How to improve my syntax and grammar when I'm writing in Spanish?!?!?

Question

So when I write in Spanish, the words and phrases are always gramatically or stylistically incorrect. I guess my main problem is that I can use the different verb tenses individually but not together. I also forget words that I actually know, or I don't know a word for what I'm trying to say and I end up getting stumped. I don't know if this is cause I'm trying too hard to translate advanced vocabulary from English. For example, I'll translate this into Spanish.

Cuando yo escribo en Español, los palabras y frases yo eligo siempre tienen errores gramaticos o sintácticos. Yo pienso que mi problema mejor es que yo sepa cuando usar los verbos tiempos individualmentes, pero no pueda usar los tiempos juntos. Por ejemplo, yo traduciré este parrafo en español.

So does anyone have any tips for improving my writing and syntax? And for solving that "loss of words" issue?

I edited only to correct formatting. - Moe, Apr 19, 2014

Probably to keep practicing. Try writing something every day for a month. You'll probably improve greatly in that time :) - 00ffada9, Apr 19, 2014

I think we all go through the same problems, but aside from your normal studies, you could try joining in on the forum here, which gives lots of practice with writing in fun ways. :) - Findy, Apr 20, 2014

Answer 1

According to my experience there is no other way to improve your writing but reading. So, read a lot in Spanish paying attention to words and syntactic constructions.

De acuerdo a mi experiencia, no hay otra forma de mejorar tu escritura más que leyendo. Entonces, lee mucho en español poniendo atención a las palabras y construcciones sintácticas.

Good advice, Clio. :) - Findy, Apr 20, 2014

Gracias por el consejo. Ya leo poco antes, yo hare mas definitivamente. Gracias! - zanelias, Apr 22, 2014

I agree, reading is invaluable. - annierats, Apr 22, 2014

Answer 2

One more piece of advice. If you write using a newer Word processor, a lot of the "dumb" mistakes (masculine, feminine, etc.) that we make are actually caught. For example, your "los palabras" error above would definitely be caught by Word. There are also sites such as http://spanishchecker.com/en/ where you can check a sizeable length document (I forget the limit) for free. I ran your paragraph through the site, and it picked up a number of the errors right away.

Once again, the best is to read and listen to train your ear. But in the meantime, these things can help.

really? That's super helpful to know, thanks! "Los palabras" *facepalm* - zanelias, Apr 22, 2014

Answer 3

Practise. Write,even if it is to an imaginary friend.. A real person who can correct is better. Go on our 'Palabras del día ' here, they are corrected. It helps! It's normal to make lots of mistakes and to forget words that you knew last week, it happens to us all. Don't get disheartened, keep trying!

Gracias por su consejo! - zanelias, Apr 22, 2014

De nada. By the way, you don't ned all the ' yo' s , they are built into the verbs. - annierats, Apr 22, 2014

Answer 4

You need to read in Spanish but also to speak and to study a little bit the grammar.

I don't know if you can be interested but if you want you can check my website (in my profile) and try some Spanish lessons with native teachers to help you not only with your writing but also with your speaking and grammar.

Answer 5

For a long time, I would print my writing before turning it in, and color-code noun, adjective and article gender with a highlighter. On a second read-through, I would underline every subject and the conjugation of the verb to make sure they would fit. Finally, I would look at anything not underlined or highlighted to make sure I was using prepositions and the works correctly. After much practice, I don't generally do this with my Spanish writing anymore. I'm still quite prone to error though! :D

I also use spell check. If you type in a Google Doc, you can mark the language Spanish and it will spell check.

Mejores saludos, Estudiante77

Answer 6

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