cold outside / She doesn't like it (correct)
Saying "anything" when it should be "nothing"
The word "nothing" means zero quantity and it makes a whole sentence or clause negative. On the other hand, "anything" is a positive word and makes a sentence positive. "Anything" is like saying "something but it doesn't matter which one exactly". When Spanish speakers want to make a sentence negative they can use "nothing" with the rest of the sentence positive, but not "anything"
It was a disaster. Anything went well (incorrect)
It was a disaster. Nothing went well. (correct - zero things went well)
Saying "depends of" when it should be "depends on"
The preposition that is used with the verb "depend" is "on", not "of"
My plans tomorrow will depend of the weather (incorrect)
My plans tomorrow will depend on the weather (correct)
Saying "before to" when it should be just "before"
The word "before" (and "after") is a preposition so it doesn't need another preposition with it and doesn't use "to". Instead, you should just say "before" with a noun. Also, prepositions connect with verbs in "ing" form so it's incorrect to use "to" with a verb after the word "before":
You should study before to the test / You should study before to take the test (incorrect)
You should study before the test / You should study before taking the test (correct)
Saying "make" too much when it should be "do"
The verb "make" does have some common noun objects that it connects with, such as "make a decision", "make a mistake", and "make a reservation". However, when we are talking about action generally, we use "do" and not "make".
What did you make yesterday? / I don't know what he made wrong to get arrested (incorrect)
What did you do yesterday? / I don't know what he did wrong to get arrested (correct)
Saying "for" with a base form verb when it should be "to"
One of the main types of verbs in English is called the infinitive verb, which is created by combining "to" and a present base form verb. Examples of this kind of infinitive verb are "to take", "to buy", and "to see". An infinitive verb is often used to describe the purpose or goal of another actions, such as "I went to the store to buy some food", where the verb "to buy" explains the purpose of going to the store. On the other hand, adding "for" to a present base form is not possible in English so you cannot say "for take", "for buy" or "for see".
I went to the zoo for see the animals / I need a maid for clean my house (incorrect)
I went to the zoo to see the animals / I need a maid to clean my house (correct)
Saying "for" when it should be "because of"
When giving a cause of a situation with a noun, you need to use "because of" to explain this cause, not "for". As an example, if you are late and the reason is traffic, you should say: "I was late because of traffic", not "I was late for traffic". The preposition "for" is something that looks to the future and gives a purpose of doing something.
The game was cancelled for bad weather (incorrect)
The game was cancelled because of bad weather (correct)
Saying "resume" when it should be "summary"
The word "summary" means a short description of only the main points about something, such as the summary of a movie or the summary of a presentation. The verb is "summarize", which means "to give a summary". The word "resume" is a verb to continue something after stopping temporarily but it does not relate to the action of summarizing something.
I'd like to give you a short resume of our business plan (incorrect)
I'd like to give you a short summary of our business plan (correct)
Practice
Choose the correct word:
I'm not sure if I'm going to go out tonight. I depends of/on how I feel.
She didn't end up buying the car for/because of the price.
We tried many different ways to solve the problem but nothing/anything worked so we gave up.
I always get travel insurance before to go/before going on a trip.
Currently/Actually, the bridge is closed due to construction.
I know you're busy, so I'll just give you a summary/resume of what we discussed at the meeting.
If you want to achieve a difficult goal, you have to fully compromise/commit to it.
I like to go to the beach for relax/to relax and forget all of my problems.
He doesn't do/make anything. He just sleeps all day.
Answers
I'm not sure if I'm going to go out tonight. I depends on how I feel.
She didn't end up buying the car because of the price.
We tried many different ways to solve the problem but nothing worked so we gave up.
I always get travel insurance before going on a trip.
Currently, the bridge is closed due to construction.
I know you're busy, so I'll just give you a summary of what we discussed at the meeting.
If you want to achieve a difficult goal, you have to fully commit to it.
I like to go to the beach to relax and forget all of my problems.
He doesn't do anything. He just sleeps all day.
Comments