Don’t let false friends in Spanish and English trip you up when learning a second language. When I first learned about these false cognates, it changed the game.
Yes, English and Spanish share a lot of vocabulary. But don’t get it twisted: there are plenty of word pairs that look alike yet are anything but.
In this article, I’m breaking down some common false friends that you should know. That way, you don’t accidentally embarrass yourself.
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What Are False Friends in Spanish and English?
Sometimes called false cognates, false friends in Spanish and English are pairs of words that look the same at first glance.
But when you learn the true meaning of the words in each language, you’ll find they can differ quite a bit in some cases.
Probably the most infamous pair of false friends is “embarazada” and “embarrassed.” The Spanish word really translates to mean “pregnant.”
It can be tempting to Spanish-ify English words when you don’t know the true Spanish equivalent. I get it, and I’ve done it, but this can lead to errors and misunderstanding.
Common False Friends Between Spanish and English
Here are some common false cognates you should know, aside from the aforementioned embarazada/embarrased.
Actualmente / Actually
An easy mix up to make is using “actualmente” like you would use “actually.” However, the Spanish word translates to “currently” in English.
If you want to say “actually” in Spanish, you’d use “en realidad.”
Asistir / Assist
One false friend that it took me a while to get over is “asistir.” You might think it means to assist someone with something.
Nope, it actually means to attend, such as an event. If you want to talk about assisting someone, you would use the Spanish verb “ayudar.”
Realizar / Realize
The next false cognate pair you should learn is that of “realizar” and “realize.” In Spanish, the verb is used to mean to do something or carry out a task.
I might also use it to talk about giving a performance, since I’m a musician.
If you want to say you came to a realization, you would say “darse cuenta.” It’s basically like giving yourself a story.
Ropa / Rope
This next false cognate is one I’ve never really struggled with, probably because “ropa” was in one of my first Spanish vocabulary lessons.
The Spanish word refers to clothing. Meanwhile, to talk about a rope in Spanish, you would use the word “cuerda.”
Sensible / Sensible
Don’t let these false friends affect your Spanish learning journey. They look the same and sound similar, just with English and Spanish phonetics.
In Spanish, this word realy translates to the English “sensitive.” To talk about someone being sensible in Spanish, you would say “sensato” for males or “sensata” for females.
Fábrica / Fabric
Another confusing pair of false cognates, “fábrica” in Spanish does not refer to fabric. Instead, you would use it when talking about a factory.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely come across items that were made in Mexico and use this word for their Spanish translation.
If you want to talk about different fabrics in Spanish, you would use “tela” for your word.
Éxito / Exit
This is probably one of the worst false friends, especially for beginners. If you’re in that stage where you’re adding -o to the end of English words, I get how you might think these words are the same.
However, “éxito” actually refers to success, as in “tengo éxito” meaning “I am successful.
When talking about where an exit is, you would use “salida.” The verb form is “salir.”
Molestar / Molest
If your first language is English, you might find the Spanish word awkward. But in the romance language, it’s just another word.
You’ll use it to mean “to bother” someone. Of course, the English word in this false friend pair has a much more sinister meaning.
Carpeta / Carpet
When talking about home flooring, you might want to use “carpeta” to talk about carpet. But that really translates to “folder” as in a place where you store files.
On the other hand, to say “carpet” in Spanish, you would use “alfombra.”
False Friends vs. Cognates
Spanish and English have just as many cognates as false friends, if not more. Cognates are words that look alike AND mean the same or almost the same.
Think word pairs like:
- importante / important
- carro / car
- computadora / computer
Books like Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish explain cognates really well. Knowing the most common ones can accelerate your Spanish learning very quickly.
But make sure you slow down with false cognates so that you don’t accidentally say the wrong thing.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced, you should review some common false friends in Spanish and English.
These word pairs can trip you up and make you sound, quite frankly, a little dumb. But if you know how the words differ between languages, you can sound much more like a native.
And for even more vocabulary practice, head over to our free online Spanish flashcards.