Learning Spanish: the mistakes to expect, by first language
Some Spanish difficulties hit everyone. Others depend on the language you grew up with. Start with the ones every learner meets, then open the page for your first language.
Hard for every Spanish learner
Gender + adjective agreement
Articles and adjectives agree with the noun: el libro rojo / la casa roja.
ser vs estar
ser = identity/permanent, estar = state/location. English merges both into "to be".
Words to watch: ser estar
Subjunctive mood
Triggered by doubt, wishes, emotion (espero que… vengas).
por vs para
para = purpose/destination; por = cause/exchange/duration.
Words to watch: por para
Preterite vs imperfect
Preterite = a finished event; imperfect = ongoing/background/habit.
Spanish for speakers of…
🇬🇧 English speakers
Noun gender + agreement (none in English) · +4 more
🇫🇷 French speakers
Gender that flips from French · +4 more
🇩🇪 German speakers
Gender flips — and the neuter disappears · +4 more
🇸🇦 Arabic speakers
p vs b · +4 more
🇧🇷 Portuguese speakers
Portuguese↔Spanish false friends · +3 more
🇮🇹 Italian speakers
Italian↔Spanish false friends · +3 more
🇷🇺 Russian speakers
Articles (Russian has none) · +3 more
🇰🇷 Korean speakers
Articles + gender + plural (Korean has none) · +3 more
🇨🇳 Chinese speakers
Verbs change shape (Chinese verbs don’t) · +3 more
🇮🇩 Indonesian speakers
Articles + gender (Indonesian has none) · +3 more
🇹🇷 Turkish speakers
Articles + gender (Turkish has none) · +3 more
Keep going
- 40 natural Spanish expressions, by situation
- 30 real-life Spanish speaking scenes with translations
- All language pairs
Questions about learning Spanish
What is hard about learning Spanish?
Gender + adjective agreement: Articles and adjectives agree with the noun: el libro rojo / la casa roja. ser vs estar: ser = identity/permanent, estar = state/location. English merges both into "to be". Subjunctive mood: Triggered by doubt, wishes, emotion (espero que… vengas). por vs para: para = purpose/destination; por = cause/exchange/duration. Preterite vs imperfect: Preterite = a finished event; imperfect = ongoing/background/habit.
Does my first language change which Spanish mistakes I make?
Yes. Your first language shapes the mistakes you make: its sounds, word order and grammar leak into Spanish. That is why WordSlick shows different traps for, say, English speakers and French speakers, and coaches each one separately.
Can I practise speaking Spanish with an AI tutor?
Yes. AskSlick, WordSlick’s AI tutor, holds Spanish conversations at your level, role-plays real situations and corrects you gently, explaining in your own language.