Common English Mistakes in Will & Testaments by Spanish Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Spanish speakers from Mexico when writing a Will & Testament in English.

Mistake Example #1

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

I, Juan Carlos Ramirez, being of sound mind and body, hereby declare this to be my last will and testament. I leave all my possessions to my beloved wife, Maria, towhom I hamve been marriedwith for 25 years. In the event of her passing before mine, I wish for my estate to be divided equally among my children, ofwhom I am very proudwith.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good work overall! The correct preposition to use with "proud" is "of", not "with". I also made some other corrections."

I, Juan Carlos Ramirez, being of sound mind and body, hereby declare this to be my last will and testament. I leave all my possessions to my beloved wife, Maria, to whom I have been married for 25 years. In the event of her passing before me, I wish for my estate to be divided equally among my children, of whom I am very proud.

I, Juan Carlos Ramirez, being of sound mind and body, hereby declare this to be my last will and testament. I leave all my possessions to my beloved wife, Maria, whom I am married with for 25 years. In the event of her passing before mine, I wish for my estate to be divided equally among my children, whom I am very proud with.

Mistake Example #2

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

I, Juan Carlos Martinez, being of sound mind and body, declare this to be my last will and testament. I havem 50 yearsold and I leave all my possessions to my beloved family. MAs for my house in Guadalajara, I want that ito goes to my daughter, Maria, and my car to my son, Luis.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Very good! I just made some changes so the English would sound more natural."

I, Juan Carlos Martinez, being of sound mind and body, declare this to be my last will and testament. I am 50 years old and I leave all my possessions to my beloved family. As for my house in Guadalajara, I want that to go to my daughter, Maria, and my car to my son, Luis.

I, Juan Carlos Martinez, being of sound mind and body, declare this to be my last will and testament. I have 50 years and I leave all my possessions to my beloved family. My house in Guadalajara, I want that it goes to my daughter, Maria, and my car to my son, Luis.

Mistake Example #3

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

I am writing this will and testament to ensure my wishes arebeing respected after my passing. I am leaving my house to my daughter, Maria, who is living in the city of Guadalajara. I am also giving my car to my son, Juan, who is studying at the university.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good job! I just made a minor adjustment to one of the verbs."

I am writing this will and testament to ensure my wishes are respected after my passing. I am leaving my house to my daughter, Maria, who is living in the city of Guadalajara. I am also giving my car to my son, Juan, who is studying at the university.

I am writing this will and testament to ensure my wishes are being respected after my passing. I am leaving my house to my daughter, Maria, who is living in the city of Guadalajara. I am also giving my car to my son, Juan, who is studying at the university.