3 Common Grammar Mistakes Intermediate Spanish Learners Make

8 min video

Even after the beginner stage, a few grammar patterns can keep causing hesitation. Lucía highlights three common mistakes so you can recognize them in your own Spanish and make a more confident choice.

Watch the lesson

Try it yourself

For each mistake, pause the video and write one example that you might say. Correct it using Lucía’s explanation, then read both versions aloud and keep the corrected version as a review card.

Watch the original lesson on YouTube.

Edited lesson transcript and examples

Follow the full lesson in order below. The English explanations are edited from the video’s published captions; the Spanish examples have also been checked against the original video’s on-screen text and available automatic captions. Punctuation and a few caption errors are repaired for reading. Example translations and labelled learner notes are additions to help you study; they are separate from Lucía’s explanation. Deliberately incorrect examples and the lesson’s preferred answers are identified. Music and brief non-lesson clips are omitted.

• 0:00 — Why intermediate learners can still hesitate
• 0:32 — Mistake 1: direct and indirect object pronouns
• 2:17 — Replacing the two objects step by step
• 3:35 — The free study guide
• 3:50 — Mistake 2: choosing the subjunctive
• 4:34 — The indicative and subjunctive personified
• 5:52 — Mistake 3: English structure and rhythm
• 6:17 — Sentence structure and subject pronouns
• 7:08 — What: qué and lo que
• 7:32 — Filler words and listening practice

0:00 — Why intermediate learners can still hesitate

Has this happened to you? You speak Spanish…

but people reply in English?

Or worse, they just look at you funny like something sounded off, even if the words were right?

I’ve heard this a lot from our intermediate level students.

They have the vocabulary to hold a full conversation, and they want to, but they get discouraged and they don’t understand what they’re doing wrong.

Does that sound familiar?

Then you might be making one of these 3 tricky little mistakes.

In this video, I’ll teach you how to spot them, fix them, and let your Spanish skills shine.

Let’s go!

0:32 — Mistake 1: direct and indirect object pronouns

Mistake number one:

Mixing up direct and indirect object pronouns.

This is a classic intermediate level mistake.

It doesn’t usually stop people from understanding you, but it instantly gives away that you’re not a native speaker.

Let’s look at a few examples.

I’m going to tell her the truth

Voy a decir a ella la verdad. → Voy a decirle la verdad.
Example translation: I’m going to tell her the truth.
The first form lacks the required clitic with a ella; the second is the lesson’s correction.

I told my brother

Yo lo dije a mi hermano. → Yo se lo dije a mi hermano.
Example translation: I told it to my brother.
The lesson prefers se lo here to represent both what was said and the recipient; see the learner note about repeating the indirect object.

See the difference?

It’s subtle, but native speakers will spot it immediately.

Another tell?

Avoiding object pronouns altogether by taking the long way around.

Did you tell Maria what you think?

¿Le has dicho lo que piensas a María?
Example translation: Have you told María what you think?
Original question, with its on-screen order retained.

No, I’ll tell Maria what I think tomorrow.

No, voy a decirle a María lo que pienso mañana.
Example translation: No, I’m going to tell María what I think tomorrow.
A grammatical but repetitive answer in the shared context.

No, I’ll tell her.

No, se lo voy a decir. / Voy a decírselo.
Example translation: No, I’m going to tell her. / I’m going to tell it to her.
The shorter replies when both participants know the topic.

Or I’ll tell her.

There’s no need to repeat who or what you’re talking about because you both know it from the context.

So we use pronouns to replace the who, the what, and to whom.

“I’m going to tell the truth to my brother,” instead of using “tell it to him,” is grammatically correct, but it sounds clunky if everyone knows what you’re talking about. Why does this happen?

Voy a decirle la verdad a mi hermano. → Voy a decírsela.
Example translation: I’m going to tell my brother the truth. → I’m going to tell it to him.
The long form is grammatical; the short form uses the shared context.

Because in English, and many other languages, these pronouns either don’t exist or they work completely differently.

So when learners think in their native language and try to translate, boom!

Wrong pronoun.

These little words may look harmless, but they carry a lot of meaning and they are a key part of sounding natural in Spanish.

lo, la, le, me, te, se
Example translation: Spanish unstressed object-pronoun forms
The forms displayed in the lesson.

2:17 — Replacing the two objects step by step

Here’s a quick breakdown.

Direct objects answer what or whom.

What do you say?

The truth. I say it. Indirect objects answer to whom or for whom.

¿Qué dices? —La verdad. → La digo.
Example translation: What do you say? —The truth. → I say it.
Direct object.

Who do you tell the truth to?

¿A quién le dices la verdad? —A ella. → Le digo la verdad.
Example translation: To whom do you tell the truth? —To her. → I tell her the truth.
Indirect object.

To her. I tell her the truth. And when you combine them:

What do you say to her?

I tell it to her.

¿Qué le dices a ella? → Se la digo.
Example translation: What do you tell her? → I tell it to her.
The truth and the recipient are both represented.

Le + La becomes “se la”; le + lo becomes “se lo” because Spanish doesn’t like “Le la” or “Le lo”.

le + la → se la; le + lo → se lo
Example translation: le changes to se before la or lo
The clitic-combination rule illustrated here.

It sounds weird.

Too many Ls.

Also, it means “dumb”, literally.

Learner note — Object pronouns and the pronunciation joke: The lesson’s se lo dije a mi hermano is natural. With a following noun phrase such as a mi hermano, repeating the indirect object with le or se is commonly preferred but can be optional; lo dije a mi hermano is therefore not automatically a grammatical error. With a stressed personal pronoun such as a ella, the matching clitic is required. Lelo is a word meaning “silly”; le la is not another word meaning “dumb.” The grammatical point is the change from le or les to se before lo, la, los or las. Keep the mnemonic while learning the actual combination rule. Source: RAE reference, RAE reference.

Tip: start small.

Try replacing just one element at a time in a sentence.

Then, once you’re comfortable, combine both objects like native speakers do.

Practicing this helps you stop thinking in your native language and start thinking in Spanish.

Next time you’re forming a sentence, don’t panic.

Just ask:

Am I saying what?

Direct object – la, lo. Am I saying to whom?

Indirect object – le, se. And then plug in the right pronouns.

Your Spanish will immediately sound smoother and way more native.

3:35 — The free study guide

By the way, on My Daily Spanish we have a free Study Guide that offers a step-by-step process to help you learn Spanish faster.

You can download it for free using the link in the description or scanning this QR code.

Download it and let me know if it was useful for you.

3:50 — Mistake 2: choosing the subjunctive

Our next common mistake is a tough one.

Ready? Mistake number 2: the incorrect use of the subjunctive.

Many intermediate students know the subjunctive but don’t quite feel it yet.

And that shows in two ways.

They use the indicative where subjunctive is needed.

I hope you are right.

Espero que tienes razón. → Espero que tengas razón.
Example translation: I hope you’re right.
The first form is marked incorrect for this expression of hope; the second uses the subjunctive.

Or they force the subjunctive where it doesn’t belong: ‘I think he comes tomorrow.’

Creo que él venga mañana. → Creo que él viene mañana.
Example translation: I think he’s coming tomorrow.
The correction uses the indicative for the affirmative belief stated here.

When I hear this, I think “Okay, they know the theory, but the grammar isn’t automatic yet.”

That’s normal.

It takes time, exposure, and as we always say, lots of practice.

4:34 — The indicative and subjunctive personified

Let’s break it down simply.

If the indicative were a person, it would be confident and direct.

It tells you what is.

Sé que estás cansado.
Example translation: I know you’re tired.
Indicative statement.

I know you’re tired.

Juan lives in Mexico.

Juan vive en México.
Example translation: Juan lives in Mexico.
Indicative statement.

The subjunctive, on the other hand, is a bit more emotional, a dreamer.

It talks about hopes, doubts, desires, things that might be.

I hope you’re okay.

Espero que estés bien.
Example translation: I hope you’re okay.
Espero states the speaker’s hope; estés is subjunctive.

I am not affirming you are.

I am expressing hope.

That’s why “Espero” is in the indicative and “estés bien” in the subjunctive.

Here’s another example:

Ojalá que Juan consiga su beca en México.
Example translation: I hope Juan gets his scholarship in Mexico.
A wish, using the subjunctive.

Again, I am expressing desire about Juan getting his scholarship in Mexico.

I am not affirming anything about Juan’s scholarship.

I am affirming something about me in relation to Juan.

My desire is that he gets it. See the difference?

So next time you hesitate between the two, try this:

Do I want to say this or do I want to say something about this?

If it’s the second, chances are you need the subjunctive.

Learner note — The subjunctive shortcut: The personification is a memory aid for these examples. Indicative and subjunctive are chosen by the construction and meaning; the subjunctive is not limited to uncertain events, and an emotional reaction can take it even when the event is known. “Saying something about something” is not a rule that by itself determines the mood. Keep practicing the actual patterns, such as espero que + subjunctive and affirmative creo que + indicative here. Source: RAE reference.

Listen and read a lot of Spanish.

That’s how we Spaniards learnt how to use it.

Do you feel like you understand the subjunctive better now?

Then you’re ready to move on to the next mistake I see the most among students.

5:52 — Mistake 3: English structure and rhythm

Mistake number 3: structure and intonation copied from English.

Even if your grammar is mostly correct, your Spanish might still sound off because you’re thinking in English and it shows you are no longer a beginner, but your phrases still carry that English flavor.

Either in structure, intonation or word choice.

Let’s take a look at what that means.

6:17 — Sentence structure and subject pronouns

Example one:

Copied sentence structure.

I don’t know how to cook.

Yo no sé cómo cocinar. → No sé cocinar.
Example translation: I don’t know how to cook.
The video recommends the shorter learned-skill wording; the first form is grammatical in an appropriate context.

In English we often say I at the beginning of a sentence or when using verbs in general, but in Spanish, the subject I is unnecessary.

Not always, but most of the time we get the “who” from verb conjugation itself.

In this case the “how to”, cómo, is also unnecessary in Spanish.

Learner note — Cooking and subject pronouns: No sé cocinar is the lesson’s natural default for lacking a learned skill. Yo no sé cómo cocinar is also grammatical, especially when the method or procedure is the focus. Subject pronouns are often omitted, but may be useful for contrast, emphasis or clarity; using yo or tú does not automatically make a sentence wrong. Source: RAE reference.

I really like how you cook.

Me gusta mucho cómo tú cocinas. → Me encanta cómo cocinas.
Example translation: I really like how you cook. → I love how you cook.
The video recommends the less repetitive subject wording; encanta is also a stronger expression of liking.

This is also okay:

Me gusta mucho cómo cocinas.
Example translation: I really like how you cook.
The other acceptable version shown in the video.

In English, we often say “how you cook”; the subject “you” is necessary, but in Spanish, using the pronoun “tú” all the time sounds stiff and unnatural.

So as a general rule, Spanish prefers to drop the subject unless you really want to emphasize it.

7:08 — What: qué and lo que

Example 2: word order that’s too English. He doesn’t know what I want to do

Él no sabe qué yo quiero hacer. → Él no sabe lo que quiero hacer.
Example translation: He doesn’t know what I want to do.
The lesson’s preferred wording in its Spain-oriented style; see the note about qué and regional word order.

Literal translations of sentence structures often sound clunky in Spanish.

Here, “qué yo quiero hacer” sounds off because it copies the English rhythm.

Spanish uses things like “lo que.” Object pronouns, as we learned before.

Learner note — Qué, lo que and regional word order: Lo que introduces a relative construction meaning “what” or “that which”; it is not the same construction as the object pronoun lo in lo veo. Él no sabe qué quiero hacer is also a grammatical indirect question. The lesson recommends a neutral Spain-oriented phrasing; placing a subject pronoun before the verb after an interrogative is also characteristic of some Caribbean varieties. Do not treat every qué + clause or explicit subject as an English mistake. Source: RAE reference, RAE reference, RAE reference.

Example 3: using, like, English

7:32 — Filler words and listening practice

filler words: Like, you know, it was like, very crazy, like I didn’t understand anything.

Como, sabes, fue, como, muy loco, como que no entendí nada. → Fue muy loco. No entendí nada.
Example translation: Like, you know, it was, like, really crazy, like I didn’t understand anything. → It was really crazy. I didn’t understand anything.
The contrast demonstrates overusing literally translated English fillers.

Translating your English fillers like “like” or “you know” doesn’t work. In Spanish we do use filler words, but they are different.

So if you say “como” five times in a sentence…

Yeah, it shows.

Learner note — Filler words: The target is repeatedly copying an English filler pattern. Como and sabes have legitimate Spanish uses; the lesson is recommending a more natural rhythm, not banning those words.

My tip is: record yourself.

Then listen to a native speaker saying a similar sentence.

Compare the rhythm, tone and confidence.

You already know a lot.

Now it’s time to sound like it.

Do you feel the improvement already? Now let’s take it up a notch.

Move on to advanced level pronunciation with this next lesson and start rolling those R’s.

Or listen to a lot of subjunctive phrases here.