English Exam Tips for Spanish Speakers
Spanish and English share many Latin-based words, which helps with vocabulary. The main problems come from false friends, dropped subjects, and tense choices that work differently in English.
Common Challenges for Spanish Speakers
- False Friends: Some words look the same in both languages but mean different things. Example: "Actually" means "in fact", not "currently" (actualmente). "Embarrassed" means "avergonzado", not "embarazada".
- Missing Subjects: Spanish often drops the subject. English always needs one, even "it" or "there". Example: "It is raining" not "Is raining". "There are many people" not "Are many people".
- Adjective Position: Adjectives usually go before the noun in English, and they never take a plural -s. Example: "Two expensive cars" not "two cars expensives".
- For and Since: Spanish uses the present tense with "desde hace". English uses the present perfect. Example: "I have lived here for five years" not "I live here since five years".
- Double Negatives: Spanish uses two negatives together. Standard English uses only one. Example: "I don't know anything" not "I don't know nothing".
- Pronunciation of s + consonant: Spanish speakers often add an "e" sound before words that start with s + consonant. Example: Say "Spain", "study", "school", not "Espain", "estudy", "eschool".
Grammar Tips for Spanish Speakers
- Present Perfect vs Past Simple: Use the past simple with finished time: "I ate at two o'clock" not "I have eaten at two o'clock".
- Gerund vs Infinitive: Some verbs take -ing, others take "to": "I enjoy swimming", but "I want to swim".
- Possessives: English uses "his" for a man and "her" for a woman. Spanish "su" does not show this: "Maria and her brother".
- It for Things: Use "it" for objects and animals, not "he" or "she": "The table is old. It is made of oak."
- Conditionals: Do not use "will" in the if-clause: "If it rains, we will stay home."
- Make vs Do: Spanish "hacer" can be "make" or "do": "make a mistake", "do homework", "make a decision".
Vocabulary Advice
- Keep a list of false friends: actually, embarrassed, sensible, assist, carpet, realise
- Learn phrasal verbs. English often uses "look for" or "give up" where Spanish uses one verb
- Learn collocations as fixed pairs: "make a mistake", "take a photo", "pay attention"
- Use your Latin-based vocabulary in formal writing, but check the meaning first
- Learn words with their prepositions: "depend on", "dream about", "married to"
- Note words that are uncountable in English: information, advice, news, furniture
Exam Strategies
- In writing, check every sentence has a subject
- Keep sentences shorter than you would in Spanish, as long chains of clauses lose clarity
- Check present perfect and past simple in every text you write
- In open cloze tasks, watch for "it" and "there" as answers
- In speaking, practice word stress, since English stress is less regular than Spanish
- Listen for weak forms like "to" and "of", which are hard to hear in fast speech
¡Ánimo! Your Spanish gives you thousands of English words you already know.