I want to talk about a couple of problem Spanish verbs. I call them that because they seem to give English speakers trouble. I am telling you about these verbs so that you don’t make common mistakes when using these verbs. After reading this blog post, you will know how to say the following:
1. How to say I dream about you in Spanish
2. How to say you can count on me in Spanish
Recently, I was at a friend’s house here in Medellín, Colombia. An American friend named Joe. (Not his real name).
When I was at Joe’s house I overheard a conversation that he was having over the telephone. I am not sure who he was talking to but he was probably talking to his “novia” (girlfriend/fiancee).
And I heard him make two MISTAKES while speaking over the phone. He said to her:
“Sueño de ti cada noche.”
That is NOT how you say “I dream about you every night” in Spanish.
And I also heard him make another ERROR.
He said to her:
Puedes contar en mi.
That is NOT how you say “you can count on me” in Spanish.
How To Say I Dream About You In Spanish
When you want to say that you dream about someone, you have to use “con” instead of “de.” As English speakers, we commonly make this mistake in Spanish because in English we say “I dream ABOUT you.” And we don’t say “I dream WITH you.”
In Spanish, for example, you would ask
¿Sueñas conmigo?
Do you dream about me?
(But literally, “do you dream WITH me?”)
How To Say You Can Count on Me In Spanish
And when you want to say that you can count on someone (i.e. rely on someone) you have to use “con” instead of “en.” As English speakers, we commonly make this mistake in Spanish because in English we say “you can count ON me.” And we don’t say “you count WITH me” (unless you were talking about counting as in saying numbers).
In Spanish, for example, you would say:
Tengo mucho trabajo pero cuento con mi hermanita para que me ayude.
I have a lot of work but I count on my sister in order to help me.
(But literally, “I have a lot of work but I count WITH my sister in order to help me.”)
Puedes contar conmigo.
You can count on me.
