Amigos Falsos - False Cognates

Beware of words that are not what they seem! A word that looks or sounds similar to one in
English but actually has a totally different meaning is called a false cognate. Below are some
of these tricky little guys.

spanish word actual english how to really say

definition English version

actualmente at present actually - la verdad es que

asisistir to attend assist/help - ayudar

carpeta folder carpet - alfombra

chocar to crash choke - ahogar/sofocar
embarazada pregnant embarassed - avergonzado
éxito success exit - salida
largo long large - grande
parientes relatives parents - padres
realizar to actualize realize - darse cuenta
recordar remember record - grabar
sensible sensitive sensible - razonable, sensato
soportar put up with support - mantener

últimamente lately ultimately - al final

vaso drinking glass vase – jarrón

¡Cuidado con los

amigos falsos!
Spanish False Cognates Worksheet

Translate the following ENGLISH words into Spanish

1. Espero tener (success) en mi examen

2. Mi hermana está (pregnant)

3.  Quiero (record) un disco de música

4. ¿Dónde está la (exit)?

5. Cuidado - ella es super (sensitive)

6. Voy a visitar a algunos (relatives) en Texas

7. Debemos (assist) a la gente pobre

8. La (carpet) está sucia

 
9. ¿Quieres (attend) el concierto?

10. Es un hombre muy (large)

http://www.spanish.bz/activity-false-cognates.htm

Largo - Large
Largo (Span.) = long
Example: (Span.) Es un viaje muy largo hasta Madrid. (Eng.) It's a long trip to Madrid.

Large (Eng.) = grande

Example: (Eng.) She has a very large house. (Span.) Ella tiene una casa muy grande.

Lectura – Lecture

Lectura (Span.) = act of reading

Example: (Span.) La lectura del Quijote merece la pena. (Eng.) Reading don Quijote is a worthwhile
endeavor.

Lecture (Eng.) = conferencia

Example: (Eng.) The lecture lasted an hour and a half. (Span.) La conferencia duró una hora y media.

Librería - Library
Librería (Span.) = bookstore

Example: (Span.) La Cervantes es una librería importante en Salamanca.

(Eng.) The Cervantes is an important bookstore in Salamanca.

Library (Eng.) = biblioteca

Example: (Eng.) There are two libraries in this town. (Span.) Hay dos bibliotecas en este pueblo.

Mayor - Mayor
Mayor (Span.) = larger, older
Example: (Span.) Este edificio es mayor que aquel. (Eng.) This building is larger / older than that
one.

Mayor (Eng.) = alcalde

Example: (Eng.) Juan Valdez es el alcalde de Málaga. (Span.) Juan Valdez es the mayor of Málaga.
Molestar - Molest
Molest (Span.) = bother
Example: (Span.) Mi hermano pequeño siempre me moleta. (Eng.) My little brother is always bothering me.

Molest (Eng.) = acosar sexualmente

Example: (Eng.) He is in prison for molesting children
(Span.) El está en la prisión por acosar sexualmente a menores.

Nombre - Number
Nombre (Span.) = name
Example: (Span.) Mi nombre es Pedro. (Eng.) My name is Pedro.

Number (Eng.) = número

Example: (Eng.) "6" is an even number. (Span.) "6" es un número par.

Pariente - Parent
Pariente (Span.) = relative
Example: (Span.) Tengo muchos parientes en Valencia. (Eng.) I have a lot of relatives in Valencia.

Parent (Eng.) = padre / madre

Example: (Eng.) My parents live in Valencia. (Span.) (Mis padres) OR (Mi padre y mi madre) viven en
Valencia.

Pretender – Pretend

Pretender (Span.) = want

Example: (Span.) Ella pretende llegar a la cima. (Eng.) She wants to reach the top.

Pretend (Eng.) = fingir

Example: (Eng.) El está fingiendo que le duele. (Span.) He's pretending that it hurts.

SINGULAR PLURAL

or

actual actuales current, on-going

from/of the North or South American

americano americana americanos americanas
continents

bizarro bizarra bizarros bizarras brave

blanco blanca blancos blancas white

cándido cándida cándidos cándidas naive, innocent

constante constantes consistent

constipado constipada constipados constipadas congested

destituido destituida destituidos destituidas impeached

drástico drástica drásticos drásticas dramatic

  embarazada   embarazadas pregnant, expecting

emocionante emocionantes exciting

familiar familiares pertaining to family

 gentil gentiles courteous

gracioso graciosa graciosos graciosas funny, humorous

habitual habituales normal, typical

intoxicado intoxicada intoxicados intoxicadas poisoned

largo larga largos largas long

mayor mayores older

quieto quieta quietos quietas calm, still

raro rara raros raras odd, strange

relevante relevantes having importance

sano sana sanos sanas healthy, sound

sensible sensibles sensitive, regrettable

simpático simpática simpáticos simpáticas pleasant, nice, agreeable, congenial

vicioso viciosa viciosos viciosas as a vice, by bad habit

For even more false cognates go to: http://www.elearnspanishlanguage.com/vocabulary/falsosamigos.html

Familiar Words: Cognates

http://www.spanish.bz/cognates.htm

Cognates are words that are easy to translate and recognize in English. You can apply these
formulas to many other English words to find their equivalents in Spanish:

 Many words in English have nearly identical Spanish cognates. Only the
pronunciation is different and, at most, a very little spelling change.

Antena, area, auto, canón, chocolate, conclusión, consul, familiar, gala, gas, hotel, idea, melon, millón, plaza,
radio, regular, religión, similar, teléfono, villa.
 Spanish words that end in -a, -o or -e very often have an equivalent in English.
Simply drop or change the last vowel.

Aire, atleta (athlete), caso, causa, costo, creative, crédito, dieta, drama, estado, estilo, (style), favorito,
figura, forma, grande (big), guitarra, líquido, lista, mapa, medicina, minute, mucho, nota, objetivo, parte,
persona, poeta, portero, positivo, producto, práctica (practice), puro, quieto, rápido, rosa (rose), tubo
(tube), uso (use), victim, visita.

 Many Spanish words that end in -ma are irregular in that they are masculine in
gender, even though they end in the usually feminine -a.

clima (climate),diagram, idioma (idiom,language), problema, programa, sistema (system), tema (theme).

 There are many Spanish cognates that end in -ción. The equivalent English word
ends in -tion. Note that all of these words have the stress on the final syllable. Also, all
of these words are feminine in gender.

Abreviación, abdicación, acción, aclamación, acumulación, administración, admiración, adoración,

afirmación, aglomeración, agitación, alegación, animación, anticipación, aplicación, asimilación, asociación,
atención, atracción, autenticación, autorización….

 Words that end in -ary in English very often have a Spanish cognate that ends in
-ario.

Aniversario, diccionario, disciplinario, itinerario, literario, necesario, ordinario, salario, vocabulario.

 Words that in in -dad are quite common in Spanish. They usually correspond to
an English word that ends in -ty. All of these words are feminine in gender.

autoridad (authority), ciudad (city), comunidad, dificultad, enfermedad (infirmity, illness), formalidad,
necesidad, prosperidad, publicidad, universidad
velocidad.

 English words that end in -ic usually have a Spanish cognate that simply add an -
o.

Atlántico, automático, democrático, didáctico, escolástico, fanático, gimnástico, lingüístico, lunático

optimístico, patriótico, romántico, sarcástico.

 Like the previous category, English words that end in -ical have a Spanish cognate
that ends in -ico.

Clásico, cómico, eléctrico, físico, histérico, metódico, periódico (newspaper,periodical), político, práctico,
sicológico (psychological), técnico. Also notice: magnifico, único.
 English words that end in -ent often have a cognate in Spanish that ends in -
ente. These words are usually adjectives.

Agente, cliente, diferente, equivalente, indiferente, inteligente, patente, potente, suficiente.

 Be careful with Spanish words that end in- mente (as opposed to just -ente).
They usually have an English cognate that ends in -ly. These are adverbs.

afortunadamente (fortunately), correctamente, desafortunadamente (unfortunately), especialmente

exactamente, finalmente, generalmente, moralmente, naturalmente, obviamente (obviously), rapidamente.

 Words that end in -ment in English have equivalents in Spanish that simply add
an -o. These words are nouns.

Argumento, monumento, sacramento, sentimiento (sentiment), suplemento, testamento.

 Words that end in -al in both English and Spanish are often cognates.

Animal, annual, capital, central, commercial, especial, general, hospital, intellectual, local, occasional, oficial
original, personal, professional, total, usual.

 English words that end in -ence or -ance often have a Spanish cognate that ends
in -encia or -ancia.

Abundancia, ausencia (absence), circunstancia, conciencia, diferencia, distancia, experiencia, importancia,

instancia, obediencia, permanencia, tolerancia.

 -ant (or sometimes -ent)words in English sometimes end in -ante in Spanish.

Abundante, constante elegante, estudiante, importante, restaurante, significante.

 Some English words that end in -ous have a Spanish cognate that ends in -oso.

Ambicioso, curioso, delicioso, famoso, glorioso, gracioso, ingenioso, laborioso, numeroso, religioso.

 English words with the ending -y sometimes have an equivalent in Spanish with
the ending -ia or -io.

Aristocracia, compañía (company), democracia, eficacia, familia, farmacia (pharmacy), historia, misterio,
remedio, secretaria, psicologia (psychology), urgencia.

 English words that end in -or often have a Spanish cognate that is identical.

Actor, autor (author), color, director, doctor, humor, motor, error, professor.
 English words that end in -ist often have a Spanish cognate.

Artista, florista, moralista, pianista, turista, recepcionista.

Diminutives - Making it Smaller

If you listen to Spanish enough, you’ll notice that little endings are often
added to words. These little endings are used to indicate that something is “little”, or somehow “LESS”
of whatever the word is. These endings end in O or A depending on the original word’s ending. You'll
also hear "ecito" or "ecita" (A general rule is that words ending in a consonant or "e" become "ECITO"
or "ECITA").

payaso = payasito
clown little clown

beso = besito
kiss little kiss

chica = chiquita
small (feminine) very small (feminine)

niña = niñita
girl little girl

Antonyms

The following lists of antonyms are helpful vocabulary words to have in your word arsenal. Learn each

word's meaning as well as its opposite word. Don't forget to learn the stem change in parentheses

following any stem-changing verb.

Verbs and their opposites

Verb Antonym

aburrirse (to be bored) divertirse ( e> ie) (to have fun)

admitir (to admit) negar ( e> ie) (to deny)

alejarse de (to go away from) acercarse a (to get close to)

amar, querer ( e> ie) (to love) odiar (to hate)

aparecer (to appear) desaparecer (to disappear)

apresurarse (to hurry) tardar en (to delay)

bajar (to go down, to lower) subir (to go up, to raise)

bendecir (to bless) maldecir (to curse)

Verb Antonym

cansar (to tire) descansar (to rest)

cerrar ( e> ie) (to close) abrir (to open)

comprar (to buy) vender (to sell)

dar (to give) recibir (to receive)

dejar caer (to drop) recoger (to pick up)

descubrir (to discover) cubrir (to cover)

despertarse ( e> ie) (to wake up) dormirse ( o> ue) (to fall asleep)

destruir (to destroy) crear (to create)

desvanecerse (to disappear) aparecer (to appear)

elogiar (to praise) censurar (to criticize)

empezar ( e> ie) (to begin) terminar (to finish)

encender ( e> ie) (to light, to turn off) apagar (to extinguish, to turn on)

entrar (to enter) salir (to exit)

gastar (to spend [money]) ahorrar (to save [money])

hablar (to speak) callar (to be quiet)

ignorar (to not know [a fact]) saber (to know [a fact])

jalar (to pull) empujar (to push)

jugar ( o> ue) (to play) trabajar (to work)

juntar (to join) separar (to separate)

levantarse (to get up) sentarse ( e> ie) (to sit down)

meter (to put in) sacar (to take out)

nacer (to be born) morir ( o> ue) (to die)

perder ( e> ie) (to lose) ganar (to win) or encontrar ( o> ue) (to find)
 Verb Antonym

permitir (to permit) prohibir (to prohibit)

preguntar (to ask) responder, contestar (to answer)

prestar (to lend) pedir ( e> ie) prestado (to borrow)

quedarse (to stay) irse, salir, marcharse (to leave)

quitarse (to take off) ponerse (to put on)

recordar (to remember) olvidar (to forget)

reír ( e> i) (to laugh) llorar (to cry)

sumar (to add) restar (to subtract)

tomar (to take) dar (to give)

unir (to unite) dividir, desunir (to divide)

vaciar (to empty) llenar (to fill)

Nouns and their opposites

Nouns ending in - o may also end in - a, - os, or - as. In the following list, if a noun is listed without an
article and refers to a person, it can be masculine or feminine. All other nouns have a predetermined
gender that is indicated by the definite article:

Noun Antonym

amigo (friend) enemigo (enemy)

el amor (love) el odio (hatred)

la capacidad (ability) la incapacidad (inability)

la dama (lady) el caballero (gentleman)

la derrota (defeat) la victoria (victory)

el descuido (carelessness) el esmero, el cuidado (caution)

el éxito (success) el fracaso (failure)

el fin (end) el principio (beginning)

 Noun Antonym

gigante (giant) enano (dwarf)

la hembra (female) el varón (male)

la ida (departure) la vuelta (return)

la juventud (youth) la vejez (old age)

la lentitud (slowness) la rapidez (quickness)

la libertad (freedom) la esclavitud (slavery)

la luz (light) la sombra (shadow)

la llegada (arrival) la partida (departure)

la mentira (lie) la verdad (truth)

la paz (peace) la guerra (war)

el peligro (danger) la seguridad (security, safety)

la pobreza (poverty) la riqueza (wealth)

el porvenir (future) el pasado (past)

la pregunta (question) la respuesta (answer)

el ruido (noise, sound) el silencio (silence)

la salida (exit) la entrada (entrance)

el sur (south) el norte (north)

la vida (life) la muerte (death)

Adjectives and their opposites

Remember that adjectives change to match the nouns or pronouns they modify. Below, the adjectives

are listed in their singular masculine form. Adjectives ending in -o may also end in -a, -os, or -as . Other
adjectives have a singular and plural form only.

Adjective Antonym

antipático (mean) simpático (nice)

Adjective Antonym

ausente (absent) presente (present)

bajo (short) alto (tall)

bueno (good) malo (bad)

caro, costoso (expensive) barato (cheap)

cobarde (cowardly) valiente (brave)

cómico (funny) trágico (tragic)

común (common) raro (rare)

corto (short) largo (long)

débil (weak) fuerte (strong)

delgado (thin) gordo (fat)

diferente (different) mismo (same)

desgraciado (unfortunate) afortunado (fortunate)

distinto (different) semejante (similar)

dulce (sweet) amargo (bitter)

duro (hard) suave (soft, smooth)

estrecho (narrow) ancho (wide)

estúpido (stupid) inteligente (intelligent)

fácil (easy) difícil (difficult)

fatigado (tired) descansado (rested)

flojo (lazy) aplicado (industrious)

flojo (loose) apretado (tight)

frío (cold) caliente (hot)

feo (ugly) hermoso (beautiful)

Adjective Antonym

flaco (thin) gordo (fat)

grande (big) pequeño (small)

hablador (talkative) taciturno (not talkative)

humilde (humble) orgulloso (proud)

inocente (innocent) culpable (guilty)

interesante (interesting) aburrido (boring)

lejano (distant) cercano (near)

limpio (clean) sucio (dirty)

listo (clever) tonto (foolish)

lleno (full) vacío (empty)

mejor (better) peor (worse)

menor (younger) mayor (older)

moderno (modern) antiguo (old)

mojado (wet) seco (dry)

mucho (a lot) poco ([a] little)

natural (natural) artificial (artificial)

necesario (necessary) innecesario (unnecessary)

occidental (western) oriental (eastern)

oscuro (dark) claro (light, clear)

perezoso (lazy) diligente (diligent)

pesado (heavy) ligero (light)

primero (first) último (last)

privado (private) público (public)

recto (straight) tortuoso (winding)

 Adjective Antonym

sabio (wise) tonto (foolish)

tranquilo (calm) turbulento (restless)

triste (sad) feliz (happy)

usual (usual) extraño (unusual)

útil (useful) inútil (useless)

viejo (old) joven (young) or nuevo (new)

More useful words and their opposites

aquí (here) allí (there)

arriba (above) abajo (below)

bien (well) mal (badly)

cerca de (near) lejos de (far [from])

con (with) sin (without) or contra (against)

delante de (in front of) detrás de (behind)

despacio (slowly) aprisa (quickly)

más (more) menos (less)

tarde (late) temprano (early)