A common mistake at the moment to learn a new language

I've been studying English since 1 year ago and during this time I've learned a lot of things, especially about grammar, but I think there is a common mistake at the moment to learn any language: the direct translation.

When I had to write, and especially speak in English, first I thought the sentence in Spanish and then I just made the translation to English, something that I think is a bad habit but is common do it when you're learning a new language.

Eventually, I quit doing that and currently I can express my ideas with more facility and fluency.

What is your opinion? Have you ever done this?

Por supuesto. I think it is normal at first. It is a wonderful achievement when you can start to think and put together sentences in a new language. You are doing very well for having only studied for one year, better than I was doing at one year definitely.

I see you making small mistakes that commonly occur between Spanish and English. I know because I make the same mistakes in reverse! Such as "I left to" (dejar de), we use "quit". "Have you ever made this" (Has hecho esto), we have a different word for "make" and "do". This situation calls for  "do".