This exam tips covers Los errores más frecuentes — two traps that cost marks within Global issues + environment for GCSE Spanish. Revise Global issues + environment in Theme 3 — Communication & World for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 12 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.
⚠️ Los errores más frecuentes — two traps that cost marks
❌ Error 1 (Género de "hambre"): La hambre es un problema mundial.
✅ Correcto: El hambre es un problema mundial.
Por qué: Hambre is a feminine noun — but it starts with a stressed á- sound, so in the singular it takes el (not la) to avoid the vowel clash. This is exactly the same pattern as el agua and el aula. Crucially, adjectives and pronouns stay feminine: you say el hambre es grave (not gravo). In the very rare plural, it reverts to the feminine: las hambres. Think: el agua fría → same rule, same reason.
⚠️ Error 2 ("Hay que" is impersonal — never add a subject):
❌ Incorrecto: Yo hay que reciclar.
✅ Correcto (impersonal): Hay que reciclar. — or — ✅ Correcto (personal): Yo debo reciclar.
Por qué: Hay que is impersonal — it has no subject and cannot take one. Adding yo, tú, or any pronoun before it is a critical grammatical error. If you want to express personal obligation, switch to the personal verb deber: yo debo / tú debes / debemos + infinitive. Note that the sentence "Hay que reciclar porque el planeta está en peligro" is entirely correct — no fix needed there.