Few commas in Spanish (to indicate a pause)
What seems to frustrate me the most with spanish, is its commarules, where there in some sentences, isn't commas in the middle of two parts of the sentence, like one's used to in English and other languages. Am I the only one thinking like this? To me, it would be more natural to have a centence like this: Cuando hace calor, hay que beber mucho instead of Cuando hace calor hay que beber mucho. There's no pause in the sentence and therefore it could be difficult to imply where the pause should be, especially if you don't know Spanish to well. I mean, in English and many other languages, this sentence consists of two parts, the first "when it's hot", (pause) and the second "you have to drink a lot" Is there any reason why it's like this, or is it "just because"? Would it be wrong of me to actually put a comma in there, or would that be a no-no! ? To me, comma simplify a sentence and its meaning.
10 Answers
The skill of oratory as it relates to the so-called "Western tradition"—and in particular to the effective use of pauses and rests to provide emphasis and other effects—is at least partially rooted in historical techniques that have largely been passed on to us through the lens of ancient Greek and Roman texts. Due to the fact that there is at least some commonality between English and Spanish in this regard, it should not be too surprising to see some overlap in the way that these artifacts of older languages become apparent in our modern languages.
Nevertheless, each respective language has also gone through its own unique developmental process, a centuries long process in the case of Spanish and English, and as such, each language makes use of punctuation in a manner which reflects the natural flow of that particular language. While the norms of Spanish and English orthography are very similar in many respects, there are some notable differences.
As I am sure you are aware, all languages exhibit their own natural rhythm and meter, and though it might seem convenient to superimpose the rhythm scheme of a language with which we are more familiar upon that of an unfamiliar language, I would caution that such an endeavor is bound to lead to disappointment.
In the end, it would be far better to try to seek out examples of "well-spoken" Spanish, develop an ear for its rhythm, and use this as a framework upon which to hang the rules of punctuation, rules which, not incidentally, should be learned on a language-by-language basis.
In regards to the specific use of the comma in Spanish, you might find this link helpful: DPD entry for coma
Well, of course every language has its rules, and internalizing them is half the battle to learning that language. The funny thing is, concerning the example about which you complain, you are wrong - which is to say right. There should be a comma in this sentence, according to the rules of Spanish 
as follows:
Cuando hace calor, hay que beber mucho.
Among other things, commas are used
"To separate adverbs or adverbial phrases that affect the meaning of the entire sentence from the rest of the sentence: Such words and phrases often come at the beginning of a sentence, although they can also be inserted.
Por supuesto, no puedo comprenderlo. Of course, I can't understand it."
Please read the following article, and good luck with your Spanish!
A few of the responses to this question have rubbed me the wrong way. I found NOTHING offensive about the question.
The author noticed something (which I have also noticed) and wanted clarification. An example was given along with an explanation of the authors own thoughts on the subject.
If the author said something in which you did not like, don’t you think it would have been better to answer the question and then ask, “what do you mean” or “can you clarify?” instead of what appeared to me as an attack.
Did “I must wonder just how much exposure you have had to Spanish literature, that you feel compelled to make such a peculiar affirmation” really need to be added to one of the responses? I don’t think the author was referring to Spanish literature.
This site may promote proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation but others do not. I have seen many sentences run on and on. Of course that happens in other languages but let's face it, we're not learning those other languages (or maybe you are) so many of the problems are going to stand out and seem more frequent.
In my opinion, what you are doing is making it so that those who want to know something will not ask for fear of ridicule or looking stupid.
I know I will think twice about posting another question!
I know what you mean, (although you may want to edit out the 'poor' use of commas; bit je je) - but it's true that there definitely seem to be fewer commas used in Spanish. I've become so used to it now that I'm starting to forget to use them where I should in English, lol But I don't think that anyone is going to pull you up for popping an extra comma in where you fancy so I'd say go ahead!
The article Iza provided is a good overview of some of the differences between English and Spanish when it comes to commas but as you've seen discussed here each language has it's own peculiarities which don't necessarily make them better or worse, just different, so we just have to embrace the funny little things like this that we come across. I find it's better if we don't sweat the small stuff too much. There are far more important things that you can't get away with, like the subjunctive and when to chose ser over estar je je 
I ...am frankly not quite sure about how to respond to this post.
I agree that badly used punctuation is annoying; perhaps you have noticed that we are constantly asking our members to use proper grammar, punctuation and capitalization for their posts.
However, I have a very strong objection to your gross generalization that Spanish writers use commas poorly. There are style rules in Spanish, just as there are in English. They are slightly different, mind you, and what passes as a good sentence in English is not necessarily good in Spanish - and vice versa. Good writers make good use of punctuation, and poor writers can be spotted by their awkward, messy sentences. This, in my view, has nothing to do with the language, but with the training and skill of the writer.
I think your post would have been perfectly acceptable if you had left it as a complaint about "The poor use of commas." Period. However when you state that Spanish writers, in general, do not use punctuation appropriately, your statement falls somewhere between ignorance and offense. I must wonder just how much exposure you have had to Spanish literature, that you feel compelled to make such a peculiar affirmation.
I must agree with Joey-Jones here. I have had it happen to me, and have seen it happen to others. Someone (often with little knowledge of English, and even less of Spanish) asks a question or makes an observation and is met with personal criticism of the "Well! I don't know how you got that idea! (you insufferable idiot!)" type. 
Sorry fellow SD enthusiasts, but this is true - especially of many of those who are (and/or consider themselves to be) best able to help us ignoramuses. Some of the students here are not native English-speakers; if you can understand them at all, they should be only gently corrected. And, yes, much Spanish writing is woefully short of good comma usage, just as much English writing is (recall the book titled, "Eats, Shoots and Leaves").
This is even better
The comma doesn't just indicate a pause, it sets the introductory phrase or clause apart and a comma IS used, both in English and Spanish.
I have to say I agree with Gekkosan. Good writing is good writing, in whatever language. Personally, if in doubt, I try to read a sentence aloud, that often tells me if a comma is needed or not. I agree they can make huge difference but I hadn't really thought of them as being very different in Spanish. You have introduced a new worry into my life!
So, where is a good place to learn the Spanish rules on commas?
