Spanish-English false cognates: don’t blow it!
I’ve come across some amusing misunderstandings that my students have made when using words that are very similar in Spanish, but have completely different meanings. Many of them were indeed funny, but many were also frankly embarrassing! (not “embarazados” [pregnant]). If you don’t want to find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, have a look at the following Spanish-English false cognates:
EMABARAZAD@
Saying “embarazado” when you mean “embarrassed” can, in fact, be very embarrassing. That’s because, although the terms are similar, “embarazada” means “pregnant”. So, if you’re trying to say “I’m embarrassed”, it’s better to say “estoy avergonzado/a” if you don’t want people’s first reaction to be to check your belly.
CONSTIPADO
If you hear someone use this word, relax, they aren’t sharing intimate digestive details. When someone says “estoy constipado”, they mean they aren’t feeling well, and more specifically, that they have a common cold. What do we say when we’ve been blocked up for a few days? “Estreñido/a”.
EXCITADO
It’s very amusing to hear English speakers say things like “estoy muy excitado” . Be careful what words you choose to express your enthusiasm, because a Spanish speaker may interpret that you’re feeling horny! It literally means “I’m turned on”, so unless you’re hoping to get laid, better to go with “estoy emocionado/a”.
ACTUALMENTE
This is another word that can be confusing for English speakers who might mean “actually”. Although these words are nearly identical, “actualmente” means “currently” or “at present”, and when an English speaker means to say “actually”, it’s best to say “en realidad” .
TÓPICO
This is yet another of the Spanish-English false cognates that I hear all the time. Just last week, a student told me he had been talking to his new boyfriend about several different subjects, and phrased it like this: “Hablamos de muchos tópicos diferentes”.
If I hadn’t known that it’s a false friend from the English language, I might have understood that they discussed a number of stereotypes, given that “tópico” in Spanish means exactly that, “stereotypes”. What’s the right way to say it, then? “Hablamos de muchos TEMAS diferentes”.
SENSIBLE
Oh boy… how many times have I been on a date with an English speaker who has said “soy muy sensible”, and thought that this was a romantic person who is easily moved, when what they meant is that they’re prudent and level-headed?! The fact is that this exact word, “sensible”, is used in Spanish to mean “sensitive” instead.
If you don’t want to speak as a “guiri”, you should take a spanish teacher to help you with that.
Had you noticed how many Spanish-English false cognates there are? Do you know any others or have you found yourself in an embarrassing situation where you mixed them up?
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