Common English Mistakes in Life Advice Columns by Spanish Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Spanish speakers from Spain when writing a Life Advice Column in English.

Mistake Example #1

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

Dear Advice Column, I am writing to you because I amhavinge a problem with my friend. We harve knowing each other for many years, but lately, Iam feeling like we are growing apart. I amwanting to improve our friendship, but I am not sure how to start. Can you give me some advice on what I should do?

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Very good! Just a couple of changes to make verb tense consistent."

Dear Advice Column, I am writing to you because I have a problem with my friend. We have known each other for many years, but lately I feel like we are growing apart. I want to improve our friendship, but I am not sure how to start. Can you give me some advice on what I should do?

Dear Advice Column, I am writing to you because I am having a problem with my friend. We are knowing each other for many years, but lately, I am feeling like we are growing apart. I am wanting to improve our friendship, but I am not sure how to start. Can you give me some advice on what I should do?

Mistake Example #2

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

Dear Advice Column,: I am feeling very overwhelmed with my daily tasks, and I often make the mistake of trying to do everything at once. My friends tell me I should make more time for myself, but I do not know how to make this happen. Can you give me some advice on how to dohave a better balance between work and personal life?

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

""Make" wasn't quite the right word to use in the last sentence. I've made an edit there. "

Dear Advice Column: I am feeling very overwhelmed with my daily tasks, and I often make the mistake of trying to do everything at once. My friends tell me I should make more time for myself, but I do not know how to make this happen. Can you give me some advice on how to have a better balance between work and personal life?

Dear Advice Column, I am feeling very overwhelmed with my daily tasks and I often make the mistake of trying to do everything at once. My friends tell me I should make more time for myself, but I do not know how to make this happen. Can you give me some advice on how to do a better balance between work and personal life?

Mistake Example #3

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

Dear Advice Columnist,I am feeling very stressed because my job is not going well, and it hmakes sense to me that I should change careers. My friends say that I should wait and see if things improve, but I think it is better to take action now. What do you recommend I shoulddo in this situation?

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Good job! I just made a few small changes so the English sounds more natural."

Dear Advice Columnist, I am feeling very stressed because my job is not going well, and it makes sense that I should change careers. My friends say that I should wait and see if things improve, but I think it is better to take action now. What do you recommend I should do in this situation?

Dear Advice Columnist, I am feeling very stressed because my job is not going well, and it has sense to me that I should change careers. My friends say that I should wait and see if things improve, but I think it is better to take action now. What do you recommend I do in this situation?