Difficulties in Forming Compound Sentences in Spanish for Arabic Speakers

A sentence is a key part of Spanish grammar and serves as the fundamental unit in constructing discourse. However, foreign language learners, particularly Arabic speakers, may face complex aspects that hinder their understanding and correct use of sentences. Additionally, there are at least two linguistic approaches that describe the use of compound sentences: one considers the sentence as the basic unit for discourse analysis, while other studies, starting with Van Dijk (2003), emphasize the importance of understanding both the partial and holistic structure of discourse. Therefore, we consider the significance of reviewing the linguistic differences between the native language and Spanish as a potential cause of misunderstanding and complicating the learning process. In this study, we focused on Iraqi students, identifying the difficulties faced by Spanish language learners in Iraq when forming compound sentences in Spanish. Through this research, we presented the views of educators and students, highlighting the need to stimulate further studies to provide diverse methods to overcome these challenges.