False Cognates in Spanish
Posted on 09. Oct, 2007 by Transparent Language in Spanish Vocabulary
If it has ever happened to you that you rattle off what you think is a perfectly correct sentence in Spanish, only to have the other person just look at you, head cocked to the side with a bewildered look on his or her face, you are not alone! You may have just fallen into the very common trap of the false cognate, also called a false friend: a foreign word that looks or sounds deceptively similar to a word
in English, but whose meaning is entirely different.
I learned to be careful of false cognates the hard way: through personal experience. When I first studied in Mexico in high school, I told my host family “Estoy tan embarazada!” wishing to express my embarrassment over getting sick to my stomach my first night in their home. In fact, I had just informed them that I was “so pregnant”. Years later I saw that my Spanish students made this same mistake all the time.
The following is a partial list
of the most common false cognates to watch out for. Make your own list and add
to it each time you encounter a new one. This will keep you aware of the
pitfalls, and help you avoid misunderstandings.
|
Spanish word |
We think it means… |
It really means… |
We mean to say… |
|
actualmente |
actually |
currently, at this moment |
de hecho, en realidad |
|
atender |
to attend (a meeting) |
to attend to someone, to help or serve them (in a store: Have you been helped?) |
asistir |
|
asistir |
to assist |
to attend (a meeting) |
ayudar |
|
carpeta |
carpet |
folder |
alfombra |
|
cigarro |
cigar |
cigarette |
puro |
|
colegio |
college |
high school |
universidad |
|
embarazada |
embarrassed |
pregnant |
tener vergüenza/ estar avergonzada |
|
éxito |
exit |
success |
salida |
|
largo |
Large |
Long |
|
|
librería |
library |
bookstore |
biblioteca |
|
parientes |
parents |
relatives |
padres |
|
realizar |
To realize |
To achieve, to fulfill |
darse cuenta de |
