Explanation: "Hablar" is the infinitive. When the subject is "yo" (I), the verb must be conjugated in the present tense.
Correct: "Yo hablo inglés." (I speak English.)
Rule: Always conjugate the verb to match the subject. Don't use infinitives in these positions.
2. Adjective-Noun Agreement
Error: "La casa es grandeo."
What is wrong? Fix it and explain.
Explanation: "Grandeo" is not a word. The adjective "grande" is already in its correct form for both masculine and feminine singular.
Correct: "La casa es grande." (The house is big.)
Rule: Adjectives ending in -e don't change for gender (grande works for el/la/los/las). Adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine (bonito→bonita).
3. Past Tense: Pretérito vs Imperfecto
Sentence: "Cuando era niño, comía mucho helado. Un día comía chocolate y me enfermé."
Which tense is wrong in the second sentence? Why?
Explanation: The second sentence describes a SINGLE completed event in the past ("un día" = one day). This requires the pretérito, not the imperfecto.
Correct: "Un día comí chocolate y me enfermé."
Rule: Pretérito = completed/specific action in the past. Imperfecto = repeated/habitual action or background in the past.
4. Object Pronouns
Error: "Digo te lo la verdad."
What's the mistake? Write the correct sentence.
Explanation: Object pronouns should come BEFORE the verb and in the right order. Indirect object (te) comes before direct object (lo).
Correct: "Te lo digo." (I tell it to you.)
Rule: Order: [Indirect pronoun] [Direct pronoun] [Verb]. Never split them up with the verb in between.
5. Ser vs Estar
Which sentences are wrong?
A) "¿Dónde eres?"
B) "Mi hermano es ingeniero."
C) "El café está caliente."
D) "Estoy estadounidense."
Wrong: A) "¿Dónde eres?" (should be "¿Dónde estás?" — location = estar)
D) "Estoy estadounidense." (should be "Soy estadounidense." — nationality = ser)
Correct: B) ✓ Occupation = ser
C) ✓ Temperature property = ser (not estar, even though it's a state)
Rule: SER = identity, profession, nationality, characteristics. ESTAR = location, temporary condition, emotion.
6. Article Gender
Error: "Las problema es importante."
Identify the mistake and correct it.
Explanation: "Problema" ends in -a but is actually MASCULINE (common mistake!). It needs "el", not "la".
Correct: "El problema es importante."
Rule: Most -a nouns are feminine, BUT many borrowed words and -ma words (problema, programa, tema, sistema) are masculine. Learn the gender when you learn the word!