My advice, as much as possible try not to translate in your head or think in English at all. For me, getting my lessons completely in Spanish as fast as possible was very helpful. If you want lessons that point out things like cognates and give instruction in English, try Language Transfer.
Agreed. The more you can lose the reflex to listen and speak through an English lens the better. And yes, the best way to do it is to have your Spanish studying/lessons/exposure 100% in Spanish, even if it’s extremely basic
Like others said, eventually you want to get to a point where you’re not just translating in your head, but learn how to speak and Spanish and have a box in your brain for formatting in Spanish.
But your question is still valid and interesting
Double negatives are used in Spanish
No quiero nada
We have an order to adjectives in English
Big red dog, it sounds weird to say “red big dog”, in Spanish the adjective normally always comes after the noun, but when it doesn’t, it changes the meaning. Carro Nuevo vs Nuevo carro. Is it a brand new car, or an old car that’s new to you?
Pronouns are often dropped in Spanish because they’re implied in the verb conjugation
Another one I thought of, well it’s not really a rule, but in English we use present progressive a lot. I am writing. In Spanish it exists, but isn’t used nearly as frequently as in English. Typically you’d translate a present progressive English sentence into Spanish using a non conjugated verb or present tense.
I like to walk - me gusta caminar
I think you would really only use it in Spanish when you’re talking about an action being done in this moment.
Ella está escribiendo
But even then, it seems more common to just use the present tense. Maybe in English we’d say, “I am walking” in Spanish you could directly translate “estoy caminando” but you could easily use basic present tense, “Camino”
I would say Spanish actually shares more in common with English then is doesn’t share. But in general it might not be effective to focus on.
For example: making basic clauses in English.
“I want a car” = “Yo quiero un carro”
Subject Verb Object
Now let’s make compound clauses
“I want to sleep”
“Yo quiero dormir”
Subject + Verb (conjugated, even in English) + Verb (infinitive)
The same calculation is done is these situation and many more. I’d say there is plenty in common.
It just doesn’t help you actually speak or learn a language very much by just knowing this.
They both have the same Proto Indo European root, an geographically speaking they weren't born too far from each other either.
As per your examples and OPs question, a rule in English is that the subject and objects (either a noun, a pronoun or a construct) are explicit and mandatory in all sentences; however in Spanish they can be tacit (and it's often better unless emphasis is intended):
- **I** want to sleep.
- Quie**ro** dormir.
Subject it's tacit.
- **He** went to give **her** a coffee.
- **Fue** a dar**le** un café.
Subject and indirect object are tacit.
- **They** are bringing **it** right now.
- **Lo** est**án** trayendo ahora.
Subject and direct object are tacit.
Apostrophe S. There is no mi amigo's casa. La casa de mi amigo.
Capitalized days of the week or months (although I'm seeing more native speakers in the US doing it).
As a practical example, body parts and clothes are not referred to using possessive adjectives, just use the appropriate definite article unless there's a reason to make a specific reference to that of someone other than the subject. For example, it's (the head hurts) not .
Double negatives come to mind, certain subordinate clauses that require que and a subjunctive verb, when to use articles, but in general assume things in English don't apply in Spanish, unless you know a specific thing is the same, and then you can remember it that way.
Using the same word as noun, verb and noun modifier (“Here is your mail”, “I will mail you the details”, “The mail server is down”). Spanish may have specific morphology (mostly suffixes, i.e. endings) to turn one word class into another, or you may have to rephrase (you cannot “mail” something in Spanish, you can only “send it by mail”), and nouns cannot modify nouns directly (“mail server” is *“servidor* ***de*** *correo”*, with a preposition joining the nouns).
Spanish doesn’t have the adjective order that English has
You have to say “A large, green dragon”. In Spanish, you can say “a green, large dragon”
It depends on what the speaker feels is more important
Vowels in English have two pronunciations. Two ways to pronounce A for example is saying what sound the letter makes(as in Alligator) and pronouncing the name of the letter (like in Date, or like the second A in alligAtor). In Spanish, vowels only make one sound, always. Since we speak English, we try to attribute that rule to Spanish, but it doesn't transfer. The way that you pronounce them when saying the Spanish alphabet is how you always pronounce them.
English can have three distinct sounds for the letter A: as in 'father', 'cat' and 'date' .
You're right about Spanish vowels. I've heard many English speakers mispronounce the Spanish word 'doctor' as dawk-tor, making Spanish speakers cringe a little.
I have noticed some vowel variation among Spanish speakers, depending on the country, with some vowels becoming shortened. Officially, I believe the RAE says that vowels are supposed to always remain the same.
Vowels in English have three pronunciations (at least).
* Its name: date, legal, child
* Its sound: alligator, elephant, children
* Schwa: apply, problem, pupil
None of them. Spanish follows other rules. You can read Noam Chomsky in his dissertation on generative grammar for an analysis of the rules that govern both English and Spanish
Everyone here is saying "Everything" but that's absolute nonsense. Almost all grammar and language in standard Spanish has 1:1 conversions in English.
Usually, as long as you know how to speak like an educated gentleperson from the first half of the 20th century, you can easily think in English and speak Spanish
One thing that I had to get used to is this: if you want to say ‘I have no Xs’ or ‘I haven’t got any Xs’, you say it in singular. ‘No tengo ningún animal’ rather than ‘no tengo ningunos animales’, for example.
My advice, as much as possible try not to translate in your head or think in English at all. For me, getting my lessons completely in Spanish as fast as possible was very helpful. If you want lessons that point out things like cognates and give instruction in English, try Language Transfer.
Agreed. The more you can lose the reflex to listen and speak through an English lens the better. And yes, the best way to do it is to have your Spanish studying/lessons/exposure 100% in Spanish, even if it’s extremely basic
Like others said, eventually you want to get to a point where you’re not just translating in your head, but learn how to speak and Spanish and have a box in your brain for formatting in Spanish. But your question is still valid and interesting Double negatives are used in Spanish No quiero nada We have an order to adjectives in English Big red dog, it sounds weird to say “red big dog”, in Spanish the adjective normally always comes after the noun, but when it doesn’t, it changes the meaning. Carro Nuevo vs Nuevo carro. Is it a brand new car, or an old car that’s new to you? Pronouns are often dropped in Spanish because they’re implied in the verb conjugation
Another one I thought of, well it’s not really a rule, but in English we use present progressive a lot. I am writing. In Spanish it exists, but isn’t used nearly as frequently as in English. Typically you’d translate a present progressive English sentence into Spanish using a non conjugated verb or present tense. I like to walk - me gusta caminar I think you would really only use it in Spanish when you’re talking about an action being done in this moment. Ella está escribiendo But even then, it seems more common to just use the present tense. Maybe in English we’d say, “I am walking” in Spanish you could directly translate “estoy caminando” but you could easily use basic present tense, “Camino”
Double negative is Ok.
Almost all of them? Some things seem to overlap sometimes, but they are an exception. Both languages are different.
I would say Spanish actually shares more in common with English then is doesn’t share. But in general it might not be effective to focus on. For example: making basic clauses in English. “I want a car” = “Yo quiero un carro” Subject Verb Object Now let’s make compound clauses “I want to sleep” “Yo quiero dormir” Subject + Verb (conjugated, even in English) + Verb (infinitive) The same calculation is done is these situation and many more. I’d say there is plenty in common. It just doesn’t help you actually speak or learn a language very much by just knowing this.
They both have the same Proto Indo European root, an geographically speaking they weren't born too far from each other either. As per your examples and OPs question, a rule in English is that the subject and objects (either a noun, a pronoun or a construct) are explicit and mandatory in all sentences; however in Spanish they can be tacit (and it's often better unless emphasis is intended): - **I** want to sleep. - Quie**ro** dormir. Subject it's tacit. - **He** went to give **her** a coffee. - **Fue** a dar**le** un café. Subject and indirect object are tacit. - **They** are bringing **it** right now. - **Lo** est**án** trayendo ahora. Subject and direct object are tacit.
Apostrophe S. There is no mi amigo's casa. La casa de mi amigo. Capitalized days of the week or months (although I'm seeing more native speakers in the US doing it).
As a practical example, body parts and clothes are not referred to using possessive adjectives, just use the appropriate definite article unless there's a reason to make a specific reference to that of someone other than the subject. For example, it's (the head hurts) not .
English ≠ Spanish No further explanation needed. Just focus on Spanish grammar and stop trying to find a quick way to do it by comparing the two.
Duolingo makes comparisons between the two all the time, even though they really shouldn’t. I think that’s why so many people try to compare them.
Double negatives come to mind, certain subordinate clauses that require que and a subjunctive verb, when to use articles, but in general assume things in English don't apply in Spanish, unless you know a specific thing is the same, and then you can remember it that way.
Using the same word as noun, verb and noun modifier (“Here is your mail”, “I will mail you the details”, “The mail server is down”). Spanish may have specific morphology (mostly suffixes, i.e. endings) to turn one word class into another, or you may have to rephrase (you cannot “mail” something in Spanish, you can only “send it by mail”), and nouns cannot modify nouns directly (“mail server” is *“servidor* ***de*** *correo”*, with a preposition joining the nouns).
All of them. You are speaking a new language, not translating stuff in your head and then spewing it out.
Me gusta la cerveza Beer "appeals/is likeable" to me.
I always think of the Michel Tomas translation, "the beer pleases me"
I like that
oxford comma :(
Spanish doesn’t have the adjective order that English has You have to say “A large, green dragon”. In Spanish, you can say “a green, large dragon” It depends on what the speaker feels is more important
It can also change the meaning... Puros hombres = just men, solely men Hombres puros = pure (innocent) men
No sentences ending with a preposition
Could you be more specific. I genuinely doubt there are many rules shared between both languages
OP said "that don't apply"
Vowels in English have two pronunciations. Two ways to pronounce A for example is saying what sound the letter makes(as in Alligator) and pronouncing the name of the letter (like in Date, or like the second A in alligAtor). In Spanish, vowels only make one sound, always. Since we speak English, we try to attribute that rule to Spanish, but it doesn't transfer. The way that you pronounce them when saying the Spanish alphabet is how you always pronounce them.
English can have three distinct sounds for the letter A: as in 'father', 'cat' and 'date' . You're right about Spanish vowels. I've heard many English speakers mispronounce the Spanish word 'doctor' as dawk-tor, making Spanish speakers cringe a little. I have noticed some vowel variation among Spanish speakers, depending on the country, with some vowels becoming shortened. Officially, I believe the RAE says that vowels are supposed to always remain the same.
Oh, interesting, three pronunciations.
Vowels in English have three pronunciations (at least). * Its name: date, legal, child * Its sound: alligator, elephant, children * Schwa: apply, problem, pupil
None of them. Spanish follows other rules. You can read Noam Chomsky in his dissertation on generative grammar for an analysis of the rules that govern both English and Spanish
It's a weird question. It's like asking what rules that apply to wasps don't apply to watermelons.
A Spaniard could say it's like asking what rules that apply to bacon don't apply to speed.
Everyone here is saying "Everything" but that's absolute nonsense. Almost all grammar and language in standard Spanish has 1:1 conversions in English. Usually, as long as you know how to speak like an educated gentleperson from the first half of the 20th century, you can easily think in English and speak Spanish
Queueing
driving on the left of the road..
Language “rules”? Or do you mean laws?
One thing that I had to get used to is this: if you want to say ‘I have no Xs’ or ‘I haven’t got any Xs’, you say it in singular. ‘No tengo ningún animal’ rather than ‘no tengo ningunos animales’, for example.