Common English Mistakes in Op-Eds by Spanish Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Spanish speakers from Spain when writing a Op-Ed in English.

Mistake Example #1

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

In recent years, the debate about climate change has gained much attention in Spain. It hmakes sense to think that our government should take more decisive actions to combat this global issue. However, many people still doubt the effectiveness of proposed measures, arguing that ithey lacks of immediate benefits for the economy.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"I have just made a few suggestions to make this sound more fluent and native. "

In recent years, the debate about climate change has gained much attention in Spain. It makes sense to think that our government should take more decisive actions to combat this global issue. However, many people still doubt the effectiveness of proposed measures, arguing that they lack immediate benefits for the economy.

In recent years, the debate about climate change has gained much attention in Spain. It has sense to think that our government should take more decisive actions to combat this global issue. However, many people still doubt the effectiveness of proposed measures, arguing that it lacks of immediate benefits for the economy.

Mistake Example #2

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

As a concerned citizen of Spain, I am observing the changes in our education system with great interest. I ambelievinge that the current reforms are not addressing the real issues faced by students and teachers. While I am appreciating theefforts of the government's efforts, Iam thinking that more focus should be on practical skills rather than just theoretical knowledge.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Well done! I fixed some issues with the verb tense and polished up the text. "

As a concerned citizen of Spain, I am observing the changes in our education system with great interest. I believe that the current reforms are not addressing the real issues faced by students and teachers. While I appreciate the government's efforts, I think that more focus should be on practical skills rather than just theoretical knowledge.

As a concerned citizen of Spain, I am observing the changes in our education system with great interest. I am believing that the current reforms are not addressing the real issues faced by students and teachers. While I am appreciating the efforts of the government, I am thinking that more focus should be on practical skills rather than just theoretical knowledge.

Mistake Example #3

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

In recent years, the debate on climate change has intensified, and many people argue that we must domake more efforts to combat this global issue. However, it is crucial to mdrakew a distinction between actions that truly impact the environment and those that merely make us feel better. In Spain, we often see initiatives that do little to address the root causes of pollution, and instead, they makrejust a distraction from the real solutions that areneeded.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

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

In recent years, the debate on climate change has intensified, and many people argue that we must make more efforts to combat this global issue. However, it is crucial to draw a distinction between actions that truly impact the environment and those that merely make us feel better. In Spain, we often see initiatives that do little to address the root causes of pollution, and instead, they are just a distraction from the real solutions that are needed.

In recent years, the debate on climate change has intensified, and many people argue that we must do more efforts to combat this global issue. However, it is crucial to make a distinction between actions that truly impact the environment and those that merely make us feel better. In Spain, we often see initiatives that do little to address the root causes of pollution, and instead, they make a distraction from the real solutions needed.