Key challenges in teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language to Russian speaking students

Abstract

This study investigates the relevance of contrastive grammar as a tool in the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language (ELE) and as a second language (E/L2) for Russian-speaking students, based on the premise that structural differences between languages can create significant obstacles in the acquisition process. The study seeks to understand the main challenges faced by these learners, highlighting the absence, presence, and divergence of grammatical categories between Russian and Spanish. The contrastive analysis of the two languages enables the identification of recurring difficulty patterns and the proposal of specific pedagogical strategies. The methodology consisted of a comparative analysis of grammatical structures in Russian and Spanish, focusing on verb conjugation, verb tenses, and the use of prepositions. The investigation was based on a critical review of previous studies, complemented by practical examples of common errors made by Russian-speaking learners, from which didactic approaches based on contrastive grammar were suggested. The results show that the main difficulties are concentrated in the verbal system of Spanish—particularly in the use of the indicative and subjunctive moods, compound tenses—and in prepositions, whose equivalents are not always direct between the two languages. It was found that the systematic application of contrastive grammar in the classroom allows for the anticipation and correction of these errors, supporting the development of more solid linguistic competence. It is concluded that contrastive grammar is not only an effective tool for teaching Spanish to Russian speakers but also a valuable methodological resource for ELE/E/L2 teachers, contributing to more conscious and student-centred pedagogical practices.