Common English Mistakes in Essay Writing Practices by Spanish Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Spanish speakers from Mexico when writing a Essay Writing Practice in English.

Mistake Example #1

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

I am writing an essay about my daily routine. I amwakinge up at 7 AMa.m. every day and I amhavinge breakfast with my family. After that, I amgoing tothe school and I amstudying hard for my exams. In the afternoon, I amplaying soccer with my friends in the park.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"Nice job overall. Some of the verbs needed to be in the simple present tense."

I am writing an essay about my daily routine. I wake up at 7 a.m. every day and have breakfast with my family. After that, I go to school and study hard for my exams. In the afternoon, I play soccer with my friends in the park.

I am writing an essay about my daily routine. I am waking up at 7 AM every day and I am having breakfast with my family. After that, I am going to the school and I am studying hard for my exams. In the afternoon, I am playing soccer with my friends in the park.

Mistake Example #2

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

In my opinion, education is very important for the development of a country. Many people in Mexico are married witho their careers, dedicating a lot of time and effort to succeedss. It is essential to invest in education to ensure that future generations are prepared with the necessary skills to face challenges.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking for proper prepositional phrasing."

In my opinion, education is very important for the development of a country. Many people in Mexico are married to their careers, dedicating a lot of time and effort to success. It is essential to invest in education to ensure that future generations are prepared with the necessary skills to face challenges.

In my opinion, education is very important for the development of a country. Many people in Mexico are married with their careers, dedicating a lot of time and effort to succeed. It is essential to invest in education to ensure that future generations are prepared with the necessary skills to face challenges.

Mistake Example #3

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

When I was inat the university, I studied engineering because I have a lot of interest in how things work. I havem 25 yearsold and I think it is important to continue learning every day. In my free time, I like to go to the park with my friends and we thakvea coffee while we talk about our plans for the future.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I just changed a few words to make the English sound more natural. Well done!"

When I was at the university, I studied engineering because I have a lot of interest in how things work. I am 25 years old and I think it is important to continue learning every day. In my free time, I like to go to the park with my friends and we have coffee while we talk about our plans for the future.

When I was in the university, I studied engineering because I have a lot of interest in how things work. I have 25 years and I think it is important to continue learning every day. In my free time, I like to go to the park with my friends and we take a coffee while we talk about our plans for the future.