English for Spanish speakers · part 14 of 22
Spanish interference
"Interference" is the linguist's word for the moment Spanish grammar leaks into a student's English. It is completely normal — every learner does it — and naming the patterns is the fastest way to help students catch themselves.
In grammar
- Adjective placement — casa blanca → white house; "the house white" is a classic tell.
- Missing subjects — "Is raining" instead of "It is raining."
- Overusing articles — "The life is hard."
- Tense selection — the present perfect does not line up with the pretérito perfecto.
In pronunciation
- Rolling the R where English uses a soft, un-trilled r.
- Pronouncing every written vowel — English is full of reduced ones.
- Adding a vowel before initial clusters — "estart" for start.
None of these mean a student is doing badly — they are the predictable friction of two grammars meeting. Once students can name the pattern, they can hear it coming, which is why it pays to teach the patterns explicitly rather than only correcting the symptoms.