Common English Mistakes in Public Notices by Spanish Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

Attention Residents: The local government is pleased to announce the opening of the new community park located in the downtown area. The inauguration ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 5th, starting at 10 AM. We invite all families to join us for this special event, where there will be activities for children and refreshments available. Please note that pets must be kept withon a leash at all times. We look forward to celebrateing this occasion with you.

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

"I just replaced a preposition to make the sentence grammatically correct. Otherwise, the ideas in this text are clearly expressed."

Attention Residents: The local government is pleased to announce the opening of the new community park located in the downtown area. The inauguration ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 5th, starting at 10 AM. We invite all families to join us for this special event, where there will be activities for children and refreshments available. Please note that pets must be kept on a leash at all times. We look forward to celebrating this occasion with you.

Attention Residents: The local government is pleased to announce the opening of the new community park located in the downtown area. The inauguration ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 5th, starting at 10 AM. We invite all families to join us for this special event, where there will be activities for children and refreshments available. Please note that pets must be kept with a leash at all times. We look forward to celebrate this occasion with you.

Mistake Example #2

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

Attention Residents: We are informingyou that the community center is hosting a health fair this Saturday. We areinvitinge all families to participate in the activities that arewill happening throughout the day. We arewill providinge free health screenings and workshops, so we are encouraging everyone to attend and take advantage of these services.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice work! I just made some changes to the verb tense."

Attention Residents: We are informing you that the community center is hosting a health fair this Saturday. We invite all families to participate in the activities that will happen throughout the day. We will provide free health screenings and workshops, so we are encouraging everyone to attend and take advantage of these services.

Attention Residents: We are informing that the community center is hosting a health fair this Saturday. We are inviting all families to participate in the activities that are happening throughout the day. We are providing free health screenings and workshops, so we are encouraging everyone to attend and take advantage of these services.

Mistake Example #3

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

Attention residents of the community: WeStartinfg Mormndayou that, the park will be closed for maintenancestarting from Monday. The works will last approximately two weeks, and we ask for your comoperehensation during this time. If you have any questions, please contact the office of public services. We appreciate your collaboration and hope to see you soon enjoying the renewed space.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to sound more native and natural."

Attention residents of the community: Starting Monday, the park will be closed for maintenance. The work will last approximately two weeks, and we ask for your cooperation during this time. If you have any questions, please contact the office of public services. We appreciate your collaboration and hope to see you soon enjoying the renewed space.

Attention residents of the community: We inform you that the park will be closed for maintenance starting from Monday. The works will last approximately two weeks, and we ask for your comprehension during this time. If you have any questions, please contact the office of public services. We appreciate your collaboration and hope to see you soon enjoying the renewed space.