Share your grammar pet peeves: Spanish and English

Question

I was wondering if our native and/or fluent Spanish speakers could share with the rest of us some of their grammar pet peeves, and others can post their English pet peeves as well.

For those not familiar with the phrase, a pet peeve is something that particularly annoys you, but may not annoy others.

Here is an example that annoys me. A phrase that is commonly used is, "I could not care less." But many people mis-state the phrase as, "I could care less," which conveys the exact opposite meaning.

Are there any words or phrases that annoy you?

• If said with sarcasm, "I could care less," can convey a sardonic irony. I think those are two different phrases. - W_N_Gibbetts Feb 15, 2010
• I agree, except that I never hear it used with ironic intent. - dogbert Feb 15, 2010
• When I saw the title of this thread, the first thing that came to my mind was your example. Most people can't even understand the issue if you bring it up to them. I've quit trying! - Goyo Feb 15, 2010
• Ummm, you must be careful with condemnations; it is not incorrect to say "I could care less", it merely omits a second phrase such as "but I care so little there is no smaller amount" or its equivalent. 8-] - Lector_Const Feb 1, 2012

Answer 1

It drives me crazy when someone spells "a lot" as one word.

I have a lot of money = correct

I have alot of money = incorrect

• Yep, that one bugs me, too - aloshek Feb 15, 2010
• I'm guilty of this one! From time to time I catch myself but I have to make it a point to proof read. - Joey-Jones Feb 20, 2010
• It is annoying whether is is a lot or alot unless itsme. :-) - Spenco Jan 28, 2012
• Marianne, that makes a lot of sense lol :) - FELIZ77 Jan 28, 2012

Answer 2

My only complaint I have about the Spanish language is that "I" am constantly making grammatical errors. One day it is my desire to be knowledgeable enough to complain about the grammar of others.

When it comes to abusing the English language, I have a few pet peeves:

• The use of "exspecially" instead of "especially".
• The inappropriate use of the "like". "Like I was going to the store and like this car came out of nowhere."
• The constant mistakes made with "to/too" ; "where/were" and "there/their".
• When people say "cause" instead of "because".
• In Philadelphia, my favorite is "jeeet" which is the same as asking someone "Did you eat?". I don't even know why that sentence comes up so often in conversation here, but it is something you commonly hear. That expression ranks just slightly above our other common mistakes like "twunny" for "twenty" and "owyadoooin" or "How are you doing?" which was made famous by the Rocky movies.

• Ditto on the use of "like," the most common word in my teenage daughter's vocabulary. - dogbert Feb 15, 2010
• Jeet yet? :) - Goyo Feb 15, 2010
• Or even "cos" - ian-hill Feb 15, 2010
• ha super funny - icanrideawav Feb 15, 2010
• No I didn't eat yet Goyo!!! jeje I'm still working on the meatballs!!!! - Nicole-B Feb 15, 2010
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Answer 3

Another one in English is when someone takes food out of the freezer to "unthaw". "Unthawing" it would mean that they want it frozen again.

• I've never heard unthaw but it annoys me already. - jaimetayag Feb 15, 2010
• Great. We may be cursing ourselves by sharing these. - dogbert Feb 15, 2010
• It's pretty common to hear in this area. - aloshek Feb 15, 2010
• Does anything ever thaw in Wisconsin? :) - Yeser007 Feb 15, 2010
• only momentarily, just in time for it to "unthaw" again - aloshek Feb 18, 2010
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Answer 4

Well actually I caught myself saying this a few days ago "wait a second, I'll be there in a minute" ??? What was I thinking?!?

• That's funny, I'm sure I've said that! - MLucie Jan 28, 2012

Answer 5

People saying mischievious instead of mischievous - very common little irritation!

Don't get me started, I can be irritatingly picky. ^^

• jaja - dogbert Feb 15, 2010

Answer 6

My pet peeve is the use of your when it should be you're, in written word.

In spoken word, my pet peeve is when people use the word brought instead of bought.

• Same as the people who mix up there and their. - 00e8f2fa Feb 15, 2010
• Or they're. - dogbert Feb 15, 2010
• I totally agree with the brought / bought one. - Hyena27 Feb 1, 2012

Answer 7

I have to say the subjunctive in Spanish drives me crazy.

• Me too - so unnecessary. - ian-hill Feb 15, 2010
• But not the subjunctive in English, Latin, Greek, French, Italian, etc.? - samdie Feb 15, 2010
• No because in English it is sooo E A S Y - ian-hill Feb 15, 2010

Answer 8

Not a grammer thing but I hate:

always and never (when talking about what I do or do not.)

(like when my girlfriend says you never want to go out.(i'm sure there is a time that I do want to go out)

or you always go surfing (It's not humanly possible to always do anything....)

I also hate the phrase:

It is what it is.

• It is what it is gets my vote - Izanoni1 Feb 15, 2010
• Never say never and always avoid always! - Jubilado Jan 28, 2012
• Also when people spell grammar wrong ;) - Hyena27 Feb 1, 2012

Answer 9

This is like so crazy. I like have a pet peeve, too, but for the life of me I can't like remember what it was. That is like so strange.

Wait a second, I'll remember it in like just a minute....I can't believe I like already done forgot it. Oh well, Memory: It is what it is.

At this point in time it makes little cents to like complain ya know?

Whachya gonna do?

The fact of the matter is that I am like getting older, but that don´t mean that I'm like going crazy, ya know.

Allthough sometimes, like, it do make me feel like I'm loosing my mind, ya know

I'm gonna like figure this out though, irregardless of the consequences. I just need to let my brain like unthaw a little - or maybe alot. Who knows?

I am not believing this . There are people that are like getting twisted up over like the littlest things. Its crazy. What´s worse, I'm getting like rebutted regarding a issue. It's all good, though. Ya know why?

cuz I'm loving it - besides, it is what it is, ya know what I mean?

• An American women did a whole thesis on the word "like" - can't remember her name like though. - ian-hill Feb 15, 2010
• hehe. :) - Izanoni1 Feb 15, 2010
• It´s funny because it´s true. Also sad because it´s true. - dogbert Feb 15, 2010
• oh yes! Absolutely. - stylefire Feb 16, 2010
• Like what's the problem? - Pablo-Peligr Jan 28, 2012
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Answer 10

You ain't seen nothing yet. Does this mean you have seen something?

• Double negatives are a "no no" in English. - ian-hill Feb 15, 2010
• And "ain't" just ain't nice. - ian-hill Feb 15, 2010
• But then, who really has seen nothing? Perhaps nobody has. - Jubilado Jan 28, 2012
• Half of this game is 90% mental. - Pablo-Peligr Jan 28, 2012
• Actually, if "ain't" is not a word (of course, it is!) then there is no double negative, just poor tense construction .... - Lector_Const Feb 1, 2012

Answer 11

For me myself personally -- need I say more.!!

• jejeje - Dee914 Feb 15, 2010
• Ahh, who, exactly, was it for?? ;)) - territurtle Feb 1, 2012

Answer 12

My English pet-peeve is seeing the misuse of: loose and lose

For example:

My pants are lose because I've lost weight. If I gain more weight, I will loose my mind.

Instead of:

My pants are loose because I've lost weight. If I gain more weight, I will lose my mind.

There's not enough space on the forum to list my Spanish pet-peeves!

• In the vitriolic world of American football arguments a lot fans call rival fans loosers. - Pablo-Peligr Jan 28, 2012

Answer 13

"Y quiero pagar por 
una mujer" was used when Harry wanted to buy a movie ticket for his girlfriend. Of course, using "por" , it was understood to mean he wanted to exchange money for a woman. This did not go over very well, since the cashier tought he was looking for a prostitute, and so the security guard was called. If only he had used "para" which introduces the recipient of an action, thus "I want to pay for a woman" (to enter). LOL.

• one of those mistakes when one hasn't yet learned the difference between por and para! - mathslover Jan 28, 2012
• P.S. This is a true story. - CaliforniaDr Feb 1, 2012

Answer 14

Cuando se usa escuchar (listen) en lugar de oír (hear).

In English, I can't stand the non-word irregardless.

• Ditto on the use of "irregardless" - aloshek Feb 15, 2010
• Yep. I was wondering if someone would mention that. It didn't take long! - dogbert Feb 15, 2010
• Irregardless means regardless of going (ir) doesn't it? - Pablo-Peligr Jan 28, 2012

Answer 15

It drives me crazy when I see apostrophes everywhere...in English, people tend to make everything possessive (especially after acronyms) instead of just making the word plural. Por ejemplo...CEU's instead of CEUsor the cat's were playing in the livingroom... If I can mentione another one...not quite a grammatical error...the tendency we have to answer people's questions for them...Por ejemplo, "How are you feeling today, good?" or, at a restaurant, "How's everything, good?"...I am always tempted to say no.

• The mis-use of good and well is most annoying I agree -"!The boy done good" as said often my English football managers.. - ian-hill Feb 15, 2010
• I blame Word for that, the spell check is always trying to make me put apostrophes in words that don't need them. - - MaryMcc Jan 28, 2012