So you don't want to sound like a 'Gringo'?

(Or 10 mistakes that native English speakers make when speaking Spanish and how to avoid them)

You probably have studied Spanish for some years in High School or College. You can communicate effectively with basic sentences, and you want to improve your fluency. You find that you are getting better but you cannot master the language just yet. You still sound funny; things not always seem to translate well.

Now the time has come for you to stop sounding like a language learner and to avoid some common mistakes that English speakers make when they speak Spanish. You don’t want to sound like a 'Gringo' anymore!

I have taught many students, helped many to achieve fluency, prepare for tests or trips. Every student has their particular motivation and need. Whatever the case may be, I encourage them to strive to keep practicing and improving consistently.

Why is it then, that some beginner students find it easy to sound like a near native, while others might have a lot of vocabulary, master verbs but can´t seem to get the accent or expressions right?

I have found that the more time my students spend (outside our lesson time) in contact with Spanish, the better they can pick up sounds and accents. They know instinctively how the language sounds and how it should sound when they speak.

Pronunciation is not the only issue to sound more like a native. There is also the topic of translating expressions from English that don’t apply in Spanish.

So, what is my advice for Spanish learners? I have several pointers, suggestions or reminders. Not all is about grammar, some of it is also about the right attitude. Some apply to any language learner, whatever their native language is, and whatever the target language is too.

1. Get the sounds right, from the start. Don’t be ashamed to review the alphabet and its pronunciation even if you have already had lessons and are not an absolute beginner. Chances are you will find that it will help you pick up a couple pronunciation mistakes you had been dragging on.

2. Vowels in Spanish: each vowel has one sound and it never changes or turns into an unwritten diphthong. Watch out especially for words starting in U. For example Universidad, universo, unico, etc. Don’t pronounce the U as IU. It is a flat sound, no transitions. Whenever there is a diphthong, the vowels are pronounced just as the word reads: Europa sounds EU not IU.

3. Listen to A LOT of Spanish, from different countries, at different speeds, on different topics. Yes, you might not catch every word but it is still a good way to get a feel of how the language is pronounced and you might incorporate a new word here and there. The aim is not necessarily to understand everything if you are not there yet, so don’t let it frustrate you. You understood only parts? A word kept repeating but you didn’t know what it meant? Bring questions to the lesson! We love working with your questions!

4. When you are in a lesson, reading or speaking, a good habit is to repeat after the teacher corrects the pronunciation of a word, give it a try. Pronounce it again, this time as the teacher said. You will start remembering the right pronunciation easier than if you just acknowledge the correction without repeating. And if you had written homework and the teacher corrects things, write notes to remember so you can avoid those mistakes in the future. Don’t be ashamed to write things down, to repeat words several times, and to ask questions. Accept corrections with a positive attitude and turn them into an opportunity to learn, don’t be discouraged if you got something wrong. We all learn through our mistakes!

5. Don’t be frustrated by your lack of speed or the mistakes you make when speaking. Keep practicing. Change topics often. Try new situations. The teacher will surely keep you motivated and will help you choose your conversations. Embrace language learning as an adventure, enjoy the process. So what if you haven’t achieved perfection? Don’t let it hinder your steady improvement. Attitude is everything!

6. Now onto some specific verbs: Ser and estar….if you get them wrong or think you can interchange them at will; it will be a dead giveaway that you are a learner. So spend some time picking up the rules and examples on how to know which one to use. And keep practicing. The more you speak, mistakes and all, the more you will be able to apply these properly and even self-correct because you will know if they sound funny when you get them wrong.

7. Remember, many verbs don't translate well:

In Spanish we do not play instruments or music, we use the verb tocar (to touch) :

Mi hermano toca el piano NOT Mi hermano juega el piano

And we do not walk the dog; we use the verb pasear (to go around, to stroll, to visit):

Paseo a mi perro todas las mañanas NOT Camino a mi perro todas las mañanas

We are not our age, we have it: (verbo tener)

Tengo 34 años NOT Soy 34 años

8. Whenever possible, leave the pronoun out. Because verbs in Spanish when conjugated have a different ending for each pronoun, the verb itself tells you who performs the action. You will sound more like a native speaker if you use pronouns only when necessary, for example when you bring up some new person into the conversation or to clarify who performs some action:

Vuelvo pronto. Salgo al médico y llego antes del almuerzo.

NOT Yo vuelvo pronto. Yo salgo al médico y yo llego antes del almuerzo.

9. Remember to match articles and adjectives with the noun, with the main idea. Match them in number and in gender. At first you will go slower and have to think about it every time, but with enough practice it will start sounding right or wrong intuitively, I promise! Just keep practicing conversation as much as possible. So you figured it out by now, male nouns end in O and female nouns end in A. But get these exceptions right:

Male nouns that end in A:

El mapa es antiguo

Hay un problema nuevo

Tengo un sistema perfecto

Hoy es un día tranquilo

Female nouns that end in O:

Tu mano está fría

La foto es muy bonita

10. Reflexive verbs: Remember that when the verb used is reflexive, you don't need a possessive pronoun, otherwise it sounds redundant:

Yo me lavo las manos antes de comer

NOT Yo me lavo mis manos antes de comer

These are only some of the typical mistakes English native speakers usually make when they are learning Spanish. There are others that you simply might not be aware of, and once you get them right, they make all the difference in your overall Spanish fluency and acquisition.

I can understand native English speakers, their intentions when speaking and their English expressions, so I know what they want to say and correct their mistakes with simple but effective explanations. If you are determined NOT to sound like a ‘Gringo’, I can help you! I encourage you to look into my lessons. Hope to see you around!