G A M E A - Z Most Misleading False Friends

Question

A - Z Game

(although it didn't start that way )

We all know that although there are many congnates shared between Spanish and English but there are also a few false friends.

I was thinking of the word delitos / crimes and thought how that gives the feel of being something not at all akin to crimes - maybe even making an English speaker think of 'delights'.

Which got me to wondering which are the worst/most misleading 'false friend' you have come across while learning Spanish, or English for that matter?

Edit: Margaret has kindly compiled a list of all we have so far and to avoid so many repeats we're going to have a go at changing the thread to an A-Z game making it easier to check if your word has already been given, so:

To Play:

Click on newest and using the next letter of the alphabet add a false friend that you have come across.

Please feel free to add pictures!

(Please post the Spanish and English meanings )

• Great idea M.C :) voting - FELIZ77 Dec 25, 2010
• Thanx Feliz :) - Kiwi_Girl Jan 5, 2011
• Yes this always confuses me especially since "delitos" is so similar to "deleites"! - daphne505 Jan 5, 2011
• The thing is small delights may be classed as crimes. Although not to a great extent, I suppose. - Seb79 Jan 6, 2011
• Great idea for a question! :) - amy_moreno Jan 11, 2011

Answer 1

embarazada (embarrassed) - pregnant

estreñido - constipated - coger un constipado - catch a cold.

• yes they're a couple of goodies Ian, although you can have embarazoso/a can't you? - Kiwi_Girl Dec 24, 2010
• My personal favorite: embarazada. - Ann-Frances Dec 25, 2010
• Yes,I have fallen for the embarazada one I once said: estoy embarazada to a chorus of laughs - FELIZ77 Dec 25, 2010
• typo in estreñido, Ian. :) - galsally Dec 26, 2010

Answer 2

Asistir means to attend and atender means to assist, what's up with that?

• Asistir can also mean to assist (as in asistencia publica). Atender; however, either means to assist or to pay attention to somebody - gone Jan 23, 2011

Answer 3

It would be nice if the Spanish word "actual" meant the same as "actual" in English; instead, it means "current."

• true, or present, yes that is an easy one to get caught out on! - Kiwi_Girl Dec 24, 2010
• That would leave Spanish without a word to mean "current"! "Actual" in English comes from French, where the word originally meant "current, up to date". - lazarus1907 Dec 24, 2010
• Hmmm...I guess you have a good point there! :-) - --Mariana-- Dec 24, 2010
• Very Good example, Marianne :) - FELIZ77 Dec 25, 2010
• This one still trips me up. I kind of know it but I mostly forget it. Good one, Marianne. - LeslieW Jan 4, 2011
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Answer 4

Decepcionar / Decepción

to disappoint / disappointment

• Good one MC - galsally Jan 4, 2011

Answer 5

Emocionado gets me sometimes. I looks like it means emotional, but it is excited. A little different meaning...

• Yeah, you probably want to avoid saying exitada :-) - afowen Dec 28, 2010
• I'm glad I caught on to that one early. ^^ - galsally Jan 4, 2011
• "exCitada" is the correct spelling, I believe... :) - cristalino Sep 1, 2011

Answer 6

My Spanish teacher, while she was in college, went to Spain for a program her school has. She was walking and talking to one of the teachers at a ball that was being held for the program, and she tripped and fell flat on her face. The teacher asked if she was okay, and she said "Sí, pero estoy muy embarazada (pregnant)." The teacher gave her a weird look and said, "¿Quieres decir avergonzada (embarassed)?" And she wasmortified. I know embarazada was already put here, but I just wanted to share this for the lulz (:

• Yes I have fallen for that one lol I now know you can say:' tengo verguenza' 'estoy avergonzado' o 'me da pena ' - FELIZ77 Dec 25, 2010
• to mean: I am embarrassed - FELIZ77 Dec 25, 2010
• It's ironic how embarrassing it is to misuse the word embarazada. - Intense Jul 9, 2011

Answer 7

When I was first learning spanish "mucho gusto" (nice to meet you) sounded to me like it meant "very good" so when someone would do something good I would tell them Much gusto! I also was quickly corrected when I said tango hombre (I have a man) instead of tango hAmbre (I'm hungry). I was teased just a little for that one One that I try not to goof up out loud is pecados and pescados, fish and sins are two very different things lol!

• Just to help you it should be: tengo hombre o tengo hambre (not tango which is a dance and a drink lol ) - FELIZ77 Dec 25, 2010
• lol :) - Kiwi_Girl Dec 26, 2010
• oops! i was more confused than i thought i guess. hee hee. thx for the correction. - bythesea Jan 5, 2011
• That's so funny! - Courtenaymom Jan 31, 2011

Answer 8

Cynical and cínico.

An example of the hard way of learning

Etymology

• Messing up embarrassed and pregnant is funny, calling someone cínico when you mean cynical is not that funny... - afowen Dec 24, 2010
• Interesting one! - lazarus1907 Dec 24, 2010
• so what does it mean, to tell the truth I did think it meant cynical?? - Kiwi_Girl Dec 24, 2010
• es mejor descreído/a? - Kiwi_Girl Dec 24, 2010
• I don't know, let me know please, when you find out :-) - afowen Dec 24, 2010
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Answer 9

Molest and Molesto/a, my friend Rigo came to my house to borrow some tools. I was in the process of writing a business proposal, seeing that I was busy, he proceeded to say " no quiero a moleste " I looked at him thinking to myself, I should hope not, before I realized that he meant to bother me. ,

• lol, now that would be a bit of a worry! - Kiwi_Girl Dec 24, 2010
• Yes, that is one definitely to avoid lol Voting :) - FELIZ77 Dec 25, 2010
• Hehehehe. - mapletw Jan 4, 2011
• hehehehe :) - amy_moreno Jan 11, 2011
• I have fallen for that one... I hadn't heard that before and when I did I went right to Molest me... Makes for some uncomfortable silence. - kerflop Jan 25, 2011
View 1 more commments >>

Answer 10

¡en absoluto! To the unsuspecting anglophone it seems to mean 'absolutely!' However, it means: absolutely N O T!

• I did not know this. Good one! - LeslieW Jan 4, 2011

Answer 11

duchar - douche

• yes definitely two very different water encounters :) - Kiwi_Girl Dec 24, 2010
• Douche=enema ! jaja Divertido - lukaaxx Dec 24, 2010

Answer 12

Bizarro - (Dashing, brave) - Bizarre - (strange, weird)

• That is definitely one I would fall for. - LiveUnsheath Jan 18, 2011

Answer 13

It took my Spanish teacher forever to beat into my head that largo does not, in fact, mean large, but long. I still goof up occasionally when I am not concentrating. You would think that after something like 5 years of Spanish lessons I would have learned this, but nooooo. . .

• My problem is with what i learnt of musical terminology as a child.. Lento was "slowly" and largo was "rather slowly" :D - rabbitwho May 26, 2011

Answer 14

I know that dinner means comida. Know it, know it, know it. But I still do a double take when I hear the word dinero.

• lol :) - Kiwi_Girl Dec 25, 2010
• jajaja - kerflop Jan 25, 2011

Answer 15

Asistir to attend

• yes I was thinking of that one too, trap for young players that one :) - Kiwi_Girl Dec 25, 2010
• Asistir can also mean to assist (as in asistencia publica). Atender, however, either means to assist or to pay attention to somebody. - gone Jan 23, 2011