Spanish-English False Friends: 20 Words That Aren’t What They Seem

Spanish and English share thousands of words, which is a gift. It is also a trap, because a minority of those look-alikes have drifted apart completely, and they tend to be words you use in exactly the situations where you cannot afford to be funny: at the doctor, at work, meeting your partner’s family.

Twenty worth knowing, in both directions.

The ones that will embarrass you

• embarazada — pregnant, not embarrassed. For embarrassed, say avergonzado or me da vergüenza.
• constipado — having a cold. Constipated is estreñido, a distinction worth having before a pharmacy visit.
• molestar — to bother or annoy. ¿Te molesta si abro la ventana? is an entirely innocent question.
• preservativo — a condom, not a food preservative. That is conservante.
• excitado — aroused rather than merely excited. For excited, use emocionado or con muchas ganas.

The ones that quietly change your meaning

• actualmente — currently, not actually. Actually is en realidad or de hecho.
• eventualmente — possibly, occasionally. English eventually is finalmente or con el tiempo.
• sensible — sensitive. English sensible is sensato. A persona sensible cries at adverts; a persona sensata reads the contract.
• pretender — to intend or aim to. To pretend is fingir.
• realizar — to carry out. To realise something is darse cuenta de.
• asistir — to attend. To assist is ayudar. Asistí a la reunión means you were there, not that you helped.
• discutir — usually to argue, not neutrally to discuss. For that, hablar de or tratar.
• soportar — to put up with, to bear. To support someone is apoyar. No te soporto is not encouragement.
• compromiso — a commitment or obligation. A compromise is un acuerdo or una concesión.
• decepción — disappointment. Deception is engaño.

The everyday objects

• librería — bookshop. A library is una biblioteca.
• carpeta — folder. A carpet is una alfombra or moqueta.
• ropa — clothes. Rope is una cuerda.
• fábrica — factory. Fabric is tela.
• éxito — success. An exit is una salida — the one that matters on a motorway.
• largo — long. Large is grande, which catches people out when buying clothes.

Going the other way

Spanish speakers learning English import the same confusions in reverse, and a few extra ones.

• I have 30 years → I am 30. Age takes be in English.
• I am agree → I agree. It’s a verb, not an adjective.
• Actually I work in Madrid → Currently.
• Sensible used for sensitive, which reverses the compliment entirely.
• Assist to a meeting → attend a meeting.

How to actually remember them

Lists like this are read and forgotten within a day. What sticks is a sentence with a consequence attached. Not embarazada = pregnant, but the mental image of announcing your pregnancy to an entire office because you spilled coffee.

Pick the five from this list that belong to your own life — work, health, shopping, whatever you do most — and write one embarrassing sentence for each. Five is a realistic number to own; twenty is a list you skimmed.

Where to go next

The useful thing about false friends is that natives rarely correct them, because the sentence still makes sense — just a different sense from the one you intended. That means you can repeat the same mistake for years with no feedback at all.

A tutor will catch them in the first ten minutes, because they are listening for exactly this. You can book a single lesson on Parlazo in Spanish or English, pay for that lesson, no subscription.