English-Spanish false friends
In the previous lesson, we have seen that Spanish and English have so many words in common. The words which have the same meanings are called cognates. We have pointed out in that lesson that as an English speaker, you actually know much more about Spanish than you probably think.
On the other hand, while learning the cognates, you should be alert to the false cognates as well. These Spanish words, as the name already suggests, look like they have English counterparts. On the other hand, the similar English words have completely other meanings.
False cognates are called as false friends as well. And in Spanish, they are called as “falsos amigos”.
In this lesson we will go through the majority of the English-Spanish false friends, which one should be aware of even at a beginner level.
In the following, first the Spanish word which looks like a word in English is given and then its translation is provided. Furthermore, the words were grouped as adjectives, nouns, verbs and adverbs for your convenience.
Vocabulary
Verbs
asistir: to attend
To say assist, you may use ayudar.
contestar: to answer, to return.
To contest is rebatir or impugner.
pretender: to try, to claim
To pretend is finger
explanar: to level
To explain is explicar
ignorar: to not know
to ignore is “no hacer caso”
quitar: to remove, to take off
to quit is dejar or abandoner
restar: to take away, subtract
to rest is descansar
Nouns
(la) carpeta: folder
Carpet is (la) alfombra.
(la) decepción: disappointment
Deception is engaño.
(el) disgusto: displeasure
Disgust is (la) repugnancia.
(el) éxito: success
Exit is (la) salida.
(la) fábrica: factory
Fabric is (la) tela or (el) tejido.
(la) ropa: dress
Rope is (la) cuerda.
(la) sopa: soup
Soap is (el) jabón
(el) suceso: event
As mentioned above, success is (el) éxito.
(la) carta: letter
cart is (la) carreta.
(el) idioma: language
idiom is (el) modismo
(la) lectura: reading
Lecture is conferencia
(el) sauce: willow
sauce is (la) salsa.
(la) boda: wedding
Body is (el) cuerpo.
(la) tabla: board
Table is (la) mesa
(la) recolección: collection
Recollection is (el) recuerdo
(la) advertencia: warning
Advertisement is anuncio.
(la) apología: defence
Apology is (la) disculpa
(la) arena: sand
The English arena can be (la) plaza, (el) estadio, (la) palestra, depending on the context.
(el) campo: country side
Camp is (el) campamento
(la) desgracia: misfortune
(la) deshonra: dishonor
(la) falta: lack
Fault is (el) defecto
(la) letra: letter of an alphabet
Letter is (la) carta
(la) librería: bookshop
Library is (la) biblioteca
(el) colegio: high school
College is (la) universidad
(la) lujuria: lust
Luxury is (el) lujo
(la) trampa: trap
Tramp is (el) ruido or (la) caminata
(el) negocio: business
Negotiation is (la) negociación.
(el) nombre: noun
Number is número
(la) noticia: news
Notice is (el) aviso
(la) receta: recipe, prescription
Receipt is (el) recibo
(el) oficio: trade
Office is (la) oficina
once: eleven
The English once is “una vez”
(el) pan: bread
The English pan is (la) cazuela
(el) Papa: pope
(la) Papa: potato
The word which means dad is papa.
(el/la) pariente: relative
Parent is either (el) padre father or (la) madre mother. Parents is (los) padres
(la) sentencia: sentence (in the judicial sense)
If you would like to mean sentence as in grammar, use (la) frase.
(la) red: network
The color red is (el) rojo
(la) firma: signature
Firm is (la) compañía
Adjectives/Adverbs
actual: current, present
The English “actual” is verdadero/-a.
Similarly, actualmente means currently, at present. Actually is realmente or en realidad
bizarro/-a: brave
Bizarre is extraño/-a.
embarazada: pregnant
Embarrassing is embarazoso/-a.
inconsecuente: inconsistent
Inconsequential is sin trascendencia.
largo/-a: long
Large is grande
sensible: sensitive
English “sensible” is sensate/-a.
simpatico/-a: nice, pleasant
sympathetic is compasivo/-a
colorado/-a: red
Colored is “de color”
emocionante: moving
Emotional is emocional
eventual: possible
The English eventual is final or definitive/-a in Spanish
formal: reliable, responsible, dependable
The English formal is correcto
gracioso/-a: funny, amusing
gracious is refinado
mayor: bigger, larger
The English mayor is (el/la) alcalde / alcaldesa
eventualmente: possibly, from time to time, by chance
eventually is finalmente or al final