Guide
Common English mistakes Spanish speakers make at work
Spanish and English share thousands of words, which helps a lot. It also explains most of the mistakes that are left: false friends, and Spanish grammar showing through.
Updated October 24, 2026
If Spanish is your first language, you start English with a head start: important, project, decision and thousands of other words look almost the same. The mistakes that remain after years of using English at work tend to come from two places. Some words look the same but mean something else. And some Spanish structures carry straight over, because they feel too natural to question.
Here are the ones that come up most in work email and Slack, the Spanish pattern behind each, and what a native speaker would write instead.
“Is important”: the missing subject
Spanish drops the subject whenever the verb ending makes it clear: Es importante. Hay un problema. Dice que no puede. English verbs don’t carry that information, so every sentence needs a subject, even a placeholder like it or there.
deleted: Isinserted: It is important to test it before the release.
“Es importante…” English needs “it” as a placeholder subject.
deleted: Isinserted: There is a problem with the server.
“Hay un problema.” To say something exists, English uses “there is” or “there are”.
I talked to Ana. deleted: Saysinserted: She says she can’t join today.
“Dice que…” The verb alone doesn’t tell an English reader who is speaking.
“I have 30 years” and other verbs that work differently
Spanish uses tener for things English describes with be: your age, being right, being hungry or cold. Estar de acuerdo turns into “I am agree”. And a few verbs take a different preposition in English, or none at all.
I deleted: haveinserted: am 30 years inserted: old.
“Tengo 30 años.” Age uses “be”. “I’m 30” is enough.
You deleted: have reasoninserted: are right, let’s wait.
“Tienes razón.” In English you are right.
I deleted: am agree with the plan.
“Estoy de acuerdo.” In English, “agree” is a verb on its own, with no “am”.
It depends deleted: ofinserted: on the budget.
“Depende de.” Always “depend on”.
Let’s discuss deleted: about the timeline.
“Hablar sobre.” “Discuss” takes its object directly. “Talk about” does need “about”.
“Say me”, “explain me”, “make a question”
Spanish attaches the person straight to the verb: dime, explícame. English is stricter. You tell someone something, but you say something to someone, and explain and describe need to before the person. Set phrases like hacer una pregunta and cometer un error also get translated verb by verb, and English uses a different verb in each.
Can you deleted: sayinserted: tell me the price?
“¿Me puedes decir…?” Use “tell” when the person comes right after the verb.
Can you explain deleted: me the process inserted: to me?
“Explícame el proceso.” Or drop the person: “Can you explain the process?”
Can I deleted: makeinserted: ask a question?
“Hacer una pregunta.” In English you ask a question.
Sorry, I deleted: committedinserted: made a mistake in the invoice.
“Cometer un error.” You make a mistake. People commit crimes.
We need to deleted: takeinserted: make a decision today.
“Tomar una decisión.” American English makes decisions. “Take a decision” is fine in British English.
“People is” and “the people”: agreement and articles
La gente is singular in Spanish, so “people is” feels right. In English, people is plural. Spanish also puts el, la, los and las in front of things in general (la gente, los clientes, el 80% de los usuarios), where English uses no article at all. And English adjectives never take a plural ending.
deleted: The people isinserted: People are happy with the new version.
Two fixes: “people” takes “are”, and a general statement needs no “the”.
deleted: The 80% of deleted: the users are on mobile.
“El 80% de los usuarios.” Percentages and groups in general take no article.
We have two deleted: differentsinserted: different options.
“Dos opciones diferentes.” English adjectives stay the same in the plural.
Thanks for the deleted: advicesinserted: advice.
“Los consejos” is plural, but “advice” is uncountable. Same with information, feedback and equipment.
Time: since and for, at night, next week
Spanish desde and desde hace map to two English words: since with a starting point (since Monday, since 2021) and for with a length of time (for three years). Spanish also uses the present tense for a situation that is still going: Trabajo aquí desde hace tres años. English needs the present perfect there.
I deleted: workinserted: have worked here deleted: sinceinserted: for three years.
Present perfect, and “for” with a length of time.
I deleted: aminserted: have been in Madrid since Monday.
“Since” with a starting point, still with the present perfect.
I usually answer emails deleted: in theinserted: at night.
“En la noche”, “por la noche.” English says in the morning and in the evening, but at night.
Let’s meet deleted: the next week.
“La próxima semana.” Next, last and this take no article before a time word: next week, last month.
I will review it deleted: ininserted: on the weekend.
“En el fin de semana.” Americans say “on the weekend”; the British say “at the weekend”.
Questions without “do”
Spanish has no helper verb like do, so questions often come out in statement order: ¿Por qué no usas la plantilla? English puts the helper verb before the subject. Indirect questions work the other way: after Do you know or Can you tell me, English goes back to statement order, while Spanish keeps the verb first (¿Sabes dónde está la sala?).
Why deleted: you don’t inserted: you use the template?
A direct question: the helper verb comes before the subject.
Do you know where deleted: is the meeting room inserted: is?
An indirect question: subject first, then the verb.
False friends at work
These look like Spanish words and mean something else in English. They’re the ones most likely to confuse a colleague, and a few can say something you really didn’t mean.
deleted: Actuallyinserted: Currently, I am working on the new website.
“Actualmente” means currently. English “actually” means “in fact” and often signals a correction.
I will deleted: assist toinserted: attend the meeting on Friday.
“Asistir a” means attend. English “assist” means help.
Sorry, I can’t deleted: attendinserted: help you right now.
“Atender” means to help or serve someone. English “attend” means to be present at something.
We deleted: realizedinserted: conducted a survey with 200 clients.
“Realizar” means carry out. English “realize” means to understand something.
Please don’t share it, this is deleted: sensibleinserted: sensitive information.
“Sensible” means sensitive. English “sensible” means reasonable.
deleted: Eventuallyinserted: If needed, I can help with the testing.
“Eventualmente” means if the need arises. English “eventually” means in the end, after some time.
We have a deleted: compromise withinserted: commitment to our clients.
“Compromiso” means commitment. An English compromise is a deal where both sides give something up.
I saved the file in the deleted: carpetinserted: folder.
“Carpeta” is a folder. A carpet is on the floor.
Email phrases that sound translated
Spanish business email has polite formulas that don’t carry over well. Estimado, Quedo atento a sus comentarios and Saludos all have natural English equivalents, but they aren’t the literal ones. Inside a company, most English email is short and informal: first names, a quick greeting and no closing formula. For more on picking the tone, see casual vs formal English at work.
deleted: Dearinserted: Hi Juan, deleted: I send youinserted: here is the report.
“Estimado Juan, te envío el informe.” Inside a company, “Hi” is normal, and “here is” or “I’ve attached” sounds more natural than “I send you”.
deleted: I remain attentive to yourinserted: Let me know if you have any comments.
“Quedo atento a sus comentarios.” English closes with an invitation instead.
deleted: Greetingsinserted: Best, Lucía
“Saludos.” As a sign-off, “Greetings” sounds odd. “Best” or “Thanks” work everywhere; “Cheers” sounds British.
A quick check before you hit send
- Does every sentence have a subject, even if it’s just it or there?
- People are, never people is.
- No the before people, users or customers in general.
- Since or for with something still going on: have plus the past participle.
- Tell me, ask a question, make a mistake.
- Did you mean actually, or currently?
Let a shortcut catch the rest
These patterns are easy to understand and hard to see in your own writing, especially when you’re replying quickly. AI Grammatic is a Mac menu bar app that handles it in place. Select text in any app, press ⌘⌥E, and about a second later it’s replaced with a version that sounds like a native speaker wrote it: missing subjects, prepositions and false friends fixed, with your meaning, names and links kept. ⌘Z brings back the original.
You can also write in Spanish and get natural English back:
¿Puedes revisar la propuesta antes del viernes? Quedo atento a tus comentarios.
Could you review the proposal by Friday? Let me know what you think.
Try it on one of your own sentences in the live demo, or read more about AI Grammatic for non-native English speakers.