Have you ever heard about “false friends”? if not, we warmly recommend you to read our Spanish School’s post. It will help you to identify false friends and to avoid hilarious, embarrassing or ambiguous situations!
False friends are words in two different languages that sound or look like each other but that convey different meanings.
This similarity can help you to easily get the meaning in a conversation in Spanish but in some occasions, it is just a trick: they can mislead you regarding the message you are receiving or get you in trouble if what you are saying is not what you mean.
Some false friends are words with Latin roots that have been acquiring different meanings in Spanish and English, over time. Here below you find a list of the most common ones:
English Word v Spanish word with its meaning
ACTUAL ≠ ACTUAL = current, present
BIGOT ≠ BIGOTE = mustache
BOMBER ≠ BOMBERO = firefighter
CARD ≠ CARTA=letter
CASUALTY ≠ CASUALIDAD=chance, coincidence
CHOKE ≠ CHOCAR=crash
COLLEGE ≠ COLEGIO=high school
DISGUST ≠ DISGUSTO=annoyance
EXIT ≠ ÉXITO=success
GROCERY ≠ GROSERÍA=rudeness, coarseness
INJURY ≠ INJURIA=insult
INTRODUCE ≠ INTRODUCIR=to put into, insert
LARGE ≠ LARGO=long
LIBRARY ≠ LIBRERÍA=bookshop
MAYOR ≠ MAYOR =largest, biggest
PARADE ≠ PARADA= stop
PARENT ≠ PARIENTE=relative
REALIZE ≠ REALIZAR=carry out
ROPE ≠ ROPA=clothes
SUCCESS ≠ SUCESO=event
VASE ≠ VASO=drinking glass
Pay a special attention to:
CONSTIPATED ≠ CONSTIPADO=cold, have a cold
EMBARRASS ≠ EMBARAZADA=pregnant
JAM ≠ JAMÓN=ham, prosciutto
NUDE ≠ NUDO=knot
PIE ≠ PIE=foot
SIN ≠ SIN=without
TERRIFIC ≠ TERRORÍFICO=terrifying, horrific
We hope this post will support your Spanish learning process.
If you ejoyed it and you want to know more about Spanish language, have a look at our previous posts and keep following the blog of our school el Rincón del Tándem.
Stay tuned!
