Common Mistakes: Saying “hacer una decisión” instead of “tomar una decisión”

Transcript of the video lesson:

Hi, I’m Joel from WorldSpanishTeacher.com. Right now, I want to talk to you about a common mistake that a lot of students make when they’re learning Spanish or trying to speak Spanish.

So, in English, we always say “to make a decision.” That sounds normal to us, but in Spanish that doesn’t sound quite right. In Spanish, literally that would be “hacer una decision,” but that’s not right. So don’t say it that way. You need to say it the way that the Spanish speakers say it. They say, “to take a decision.” It may sound a little strange but that’s the way it is. So, in Spanish the right way is “tomar una decision.”

So, what are some examples? Alright…

“Se hace tarde, tienes que tomar una decisión.” –It’s getting late. You have to make a decision.

“No quiero tomar una decisión ahora.” –I don’t want to make a decision now.

“Ellos tomaron una buena decisión.” –They made a good decision.

“Voy a tomar una decisión mañana.” – I’m going to make a decision tomorrow.

So, if you make this mistake, don’t feel bad. I used to do it. I know someone else who does it who speaks really good Spanish, but he still thinks in English and says “hacer una decision.”

So, just remember, “tomar una decision.” You may want to make some example sentences and practice them. Or just repeat, “tomar una decision… tomar una decision…” Just repeat it until it sticks in your mind and you don’t forget it.

Alright, well thanks for watching the video. If you want to see more of my lessons, you can go to my website worldspanishteacher.com. I also have an mp3 conversational course available for download and there are some native speakers there that you can get in contact with to practice your Spanish as well.

Alright, have a good day.

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