Errors of French speakers as Spanish students <

I like the students who dare to speak fluidly, without fear of making mistakes. " to err is human" my grandmother used to say, and in my teaching experience, these pupils are the ones who most advance and who most enjoy their learning process.

Although Luxemburg is a trilingual country( luxembourg, german , french) and my adult pupils have very different nationalities ( french, germans, luxembourg, English, czechs,belgiums, greeks, serbs,etc) the great majority take French as a reference point when it comes to learning Spanish, because of its structural familiarity. Something from French which they master always rings out and as a teacher I find myself  often tasked with correcting the same types of errors, in some cases strange and nice hybrid phrases, words superimposed from one language to the other, similar words in Spanish and the classic " false friends" between one language and the other. These situations usually spice up the classes with good doses of humour, such a useful and necessary element of empathy when it is used in a constructive plan.

" The child rained a while but when we went to collect her, she was once again happy". With this short phrase a pupil completes the tale of one of the greatest adventures of parenthood: leaving a child at nursery for the first time.  This means that of the so many words easily confused by a student, "to cry" and "to rain" are a classic example. As well as the evident phonetic reason ( although they do not share a etimological relationship), the two involve the water element.Drops of water falling, in one instance from the eyes and in the other, from the clouds.( Have not poets endlessly played with the image of a sky crying?).

Curiously, we also find the phonetic confusion of both verbs with Spanish speakers when we are learning French ( " pleuvoir"= to rain and "pleurer"= to cry") and  this makes us candidates for saying identically foolish things ( I can testify to this).

"  your tea must already have a cold". A French pupil said to be. I continued the progress of the conversation very enthusiastically and I forgot about the tea that I had poured myself, and which had at this stage already turned cold. (However I like the possibility that the tea could have had a cold better!.... it was in the middle of winter and outside about 5 degrees bellow zero). Here I have to clarify that in French to get cold is " se refroidir", very close phonetically to " resfriarse".

" I would like to press myself better". Initially, this is the pair of ´false friends´ that I correct the most and that  paints the most smiles from both sides. In French, " séxprimer" means to express yourself, whilst our verb " to press",  what we do with an orange, in French is " presser".

" I must put away(guardar) the children because my wife is ill".  I am sure that if it were an option to keep children in a draw or wadrobe, more than one parent would have thought of it. But no, in Spanish children and people look after each other (se cuidan) ("garder", in French. We conserve this latin root in words such as nursery or guardian for example). So that in French,  people  ´se guardan´( are looked after) but in Spanish it is only possible to ´ look after´something.

" You have to learn me the negative form of the imperative". In reality what this german pupil wanted to say was : " you have to teach me the negative form of the imperative". In French, the verb "apprendre"(to learn) can be used in two ways, as "  to learn"  ("  J´apprends une langue= aprendo un idioma" ( I am learning a language= I am learning a language) ) and as to teach «enseñar» (tu m'apprends l'espagnol = me enseñas español) ( You are teaching me Spanish= you are teaching me Spanish).

" My collegue is upset because his girlfriend has removed him".  A pupil explained this one day, speaking about his day at work. It is clear that faced with a romantic breakup humour leaves someone , but besides that , where in Spanish we would say to leave(dejar) (  a person, a place, a job, etc) in French the verb is "quitter".

" In the new neighbourhood they are beating lots of buildings". The verb to build(EDIFICAR) is " batir" in French; from there you get " un batiment" ( a building) is   " un edificio" ( a building) and " la edificacion" ( the building). On the contrary, in Spanish you use " batir" ( to build ) in this same context to refer to the action of knocking down a building ( derribar- to knock down). But when clarify with this student that in Spanish what you beat are eggs,  they burst into laughter....

" I have to past by the staging post to look for my letter". This is what a pupil who had to go by the post office to collect a registeried letter said. " Lettre" ( letter) in French, "letter" in English, "lettera" in Italian.... But it turns out that Spanish and Portugese take the greek word khártes ( " papyrus sheets") probably deriving from the Egyptian word. And thus, " letter" is a word that Spanish students very easily confuse and during a basic level activity which shows the image of a postman delivering letters, someone ventured that it was a question of a "sign sending letters."( "un letrero poniendo letras".

Over time I was noting down the most common confusions and errors of Francophone speakers learning Spanish and this allowed me to design a set of cards that I am working on and which I present when I consider it the right moment.  Here I have a list of  real samples of phrases said by students in Spanish classes:

1- TO GO IN instead of TO GO TO

* I went  in Belgium last Saturday
* I have never been in Italy
( In French, when it is a question of a country, the preposition "en" is used with the verb "to go"(ir).

1- TO COME  instead of TO GO when the speaker is in a different place to the destination

* Could  I come to the Spanish course tomorrow? telephone conversation)

* I cannot come to your house this week because I am ill ( by email)

( In French, in these cases the verb venir(to come) is used)

1- "PREGUNTAR" ( To ask a question) instead of PEDIR ( To make a request) and vica versa.

* He asked me if I knew Luisa.
* I would like to ask a favour of you.
(In French it is the same verb: "demander")

1- TO SQUEEZE OUT instead of TO EXPRESS YOURSELF
*  I would like to squeeze myself better in Spanish.
* She did not squeeze well.
( In French, s´exprimer = expresarse( to express yourself = to express yourself)

1- TO TAKE AWAY instead of to TO GO AWAY/ TO LEAVE.

* My boyfriend has taken me away

* The film was so boring that I took the room away.
* In French, quitter( to leave) = to leave a place or to leave someone)

1-  TO UNDERSTAND instead of TO LISTEN

*  I have understood that in Argentina they eat a lot of meat.

* I have understood the news....

( In French, entendre= escuchar( to understood= to listen)

1- TO REMINISCE OVER instead of TO THINK ABOUT

*  I have reminisced over what you have told me.

* Lately I have only been thinking about my  holidays ( In French:  " penser à"



1-  PERO ( BUT) instead of SINO (BUT)

*  Not the german girl but the Russian one.
* I am not referring to this week but the next.
(In French, in these cases " mais" (but)= pero(but) would be use).

1- RECORDARSE(TO COME TO)  instead of RECORDAR(TO REMEMBER)

* I come to that once it snowed in spring
* I do not come to very well the words of the song

( In French, the verbs with this meaning are reflexive: se rappeler(to remember) , se souvenir(to remember) ).

1-  REALIZAR ( TO CARRY OUT) instead of  DARSE CUENTA ( TO REALIZE)

* I soon carried out that I did not have my umbrella.

* I have carried out that there are a lot of metaphores in the film.

( In French, " réaliser” ( to realize) significa “darse cuenta”

(to realize) ).

1- GUARDAR ( TO PUT AWAY) instead of CUIDAR ( TO LOOK AFTER)
* You must put the children away
*  I cannot go away on holiday, someone must look after the dogs.

( In French you would use the verb "garder" in these cases)

1- APRENDER ( TO LEARN) instead of     
ENSEÑAR ( TO TEACH)

*  You have to learn me the negative imperative
* I want to learn my children to learn

( In French, "apprendre" can mean not only to learn but also to teach)

1- NECESITAR DE ( in Spanish it does not take a preposition)

* I need to change  the scene a little.

* I need to obtain my degree.

( In French: "avoir besoin de")

1-  LA SOLA COSA  instead of LO ÚNICO



* The only thing that worries me is being without my job
*The only thing that I do not like about Luxembourg is  the climate.
 (In French, "la seule chose" = lo único).


    1-    EL MÁS/ LA MÁS(THE MOST) for MÁS(MOST)
* It is the most beautiful city. ( Es la ciudad la más bonita)
* The richest country in the world ( *Es el país el más rico del mundo)

1- MISMO SI (SAME IF) en lugar de INCLUSO SI ( EVEN IF)

*  Same if it rains, we still go

* Same if he does not have a car you can quickly reach the centre.

(In French, même si (even if) = incluso si ( even if) ) 

1-  LLOVER (TO RAIN) in stead of  LLORAR ( TO CRY) 

* I was sad, I wanted to rain.

* It is not necessary to cry about everything

( Explained at the beginning)

1- PORTAR ( To carry) instead of LLEVAR ( To  to bring)

*  Next week I will carry you the article on orthodox religion.

* I had not carried my wallet.

( In French, porter( to bring)= llevar ( to bring)

1-  RESFRIARSE(TO CATCH A COLD) instead ENFRIARSE ( TO GET COLD) 

* Your tea must now have caught a cold

* Your food is very quickly catching a cold.

( In France,  se refroidir ( to get cold) = enfriarse (to get cold)

1- 21-  When ( future value) + INDICATIVE instead of SUBJUNCTIVE. 

*  When I will finish my studies, I am going to live in London

* When my father will arrive, I will go and collect him from the airport

( In French, "when" with a future value is used with the Indicative

1-22- I HOPE THAT+ INDICATIVE instead of SUBJUNCTIVE.

* I hope that you are going spend some good

* I hope that it will not rain tomorrow. 

( In French, the structure " esperar que" ( to hope that) is used with the Indicative)

1- 23- ENCONTRAR ( TO FIND ( somebody) instead of (TO MEET (somebody)  )

* At the party I met a very nice girl and I gave her my number.

* When you travel, you find a lot of people

( In French, rencontrer quelqu´un = conocer a alguien)

1- 24- UN OTRO / UNA OTRA( another instead of  OTRO/ OTRA(Other)

* I am refering to another film............

* My brother lives in another city

( In French, the indefinite article: un autre/ une autre) is used.

1-25- DISCUTIR(TO ARGUE) instead of CONVERSAR/ CHARLAR ( TO TALK/ TO CHAT).

* Let us argue all night about different topics

* I like to argue with my friends

( In French, the verb " discuter" is used with the same meaning as "conversar" in Spanish) 

1-26- WORDS INSTEAD OF LETTER

* Today I have received words from social security....

*  I have to take words to the post ofice

( In French, " lettre" ( letter) = carta)

27-  The back instead of the shoulders .

*  I do not use a bag because it damages my back.

* If you raise your back a bit it is a sign of indifference.

( In French, " les épaules= the shoulders- " le dos"(the back) = la espalda.)

28- ES BIEN / MAL instead of ESTÁ BIEN / ESTÁ MAL.

* It is good, it does not seem expensive to me.

* I believe that my exercise is bad

( In French, as in most of the languages spoken in Europe, different verbs for "ser" and "estar" do not exist).