Spanish spelling mistakes are really common due to a wide diversity of tenses, expressions, grammar and spelling rules, Spanish is one of the most difficult languages. However, if we have a good teacher and we work hard enough, learning Spanish in Valencia will become an easy and enjoyable task.
Many Spaniards have doubts about spelling when writing a text which causes them to make spelling mistakes. Despite the fact that Spanish education emphasises the importance of preserving accuracy in writing, at all educational levels, new technologies (social networks, forums, chats, mobile phones) have resulted in a misuse of the spelling rules of the Spanish language.
Nowadays, abbreviations have become very popular and even spelling errors are usually overlooked, as we have grown accustomed to seeing them all around, mainly on WhatsApp. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid that the youngest ones make use of social networks, in order to prevent their reading and writing skills from getting spoilt at such early stages. For those foreign students coming to learn Spanish in Valencia, our language may seem too much of a hassle, but they will end up mastering it and using it better than most native people without many Spanish spelling mistakes that usually occur.
Learning Spanish in Valencia with AIP Language Institute is a breeze. And some students will learn it even better than some locals. This is because close monitoring carried out by highly-qualified teachers is when it comes down to learning Spanish in Valencia. But, going back to the main topic of this post, let’s see which Spanish spelling mistakes occur the most:
Absence or lack of written accent
This is a classic mistake. Many people struggle to remember the rules about the right use of the written accent according to the type of word – in Spanish, there are 3 types: aguda, llana and esdrújula -. It is okay to have doubts from time to time but those words which are quite common and used on a daily basis should always be written properly.
“Haber” (= auxiliary of ‘have’) and “A ver’ (= ‘let’s see’)
Though they are homophones, the first one is used as an auxiliary in perfect tenses and the second one is used when some extra explanation or further information is needed.
“Hay” (= there is/there are), “ahí” (=there) y “¡ay!” (= ouch!)
Try to remember this sentence and the position of each word: “Ahí hay un hombre que dice ¡ay!” (= Over there, there is a man who says ouch!’). The Royal Academy of Spanish explains that when we want to indicate the presence of people or things we must use the verb ‘haber’ only in the third person singular, i.e. “hay”. ‘Ahí’ is an adverb of place, while “Ay!” Is an interjection that can mean lots of things: pain, surprise, grief, fear, threat, relief…
“Halla” (find), “haya” (subjunctive of ‘haber’), y “allá” (there in the distance)
“Halla” refers to the third person of the singular in present simple or the second person of the singular imperative of the verb “find”, which means ‘to find’. The word ‘haya’ can be used as a verb (corresponding to the first or third-person singular present subjunctive of the verb “haber”) or as a noun, referring to a type of tree. While ‘there’ is an adverb of place that designates the location of the referent.
“Valla” (‘hurdle’, ‘fence’), “vaya” (oh! / subjunctive of ‘to go’) and “baya” (berry’)
The first is a noun referring to a line of stakes that serves to delimit a space or the object that has to be jumped over during an Olympics event. “Vaya” is an interjection used in exclamatory sentences but it also is used for the first of third person of the subjunctive. Finally, ‘baya’ is a type of fruit.
“Hecho” (done) and “echo” (first person of the singular of ‘echar’)
‘Echar’ is a complicated verb as it has lots of different meanings in Spanish but it never carries ‘h’. Then, ‘hecho’ is the participle of ‘hacer’. This is a very common mistake even among native speakers so, watch out!
“Basta” (enough) and “vasta” (vast, huge)
The first is an interjection used when we want something to end or it can also be the third person of the present simple of ‘bastar’. Then, the adjective “vasta” in its female form is used to describe something extensive, vast.
Use of capital letters with the days of the week and months of the year
In Shift in the months of the year and days of the week: It is a very frequent error. Foreign students tend to make this mistake as most languages do this, but not Spanish. Capital letters will only be used with important dates or particular events.
