Spanish False Friends

Words that look similar to English but have different meanings. Avoid common mistakes!

False friends can be tricky! These words look similar between languages but have different meanings. Study them carefully to avoid common mistakes.

64 false friends found

embarrassed

English

feeling ashamed or self-conscious

embarazada

Spanish

pregnant

Example

She was embarrassed by the mistake. | Mi hermana está embarazada.

actually

English

in reality, in fact

actualmente

Spanish

currently, nowadays

Example

Actually, I prefer tea to coffee. | Actualmente vivo en Madrid.

library

English

place to borrow books

librería

Spanish

bookstore

Example

I borrowed this book from the library. | Compré este libro en la librería.

carpet

English

floor covering

carpeta

Spanish

folder

Example

The carpet needs to be cleaned. | Guarda los papeles en una carpeta.

exit

English

way out

éxito

Spanish

success

Example

The exit is on the left. | Su empresa fue un gran éxito.

parents

English

mother and father

parientes

Spanish

relatives

Example

My parents live in Boston. | Tengo muchos parientes en México.

constipated

English

unable to have bowel movements

constipado

Spanish

having a cold

Example

Eating more fiber helps if you are constipated. | Estoy constipado y tengo fiebre.

sensible

English

practical, reasonable

sensible

Spanish

sensitive

Example

That is a sensible decision. | Es una persona muy sensible.

rope

English

thick cord

ropa

Spanish

clothes

Example

We need rope to tie the boxes. | Necesito comprar ropa nueva.

pretend

English

to fake, to act as if

pretender

Spanish

to intend, to try

Example

The kids pretend to be superheroes. | Pretendo terminar el proyecto hoy.

assist

English

to help

asistir

Spanish

to attend

Example

Can you assist me with this task? | Voy a asistir a la conferencia.

contest

English

competition

contestar

Spanish

to answer

Example

She won the singing contest. | No contestó mi llamada.

fabric

English

cloth material

fábrica

Spanish

factory

Example

This fabric is very soft. | Trabaja en una fábrica de coches.

notice

English

to observe, to become aware

noticia

Spanish

news

Example

Did you notice her new haircut? | Vi la noticia en televisión.

sympathetic

English

showing compassion

simpático

Spanish

nice, friendly

Example

She was sympathetic when I told her my problem. | Es un chico muy simpático.

lecture

English

formal talk or presentation

lectura

Spanish

reading

Example

The professor gave a lecture on history. | La lectura es mi actividad favorita.

suburb

English

residential area outside a city

suburbio

Spanish

slum, poor area

Example

They live in a quiet suburb. | El suburbio tiene problemas de pobreza.

success

English

achievement of goal

suceso

Spanish

event, happening

Example

Her business was a great success. | Fue un suceso inesperado.

argument

English

heated disagreement

argumento

Spanish

plot, reasoning

Example

They had a big argument last night. | El argumento de la película es interesante.

casualty

English

victim of accident or war

casualidad

Spanish

coincidence

Example

There were no casualties in the accident. | ¡Qué casualidad encontrarte aquí!

conductor

English

orchestra leader or train staff

conductor

Spanish

driver

Example

The conductor raised his baton. | El conductor del taxi era amable.

introduce

English

to present someone

introducir

Spanish

to insert, to put in

Example

Let me introduce you to my friend. | Introduce la tarjeta en la ranura.

ordinary

English

normal, usual

ordinario

Spanish

vulgar, crude

Example

It was just an ordinary day. | Su comportamiento fue ordinario.

quit

English

to stop, to resign

quitar

Spanish

to remove, to take away

Example

She quit her job last month. | Quita los zapatos antes de entrar.

large

English

big in size

largo

Spanish

long

Example

This is a large room. | El río es muy largo.

disgust

English

strong dislike or revulsion

disgusto

Spanish

upset, displeasure

Example

He looked at the food with disgust. | Se llevó un gran disgusto.

college

English

higher education institution

colegio

Spanish

school (primary/secondary)

Example

She goes to college in California. | Mi hijo va al colegio.

comprehensive

English

thorough, complete

comprensivo

Spanish

understanding, sympathetic

Example

This is a comprehensive guide. | Mi jefe es muy comprensivo.

mayor

English

city leader

mayor

Spanish

older, larger

Example

The mayor gave a speech. | Mi hermano mayor vive en Lima.

idiom

English

expression with figurative meaning

idioma

Spanish

language

Example

Its raining cats and dogs is an idiom. | Hablo tres idiomas.

actualmente

Spanish

currently, at the present time

actually

English

in fact, really

Example

Actualmente vivo en Madrid. | I actually prefer coffee.

embarazada

Spanish

pregnant

embarrassed

English

feeling ashamed or awkward

Example

Mi hermana está embarazada de gemelos. | I was embarrassed by my mistake.

constipado

Spanish

having a cold

constipated

English

having difficulty with bowel movements

Example

Estoy constipado y necesito descansar. | Eating more fiber helps when constipated.

éxito

Spanish

success

exit

English

way out

Example

La película fue un gran éxito. | The exit is on your left.

sensible

Spanish

sensitive

sensible

English

practical, reasonable

Example

Es una persona muy sensible. | That was a sensible decision.

largo

Spanish

long

large

English

big in size

Example

Es un camino muy largo. | I need a large pizza.

librería

Spanish

bookstore

library

English

place to borrow books

Example

Compré este libro en la librería. | I borrowed books from the library.

pretender

Spanish

to intend, to try

pretend

English

to fake, to simulate

Example

Pretendo terminar el proyecto hoy. | He pretended to be asleep.

realizar

Spanish

to carry out, to accomplish

realize

English

to become aware of

Example

Vamos a realizar un experimento. | I didn't realize it was so late.

soportar

Spanish

to tolerate, to endure

support

English

to help, to assist

Example

No puedo soportar el calor. | Thank you for your support.

recordar

Spanish

to remember

record

English

to register audio/video

Example

No recuerdo su nombre. | Press here to record your voice.

conductor

Spanish

driver

conductor

English

orchestra director

Example

El conductor del autobús es amable. | The conductor raised his baton.

fábrica

Spanish

factory

fabric

English

cloth, textile

Example

Trabajo en una fábrica de coches. | This fabric is very soft.

parientes

Spanish

relatives

parents

English

mother and father

Example

Voy a visitar a mis parientes. | My parents live in Chicago.

aviso

Spanish

warning, notice

advice

English

recommendation, guidance

Example

Hay un aviso en la puerta. | Can you give me some advice?

asistir

Spanish

to attend

assist

English

to help

Example

Voy a asistir a la reunión. | Can you assist me with this?

atender

Spanish

to serve, to help

attend

English

to go to an event

Example

¿Quién va a atender a los clientes? | I will attend the conference.

carpeta

Spanish

folder

carpet

English

floor covering

Example

Guarda los documentos en la carpeta. | We need to clean the carpet.

casualidad

Spanish

coincidence

casualty

English

person killed or injured

Example

¡Qué casualidad encontrarte aquí! | There were no casualties in the accident.

colegio

Spanish

school (primary/secondary)

college

English

university, higher education

Example

Mi hijo va al colegio. | She goes to college in Boston.

compromiso

Spanish

commitment, engagement

compromise

English

agreement, concession

Example

Tengo un compromiso esta noche. | We reached a compromise.

conferencia

Spanish

lecture

conference

English

large meeting or convention

Example

Asistí a una conferencia interesante. | The conference has 500 attendees.

decepción

Spanish

disappointment

deception

English

act of deceiving, fraud

Example

Fue una gran decepción para mí. | The deception was discovered.

disgusto

Spanish

annoyance, displeasure

disgust

English

strong revulsion

Example

Me llevé un disgusto con la noticia. | She showed disgust at the smell.

diversión

Spanish

fun, entertainment

diversion

English

detour, distraction

Example

El parque es un lugar de diversión. | There is a diversion ahead.

eventual

Spanish

temporary, occasional

eventual

English

happening at some point in the future

Example

Es un trabajo eventual. | The eventual outcome was positive.

grosería

Spanish

rudeness

grocery

English

food store

Example

Su grosería me molestó. | I need to go to the grocery store.

idioma

Spanish

language

idiom

English

expression, phrase

Example

Hablo tres idiomas. | That is a common idiom in English.

lectura

Spanish

reading

lecture

English

academic talk

Example

Me gusta la lectura de novelas. | The lecture was very informative.

molestar

Spanish

to bother, to annoy

molest

English

to sexually abuse

Example

No quiero molestar. | He was arrested for molesting a child.

revolver

Spanish

to stir, to mix

revolver

English

type of gun

Example

Revuelve la sopa antes de servir. | The detective carried a revolver.

suceso

Spanish

event, incident

success

English

achievement

Example

Fue un suceso trágico. | Her book was a great success.

advertir

Spanish

to warn

advertise

English

to promote products

Example

Te advertí sobre ese problema. | They advertise on social media.

preservativo

Spanish

condom

preservative

English

substance that preserves food

Example

Es importante usar preservativo. | This jam has no preservatives.