Common English Mistakes in Flash Fictions by Spanish Speakers

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

Mistake Example #1

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

In the quiet village of San Pedro, Maria decides to mtake a walkevery morning to the old oak treeevery morning. She always says it helphers clear her mind and makes her feel connected to the earth. One day, she finds a small, mysterious box under the tree and wonders who cwould make such a thing and leave it there.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some of the wording adjusted, and a few other tweaks."

In the quiet village of San Pedro, Maria decides to take a walk to the old oak tree every morning. She always says it helps clear her mind and makes her feel connected to the earth. One day, she finds a small, mysterious box under the tree and wonders who would make such a thing and leave it there.

In the quiet village of San Pedro, Maria decide to make a walk every morning to the old oak tree. She always say it help her clear her mind and make her feel connected to the earth. One day, she find a small, mysterious box under the tree and wonder who could make such a thing and leave it there.

Mistake Example #2

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

In the quiet village of San Pedro, I amlivinge a life full of surprises. Every morning, I amseeing the sun rise over the hills, painting the sky with colors I hamve never imagininged before. My neighbor, old Señor García, heis always telling stories of when he iwasbeing a young man, and I amlistening with wide eyes, dreaming of adventures I ham notve yet havto experiengce.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to correct misuse of present continuous tense, and other changes."

In the quiet village of San Pedro, I live a life full of surprises. Every morning, I see the sun rise over the hills, painting the sky with colors I have never imagined before. My neighbor, old Señor García, is always telling stories of when he was a young man, and I listen with wide eyes, dreaming of adventures I have yet to experience.

In the quiet village of San Pedro, I am living a life full of surprises. Every morning, I am seeing the sun rise over the hills, painting the sky with colors I am never imagining before. My neighbor, old Señor García, he is always telling stories of when he is being a young man, and I am listening with wide eyes, dreaming of adventures I am not yet having.

Mistake Example #3

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

In the quiet village of San Pedro, Maria found an old book in the attic. ItShe hasd a sense that it was left by her grandmother, who loved stories of magic and adventure. As she opened the dusty pages, a small key fell out, and Maria knew it was the start of something special.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

In the quiet village of San Pedro, Maria found an old book in the attic. She had a sense that it was left by her grandmother, who loved stories of magic and adventure. As she opened the dusty pages, a small key fell out, and Maria knew it was the start of something special.

In the quiet village of San Pedro, Maria found an old book in the attic. It has sense that it was left by her grandmother, who loved stories of magic and adventure. As she opened the dusty pages, a small key fell out, and Maria knew it was the start of something special.