Common English Mistakes in Instructional Guides by Spanish Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Spanish speakers from Mexico when writing a Instructional Guide in English.

Mistake Example #1

Direct translation of Spanish expressions ('I have 25 years' instead of 'I am 25 years old')

To prepare the delicious guacamole, you need to follow these steps. First, you take two avocados and remove the skin and the seed. Then, you mash them in a bowl until they are smooth. After, you add one chopped tomato, a little onion, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well and taste itto see if it needs more salt. Finally, you serve itwith tortilla chips and enjoyit with your friends. Remember, the guacamole is better if you eat it fresh.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Your ideas were all very clear :) I just made a few small changes to polish things up. "

To prepare delicious guacamole, you need to follow these steps. First, you take two avocados and remove the skin and the seed. Then, you mash them in a bowl until they are smooth. After, you add one chopped tomato, a little onion, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well and taste it to see if it needs more salt. Finally, you serve it with tortilla chips and enjoy it with your friends. Remember, the guacamole is better if you eat it fresh.

To prepare the delicious guacamole, you need to follow these steps. First, you take two avocados and remove the skin and the seed. Then, you mash them in a bowl until they are smooth. After, you add one chopped tomato, a little onion, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything well and taste to see if it needs more salt. Finally, you serve with tortilla chips and enjoy with your friends. Remember, the guacamole is better if you eat it fresh.

Mistake Example #2

Overuse of present continuous ('I am going to the school every day' instead of 'I go to school every day')

To makea delicious guacamole, you arestarting by gathering all the ingredients. You arechopping the avocados and tomatoes into small pieces, and you aremixing them in a bowl. Then, you are adding lime juice and salt to taste. You arestirring everything together until it is well combined. Finally, you areservinge the guacamole with tortilla chips, and you areenjoying it with your friends.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Great job! Very few changes were needed to correct the instructions. "

To make delicious guacamole, you start by gathering all the ingredients. You chop the avocados and tomatoes into small pieces, and you mix them in a bowl. Then, you add lime juice and salt to taste. You stir everything together until it is well combined. Finally, you serve the guacamole with tortilla chips, and you enjoy it with your friends.

To make a delicious guacamole, you are starting by gathering all the ingredients. You are chopping the avocados and tomatoes into small pieces, and you are mixing them in a bowl. Then, you are adding lime juice and salt to taste. You are stirring everything together until it is well combined. Finally, you are serving the guacamole with tortilla chips, and you are enjoying it with your friends.

Mistake Example #3

Misuse of prepositions ('Married with' instead of 'Married to')

To prepare the perfect guacamole,you start with ripe avocados and cut them in half. Remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a bowl., Tthen, mash the avocado with a fork until it is smooth but still with some chunks. Add chopped onion, cilantro, and lime juice, mixing everything with a spoon. Remember to taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips or as a topping withfor tacos. Enjoy your delicious guacamole with friends and family!

Text corrected by:
Michele A., Boston, Massachusetts; United States

"I just replaced a word or two to make the English sound more natural. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

To prepare the perfect guacamole, start with ripe avocados and cut them in half. Remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a bowl, then mash the avocado with a fork until it is smooth but still with some chunks. Add chopped onion, cilantro, and lime juice, mixing everything with a spoon. Remember to taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos. Enjoy your delicious guacamole with friends and family!

To prepare the perfect guacamole, you start with ripe avocados and cut them in half. Remove the pit and scoop the flesh in a bowl. Then, mash the avocado with a fork until it is smooth but still with some chunks. Add chopped onion, cilantro, and lime juice, mixing everything with a spoon. Remember to taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips or as a topping with tacos. Enjoy your delicious guacamole with friends and family!