False friends: Spanish words that trick Indian students

Picture this. A student wants to say "I'm so embarrassed" in Spanish, so she reaches for the word that looks right and says Estoy embarazada.I'm pregnant.Embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed. The whole class goes quiet, then bursts out laughing. She has just announced she's pregnant!

That's a false friend: a Spanish word that looks like an English (or Hindi) word you already know, but means something different. Indian students meet more of them than most learners, because we come with two languages in our heads. English gives us one set of traps, and Hindi quietly adds another.

In this post I'll walk you through the Spanish false friends that catch my students most often, explain why they happen, and give you a simple way to stop falling for them. There's a full table to save and a quiz at the end. ¡Vamos!Let's go!Used to cheer someone on or get moving.

What are false friends in Spanish?

False friends (in Spanish, falsos amigosfalse friendsWords that look alike in two languages but mean different things.) are pairs of words that look or sound similar in two languages but don't mean the same thing.

They're different from the true friends, the cognates. Spanish and English share thousands of real cognates, because both borrowed heavily from Latin: hospitalhospitalSame word, same meaning, Spanish sounds., animalanimalSame word, same meaning., importanteimportantA true cognate., informacióninformationA true cognate. Note the accent.. Most of the time, your guess from English is right. That's exactly what makes the false ones dangerous. You get used to guessing correctly, and then one day you guess wrong in front of everyone.

There are two kinds you'll run into:

1. Total false friends. The meanings have nothing in common. EmbarazadapregnantNot embarrassed. is never "embarrassed".
2. Partial false friends. The meanings overlap a little, but the everyday use is different. Actualcurrent, present-dayNot "real" or "true". is related to English "actual", but it means "current".

The English false friends every Indian student meets

Since most of my students speak English well, these are the ones that cause the most trouble. Your brain sees a familiar shape and fills in the English meaning before you can stop it.

EmbarazadapregnantNot embarrassed.: pregnant, not embarrassed

We've already met this one, and it's the most famous false friend in Spanish. If you feel embarrassed, say Me da vergüenza.I'm embarrassed.Literally, it gives me shame. or Qué vergüenza.How embarrassing.A very common reaction. Save embarazadapregnantNot embarrassed. for actual baby news.

Constipadohaving a coldIn Spain, a blocked nose, not a stomach problem.: a cold, not constipation

In Spain, Estoy constipado.I've got a cold.Constipado means you have a cold. means you have a cold and a blocked nose. It has nothing to do with your stomach. Imagine telling your Spanish colleague about your "constipation" when you only meant a runny nose! If you really do mean the other thing, the word is estreñidoconstipatedThe word for the stomach problem..

ÉxitosuccessNot exit.: success, not exit

You'll see éxitosuccessNot exit. everywhere: on posters, in songs, in exam results. It means "success". So ¡Mucho éxito!Lots of success!A way to wish someone good luck. is a lovely thing to say before an interview. The way out of a building is the salidaexitThe exit sign in shops and stations.. You'll see salidaexitThe exit sign in shops and stations. written in every metro station in Madrid.

LibreríabookshopNot library.: bookshop, not library

A libreríabookshopNot library. sells books. A library, where you borrow them for free, is a bibliotecalibraryWhere you borrow books.. Both come from words for "book", which is why the mix-up is so easy.

CarpetafolderNot carpet.: folder, not carpet

Very useful at work. A carpetafolderNot carpet. is a folder, on your desk or on your computer. The carpet on the floor is an alfombracarpet, rugThe one on the floor., a word Spanish got from Arabic.

SensiblesensitiveNot sensible.: sensitive, not sensible

Es muy sensible.He's very sensitive.About feelings, not good judgement. describes someone who feels things deeply, or skin that reacts easily. If you want to say someone is sensible, use sensatosensibleSomeone with good judgement..

Actualcurrent, present-dayNot "real" or "true". and actualmentecurrentlyNot "actually".: current, not real

This one sneaks into emails all the time. ActualmentecurrentlyNot "actually". means "currently, these days". Actualmente trabajo en Delhi.I currently work in Delhi.Actualmente means at present. If you want to say "actually", as in "in fact", use en realidadactually, in factThe real "actually"..

Asistirto attendNot to assist.: to attend, not to assist

Asistir a una reuniónto attend a meetingAsistir means to be present. means to attend a meeting, not to help at it. To help, use ayudarto helpThe everyday verb for helping..

RopaclothesNot rope.: clothes, not rope

RopaclothesNot rope. means clothes. A rope is a cuerdarope, stringAlso the string of a guitar.. You'll hear ropaclothesNot rope. a lot when shopping: the women's section, the children's section, the sale rack.

LargolongNot large.: long, not large

LargolongNot large. means long. Un día largoa long dayLargo describes length. is a long day, not a big one. For "large" or "big", use grandebig, largeThe everyday word for big..

Recordarto remember, to remindNot to record.: remember, not record

Recordarto remember, to remindNot to record. means to remember, or to remind someone. If you want to record a video or a voice note, the verb is grabarto recordFor audio and video..

Realizarto carry out, to doNot to realise.: carry out, not realise

In formal Spanish, realizarto carry out, to doNot to realise. means to carry out or perform: realizar un proyectoto carry out a projectFormal, very common in work Spanish.. When you suddenly understand something, you darse cuentato realiseThe real "realise".: Me di cuenta.I realised.Past tense of darse cuenta.

A few more to watch

• FábricafactoryNot fabric. is a factory. Fabric is telafabric, clothThe material clothes are made of..
• LecturareadingNot lecture. is "reading". A lecture is a conferencialecture, talkAlso a conference..
• Vasodrinking glassNot vase. is the glass you drink water from. A vase for flowers is a jarrónvaseFor flowers..
• Discusiónargument, debateUsually a heated one. usually means an argument, a fight with raised voices, not a calm discussion.
• DecepcióndisappointmentNot deception. is disappointment. Deception is engañodeception, trickWhen someone fools you..
• Molestarto bother, to annoyA mild, everyday verb. simply means to bother. ¿Te molesta?Does it bother you?A polite everyday question. is perfectly polite, nothing like the much stronger English word.

English words that are secretly Spanish words

Here's a fun mini-group. Some short English words are also real Spanish words, with completely different meanings. They're great for jokes, and even better for memory.

• onceelevenThe number 11, said "ON-seh". is the number eleven.
• rednet, networkAlso the internet and social networks. means a net or a network. Las redes socialessocial mediaLiterally, the social networks. is social media.
• piefootOne foot. Ir a pie means to go on foot. means foot. Ir a pieto go on footTo walk somewhere. means to walk somewhere.
• sinwithoutThe opposite of con, with. means "without": café sin azúcarcoffee without sugarSin means without..
• sonthey areFrom ser. means "they are" (from serTo be (permanent)For what something is: identity, origin, profession.).
• dimetell meFrom decir, to say or tell. means "tell me", and you'll hear it a lot when someone answers the phone.
• mayorolder, biggerNot a city mayor. means older or bigger. The mayor of a city is the alcaldemayorThe head of a town or city..

Hindi false friends: Spanish words that sound like Hindi

Now for the ones only a Hindi speaker would notice. In my post on Spanish words that sound like Hindi we looked at real connections like mesatableThe piece of furniture you eat or work at. and मेज़. These are the opposite: pure coincidence. They sound like Hindi, but the meaning is a world away. Enjoy the giggle, then file them away.

• panbreadBread of any kind. is bread, nothing to do with पान.
• pilabattery, pileA battery, or a pile of things. is a battery (or a pile). It isn't पीला, yellow. Yellow in Spanish is amarilloyellowThe colour..
• tazacupA cup or mug. is a cup, not ताज़ा. If you want "fresh", say frescofresh, coolFresh food, or cool weather..
• camabedWhere you sleep. is a bed. Very different from काम! Although after a long day of काम, you'll be happy to see your camabedWhere you sleep..
• pataleg or paw of an animalAlso a table leg, informally. is an animal's leg or paw, not पता.
• latatin, canA can of drink or food. is a tin can, not लता, a climbing plant.
• bolaballA ball, round object. is a ball, not बोला (said).
• darto giveOne of the most useful verbs in Spanish. means to give. Nothing to fear here, it isn't डर!
• manohandA feminine noun: la mano. means hand. Not मानो, "as if".
• gangabargainA great deal when shopping. means a bargain. So ¡Es una ganga!It's a bargain!What you say about a great deal. is about a great price, not a holy river.

And one family favourite: papádadWith the accent on the last a. means dad, just like पापा. But careful with the accent. Papapotato, or the PopePotato in Latin America. El Papa is the Pope. without the accent is a potato in Latin America, and el Papathe PopeThe head of the Catholic Church. is the Pope!

Why do Indian students fall for false friends?

From what I've seen teaching English and Hindi speakers, it comes down to three habits.

We guess from English very fast. Indian students are often strong in English, so the brain grabs the English meaning instantly. That speed helps with true cognates, and it hurts with false ones.

We translate word by word. If you build a sentence in English first and then swap each word, every false friend slips straight in. "I'm embarrassed" becomes Estoy embarazada.I'm pregnant.Embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed. without your brain ever checking.

The words are spelled almost the same. CarpetafolderNot carpet. and carpet are one letter apart. Your eyes do the matching before your mind does the thinking.

How to stop falling for false friends

You don't need to memorise every false friend in Spanish. A few good habits do most of the work.

1. Learn words in phrases, not alone. Don't learn éxitosuccessNot exit. as a single word. Learn ¡Mucho éxito!Lots of success!A way to wish someone good luck. The phrase carries the meaning with it.
2. Keep a "traps" page in your notebook. Every time a word surprises you, write it down with the right meaning and an example. Ten minutes of revision a week keeps them fresh.
3. Double-check the important words. In an email, a job application or a translation, look up any word that "looks English". As a translator, I check these every time: a single false friend in a website or an email can change the whole message.
4. Read and listen a lot. The more real Spanish you see, the more you meet these words in context, and context always wins.
5. Laugh at your mistakes. Every Spanish learner has an embarazadapregnantNot embarrassed. story. The funny ones are the ones you'll never forget.

The false friends table

Here's everything in one place. Save it and revise before your next class.

Test yourself: Spanish false friends quiz

Five quick questions. Try to answer before you look at the table!

Keep going

False friends are a sign that you're making progress. You only meet them once you know enough Spanish to start guessing, and guessing is a great habit. Just check the ones in this post before you use them.

If you'd like to practise these in real conversations, with someone catching the slips before they become habits, my A2 batch is the right place. We meet live on Google Meet in small groups of up to 5. And if you're also working on accents and sounds, have a look at Spanish sounds you already know from Hindi and common Spanish mistakes Indian learners make. Poco a pocoLittle by littleProgress comes step by step., the traps get easier to spot.