This exam tips covers Errores frecuentes — Common Errors within Free time + hobbies for GCSE Spanish. Revise Free time + hobbies in Theme 2 — Popular Culture for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 3 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Errores frecuentes — Common Errors
❌ Error 1: "Juego fútbol los sábados."
✅ Correcto: "Juego al fútbol los sábados."
Por qué: Sports played competitively use jugar + a + article. With masculine singular sports, a + el contracts to al — you cannot drop the article or omit the preposition. NOT "juego a fútbol", NOT "juego fútbol". For plural nouns the contraction is not needed: "Juego a los videojuegos" (a + los stays as two words).
❌ Error 2: "Me gustan la música."
✅ Correcto: "Me gusta la música."
Por qué: La música is singular, so the verb must be singular: me gusta. The verb in gustar-type constructions agrees with the grammatical subject (la música), NOT the person (me). Many students default to me gustan for all opinions — check whether the thing you like is singular or plural before choosing the verb form.