Grammar Tips: Commonly Confused Words

Grammar Tips: Commonly Confused Words

When learning a new language there are always those words that you just can’t seem to keep straight. They generally look or sound similar to each other and lead to recurring confusion and frustration. Here is a sampling of a list of commonly confused words I have put together for the use of my students. Writing out sentences containing troublesome words is helpful, as is creating a special page in the vocabulary section of your study binder for your reference.

In Spanish:

si, sí, se, sé   –>  if, yes, himself, I know

hoy, hay   –>  today, there is/there are

la mujer, mejor, mayor   –>  woman/wife, better, older

nueve, nuevo, el novio   –>  nine, new, boyfriend

primero, el primo, primavera   –>  first, cousin, Spring

el papa, el papá, la papa  –> pope, daddy, potato

Example sentence                                                

“Yo no se levanta temprano.”

“I don’t know if he is getting himself up early.”

In German:

die Küche, kochen, der Kuchen  –>  kitchen, to cook, cake

das Gesicht, die Geschichte, das Geschenk, das Geschäft  –> face, story/history, gift, store

leben, lieben –>  to live, to love

gegessen, gesessen  –> eaten, sat

man, der Mann  –>  one, man

wen, wenn  –> whom, when

Example sentence

“Ich backe den Kuchen in der Küche.”

“I bake the cake in the kitchen.”

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