Think you already know the basics?
Let’s see.
The mistake on this Pin was:
Yo soy 20 años. ❌
The natural Spanish is:
Tengo 20 años. ✅
But that’s only the beginning.
Here are 10 more Spanish mistakes that beginners often make without realizing it.
1. “Soy Hambre” ❌
Wrong:
Soy hambre.
Correct:
Tengo hambre.
Meaning:
I’m hungry.
Spanish uses tener with hunger.
So remember:
Tengo hambre.
I’m hungry.
Not:
Soy hambre. ❌
2. “Soy Sed” ❌
Wrong:
Soy sed.
Correct:
Tengo sed.
Meaning:
I’m thirsty.
This follows the same pattern as tener hambre.
Tengo sed.
I’m thirsty.
3. “Estoy 20 Años” ❌
Some learners know that soy 20 años is incorrect, but then replace soy with estoy.
That doesn’t work either.
Wrong:
Estoy 20 años.
Correct:
Tengo 20 años.
Remember:
Age → tener
Tengo 20 años.
4. “Yo Gusto el Café” ❌
English says:
I like coffee.
So beginners sometimes create:
Yo gusto el café. ❌
But Spanish uses gustar differently.
Correct:
Me gusta el café. ✅
Literally, the structure is closer to:
“Coffee is pleasing to me.”
You don’t need to translate it literally every time.
Just remember the useful pattern:
Me gusta + singular noun
Me gustan + plural noun
For example:
Me gusta el café.
I like coffee.
Me gustan los libros.
I like books.
5. “Estoy Hambre” ❌
Here’s another combination beginners sometimes create:
Estoy hambre. ❌
The correct expression is:
Tengo hambre. ✅
Again, tener is the verb you need.
This is why learning complete phrases is often easier than translating individual words.
6. “Veo María” ❌
When a specific person is the direct object of a verb, Spanish commonly uses the personal a.
So:
Veo María. ❌
becomes:
Veo a María. ✅
Meaning:
I see María.
Another example:
Visito a mi amigo.
I visit my friend.
That little a is easy to overlook, but it’s an important part of Spanish grammar.
7. “Soy en España” ❌
If you want to say where you currently are, don’t use ser.
Wrong:
Soy en España.
Correct:
Estoy en España.
Meaning:
I’m in Spain.
Compare:
Soy de España.
I’m from Spain.
Estoy en España.
I’m in Spain.
That’s a very useful distinction:
de → origin
en → location
8. “Estoy Estudiante” ❌
English:
I am a student.
A beginner may translate it as:
Estoy estudiante. ❌
But estudiante describes your identity/role here.
The natural sentence is:
Soy estudiante. ✅
You can also say:
Soy un estudiante.
I am a student.
The important thing is choosing ser, not estar, in this context.
9. “Tengo Caliente” ❌
Want to say:
I’m hot.
Don’t automatically translate it as:
Tengo caliente. ❌
Depending on what you mean, Spanish commonly uses:
Tengo calor.
I’m hot / I feel hot.
Notice the pattern again:
tener + noun
Just like:
Tengo hambre.
Tengo sed.
Tengo sueño.
Tengo calor.
These expressions are worth learning as complete phrases.
10. “Es Muy Bien” ❌
This is another classic beginner mistake.
You may hear:
Es muy bien. ❌
But when you want to say something is “very good,” the normal expression is:
Es muy bueno. ✅
Or:
Está muy bien. ✅
The correct choice depends on what you’re describing.
For example:
El libro es muy bueno.
The book is very good.
Está muy bien.
It’s very good / It’s going very well / That’s fine.
The key lesson is that bien and bueno don’t work exactly the same way.
Bonus: The Original Mistake One More Time
Before you go, let’s return to the mistake from the Pin.
Yo soy 20 años. ❌
Estoy 20 años. ❌
Tengo 20 años. ✅
If there’s one sentence from this article you should remember, make it this one:
Tengo 20 años.
And replace 20 with your actual age.
Want to learn more? 👇
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