{"id":779,"date":"2022-06-27T09:52:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T09:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/?p=779"},"modified":"2022-06-30T09:50:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T09:50:19","slug":"false-friends-in-spanish-for-english-native-speakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/es\/false-friends-in-spanish-for-english-native-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"“False Friends\u201d in Spanish for English native speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

False Friends are words that sound very similar in your mother tongue but unfortunately mean something totally different<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Anyone who has studied even the smallest amount of Spanish will have come across the issue of False Friends! We need to be careful if we don\u2019t want to embarrass ourselves by telling people we are pregnant<\/i>. (pregnant<\/i> in Spanish is embarazada<\/i><\/b> which is commonly misused or misunderstood by English speakers who think it means embarrassed! Ha ha!)<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>

The worst offenders<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Simp\u00e1tico vs Sympathetic<\/i><\/b>
\nThis is usually one of the first Spanish\u2013English false friends taught to language learners. Although they seem similar, \u2018simp\u00e1tico<\/i><\/b>\u2019<\/i> really means \u2018likeable\u2019 and \u2018agreeable\u2019, whereas \u2018sympathetic\u2019 translates to \u2018compasivo\u2019.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\n

Mar\u00eda es muy simp\u00e1tica<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(Maria is very nice.)
\nJuan es muy compasivo.<\/i><\/b>(Juan is very sympathetic.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

Actual vs Actual<\/i><\/b>
\nThese are subtler false friends: \u2018actual\u2019<\/i><\/b> in English is an adjective used for emphasis or to mean \u2018real\u2019, but the Spanish \u2018actual\u2019 <\/i><\/b>means \u2018current\u2019 or \u2018contemporary\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n

Mi situaci\u00f3n actual es complicada<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(My current situation is very complicated.)
\nEste tema es muy actual.<\/i><\/b>(This subject is very topical at the moment.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

Compromiso vs Compromise <\/i><\/b>
\nWhen negotiating in Spanish and English, remember that \u2018compromiso\u2019 means \u2018commitment\u2019 or \u2018obligation\u2019, while \u2018compromise\u2019 is translated as \u2018componenda\u2019 or \u2018mutuo acuerdo\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n

Tenemos que llegar a un compromiso<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(We have to come to an agreement.)
\nTenemos que ceder en algo.<\/i><\/b>(We have to compromise somewhere.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

Recordar vs Record <\/i><\/b>
\n\u2018Recordar\u2019 means \u2018to remember\u2019 or \u2018to remind\u2019, so if you\u2019re asking a Spanish-speaking music producer to record your song, be sure to use the verb \u2018grabar\u2019.<\/p>\n

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\u00bfRecuerdas cuando \u00edbamos a la playa juntos? <\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(Do you remember when we used to go to the beach together?)
\nVoy a grabar una canci\u00f3n.<\/i><\/b>(I\u2019m going to record a song.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

Preocupado vs Preoccupied <\/i><\/b>
\nHere we have another subtle false friend: when using \u2018preoccupied\u2019 to mean \u2018distracted\u2019 or \u2018lost in thought\u2019, the correct Spanish translation would be \u2018distra\u00eddo\u2019 or \u2018absorto\u2019. \u2018Preocupado\u2019 means \u2018worried\u2019 or \u2018concerned\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n

Samuel est\u00e1 muy preocupado<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(Samuel is very worried.)
\nSamuel est\u00e1 muy distra\u00eddo por otras cosas ahora mismo.<\/i><\/b>(Samuel is very preoccupied with other things right now.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

Suceso vs Success <\/i><\/b>
\nThis false friend packs double the punch. Firstly, \u2018suceso\u2019 means \u2018event\u2019, not \u2018success\u2019, but what really adds to the confusion is the fact that the word for \u2018success\u2019 in Spanish is \u2018\u00e9xito\u2019, another false friend! (Just to clarify: \u2018salida\u2019 is the Spanish word for \u2018exit\u2019.)<\/p>\n

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Voy a escuchar las noticias para los sucesos del d\u00eda<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(I\u2019m going to listen to the news to find out what\u2019s going on.)
\nTuvimos mucho \u00e9xito con el \u00faltimo show.<\/i><\/b>(We had great success with the last show.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

Librer\u00eda vs Library <\/i><\/b>
\nMeet librer\u00eda and library. You could go to either one of these places to pick up books for your Spanish reading practice. However, don\u2019t be fooled, as if you take a book away from the libreria without paying, you are breaking the law!<\/p>\n

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Voy a comprar un libro en la librer\u00eda<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(I\u2019m going to buy a book in the book shop.)
\nVoy a coger un libro de la biblioteca.<\/i><\/b>(I\u2019m going to get a book from the library.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

Constipado vs Constipated <\/i><\/b>
\nEngland is full of confused Spaniards who go to Boots to pick up a simple cold remedy only to be given uncomfortable suppositories for constipation! Ha ha!<\/p>\n

\n

Estoy muy constipado \u2013 no paro de toser y estornudar<\/i><\/b>.<\/i>(I\u2019ve got a bad cold. I can\u2019t stop coughing and sneezing.)
\nEstoy muy estre\u00f1ido.<\/i><\/b>(I\u2019m very constipated.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n<\/div>

I hope this has helped clear up a few misunderstands and hopefully avoid some embarrassing moments for you! Ask you teacher in Hablamos <\/b>for some more false friends to watch out for!<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>

Learning all the time with Hablamos<\/mark> \u263a<\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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