English for Spanish speakers · part 8 of 22
Common direct-translation mistakes
Some errors come not from a single word but from translating a whole Spanish structure. The most common cluster around one difference: Spanish uses tener (to have) where English uses to be.
| Spanish logic | Word-for-word | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Tengo 20 años. | ✕ I have 20 years. | I am 20 years old. |
| Tengo hambre. | ✕ I have hunger. | I am hungry. |
| Tengo razón. | ✕ I have reason. | I am right. |
| Tengo frío. | ✕ I have cold. | I am cold. |
| Tengo sueño. | ✕ I have sleep. | I am sleepy. |
- ✕ "I'm agree" → "I agree" (agree is a verb, not an adjective).
- ✕ "It depends of" → "It depends on."
- ✕ "I am disagree" → "I disagree."
The fix students need is a habit, not a rule: when a sentence describes a state a person feels (age, hunger, cold, being right), English reaches for to be, not to have.