Common English Mistakes in Instructional Guides by Spanish Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

Misuse of present continuous ('I am having 30 years of experience' instead of 'I have 30 years of experience')

To begin the process of making a traditional Spanish tortilla, you areneeding to gather allthe ingredients first. You arechopping the potatoes and onions into thin slices, and then you areheating the olive oil in a large pan. While the oil is getting hot, you arebeating the eggs in a bowl. Once the oil is ready, you are adding the potatoes and onions to the pan, cooking them until they are soft. After that, you aremixing the cooked potatoes and onions with the beaten eggs, and then you arepouring the mixture back into the pan to cook until it is set. Enjoy your delicious tortilla!

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice work! I just made a couple of changes to to the verb tense."

To begin the process of making a traditional Spanish tortilla, you need to gather all the ingredients first. You chop the potatoes and onions into thin slices, and then you heat the olive oil in a large pan. While the oil is getting hot, you beat the eggs in a bowl. Once the oil is ready, you add the potatoes and onions to the pan, cooking them until they are soft. After that, you mix the cooked potatoes and onions with the beaten eggs, and then you pour the mixture back into the pan to cook until it is set. Enjoy your delicious tortilla!

To begin the process of making a traditional Spanish tortilla, you are needing to gather all ingredients first. You are chopping the potatoes and onions into thin slices, and then you are heating the olive oil in a large pan. While the oil is getting hot, you are beating the eggs in a bowl. Once the oil is ready, you are adding the potatoes and onions to the pan, cooking them until they are soft. After that, you are mixing the cooked potatoes and onions with the beaten eggs, and then you are pouring the mixture back into the pan to cook until it is set. Enjoy your delicious tortilla!

Mistake Example #2

Confusion between 'do' and 'make' ('I make a mistake' instead of 'I made a mistake')

To prepare a delicious Spanish omelette, first you need tomake sure you have all theyour ingredients ready. YCou will dok the potatoes and onions in a pan with olive oil until they are soft. AftMeranwhile, thbeat, make the eggs in a bowl andthen mix them with the cooked vegetables. Finally, dpour the mixture backinto the pan again and cook until the omelette is firm.Enjoy your meal!

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to correct wording issues."

To prepare a delicious Spanish omelette, first make sure you have all your ingredients ready. Cook the potatoes and onions in a pan with olive oil until they are soft. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl and then mix them with the cooked vegetables. Finally, pour the mixture back into the pan and cook until the omelette is firm. Enjoy your meal!

To prepare a delicious Spanish omelette, first you need to make sure you have all the ingredients ready. You will do the potatoes and onions in a pan with olive oil until they are soft. After that, make the eggs in a bowl and mix them with the cooked vegetables. Finally, do the mixture in the pan again and cook until the omelette is firm. Enjoy your meal!

Mistake Example #3

Direct translations from Spanish ('It makes sense' vs. 'It has sense')

To assemble the bookshelf, it hmakes sense to start with the base. First, you need to attach the legs to the bottom panel, making sure that it stays stable. After, it is important to fix the side panels, so the structure has more support.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is mostly fine - just this: "it has sense" should be "it makes sense"."

To assemble the bookshelf, it makes sense to start with the base. First, you need to attach the legs to the bottom panel, making sure that it stays stable. After, it is important to fix the side panels, so the structure has more support.

To assemble the bookshelf, it has sense to start with the base. First, you need to attach the legs to the bottom panel, making sure that it stays stable. After, it is important to fix the side panels, so the structure has more support.