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Learning another language also means learning a different perspective on how to look at reality. There's several important considerations to keep in mind when it comes to learn a new language, Spanish in our case:

1- Usually, in another language, we can say the same things that we say in our languages, but in a different way:

English: I like music.
Spanish: Me gusta la música.
French: J'aime la musique.
Russian: Ya lyublyu muziku.

In this case, French and Russian share the same verb to express something you like ("to love") However, Spanish and English share the same verb ("to like") but with a different structure.

Literal translation from Spanish: To me music is likeable (you say this in English and you could be hurt :)
Literal translation from English: Yo gusto música (you say this in Spanish and you sound like Tarzan :)

All 4 forms or points of view express the same thing: something you like.

2- Many words don't have exact translations, but rather close synonyms.

If I were to translate the word "nice" into Spanish, it would be pretty hard to find an exact synonym. "Agradable"? "Bonito"? Depending on the context.
This place is very nice: I would translate it as "bonito".
She is really nice: I would translate it as "buena or simpática".

So, as an advice: don't think there's always the perfect synonym. Different languages have different perspectives of how to look at reality.

3- Languages are not jigsaw puzzles. The unique answer to a questions just doesn't exist.

Perdone, ¿tiene usted hora?
- Sí. Son las tres.
- Pues las tres van a dar.
- Pues son exactamente las dos y cincuenta y ocho.

You ask somebody the time and they say:

1: It's two.
2: It's almost two.
3: It's two fifty eight.

The real time is 14:58, but the first person didn't want to be so precise. The second is a bit more, by saying almost, but not 14 o'clock. The third person tells you the exact time, hour and minutes. In Spain, for example, almost everybody say options 1 or 2, few people are so precise about time. That has to do with culture? Very likely, we don't mind getting to our appointments a few minutes later. A Japanese student told me in Japan it's the opposite. In Japan time is more valuable and people are punctual, generally speaking.

All these considerations might seem pretty logical, but later in the class, most of student's mistakes come from literal translation from their languages into Spanish.