Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme
Many of us native English speakers who have enrolled in a Spanish 101 class have been spun a similar cautionary tale: that a student who meant to say they were embarrassed fell victim to the oh-so-tempting false cognate trap. Blissfully unaware of the actual meaning of the Spanish word embarazado(a), they dug themselves deep into the dark hole that is public embarrassment.
Open season
While it may seem that only the weakest Spanish student might accidentally announce that they’re expecting, even more seasoned Spanish speakers are not guaranteed protection against inadvertent social suicide via a fatal slip of the tongue. It’s open season, and false cognates do not discriminate.
Below is a table illustrating only a small portion of the many false cognates that taunt foreign language students as they move from English into Spanish:
English word | Spanish equivalent | False cognate | False cognate’s |
embarrassed (Adj.) | avergonzado(a) | embarazado(a) | pregnant/expecting |
to realize (V.) | darse cuenta de | realizar | to perform/carry out/execute |
to introduce | presentarte/le a | introducir | to insert/add |
to support (V.) | ayudar/apoyar | soportar | to tolerate/put up with |
sensible (Adj.) | sensato(a) | sensible | sensitive |
to stir | remover | estirar | to stretch |
excited (Adj.) | emocionado(a) | excitado(a) | sexually aroused |
comprehensive (Adj.) | completo(a) | comprensivo(a) | understanding/sympathetic |
We’re all in this together
To any native English speakers who feel somewhat defeated in their struggle to learn the ins and outs of such a tricky foreign language, rest assured: you are in good company. The other romance languages – for example, French, Italian and Portuguese – also offer plenty of “false friends”. So, while you may have unintentionally said you were sexually aroused at the thought of skateboarding this weekend, your friend might have made the mistake of boasting about how they avoid préservatifs at all costs, right to the face of their cautious girlfriend, no less. (Préservatifs are not preservatives, but rather, condoms.)
See the table below for a glimpse at what your other romance-language-learning friends are up against. Hopefully, it will make your pregnancy a little less embarrassing. And we’re happy to help with any other language-related questions.
Language | English word | False cognate | False cognate’s |
French | preservative (N.) | préservatif | condom/contraceptive |
French | location (N.) | location | rental |
French | to rest (V.) | rester | to stay |
French | to bless (V.) | blesser | to wound/offend |
French | sale (N.) | sale | dirty |
French | bra (N.) | bras | arm |
Portuguese | exquisite (Adj.) | esquisito(a) | weird/odd |
Portuguese | to push (V.) | puxar | to pull |
Portuguese | to pretend (V.) | pretender | to intend |
Portuguese | tax (N.) | taxa | rate/fee |
Portuguese | recipient (N.) | recipiente | container |
Portuguese | retired (Adj.) | retirado(a) | withdrawn/removed |
Italian | licensed (Adj.) | licenziato(a) | fired/dismissed |
Italian | autistic (person) (N.) | autista | driver |
Italian | educated (Adj.) | educato(a) | polite/kind |
Italian | magazine (N.) | magazzino | warehouse |
Italian | to annoy (V.) | annoiare | to bore |
Italian | to confront (V.) | confrontare | to compare |
Italian | gross (Adj.) | grosso(a) | large/huge |
Italian | morbid (Adj.) | morbido(a) | soft |
Italian | camera (N.) | camera | room |
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