How many false friends can you name ?
The most famous false friend in Spanish that almost everyone knows is probably embarazada which doesn't mean embarrassed in English, or constipado which doesn't mean constipated in English. What else are there?
15 Answers
Well... I saw a sign once that said "No pisar en el muro".... ( Don't walk on the wall.... not what it sounds like in English jejeje)
Here is an interesting test with 50 false friends.
I'm sure there are many more.
asistir = to attend (an event perhaps) atender = to assist (someone's needs or to care for someone)
I especially like : actually, that is so confusing.
Not actualmente (now, at present) but lo cierto es que, la verdad es que, en realidad....
Oh, same happens with really, not real but en realidad.
These are some of my favorites:
Decepcionado
This is not "deceived" but "disappointed." Engañado means deceived.
Carpeta
This is not "carpet" but "file folder. Carpet is alfombra.
En absoluto
This doesn't mean "absolutely," but rather "absolutely not."
Another really famous false friend is enojado which sounds like enjoy but really means I am angry 
Sometimes a False Friend can make some confusion and be funny. For example, an English speaking girl was talking to her friends in Spain and wanted to say that she was embarrassed. Soy she said in Spanish:
Estoy embarazada.
And after that everyone laughed at her.
- I'm embarraased = Me da vergüenza.
- Estoy embarazada. = I'm pregnant.
Really? Oriental dice eastern en ingles? Vaya...I thought it refered to china. Como dice en ingles Middle East? Middle Oriental? I'm just asking.
The term "oriental" has its origins in old English (or, more probably) in Latin and means, basically, "east of us". In those times it could have been used to include include almost anyone from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean to the end of the Asian continent. These days the usage is more complicated. At the very least, "orientals" sould refer to the inhabitants of Japan, Korea, China, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam.
As a complicating factor, there exists the term "Asian" and its meaning depends on the location of the speaker. In England, for example, the term "Asian" usually includes (refers to) Indians/Pakistani/and (possibly) the people of Afghanistan), while in America it is usually synonymous with "oriental".
On a separate note, it should be mentioned that (especially among) second/third generation Americans the term "oriental" is considered offensive; they prefer to be called Asian (or Asian-Americans).
JohnJuan,
En inglés, "oriental" es un adjectivo que quiere decir que una cosa es de una de los paises más al este que los paises del oriente medio. "Oriental" no especifica que una cosa es de China. Por ejemplo, una cosa de Japón es también "oriental." Y, también, la frase "the Orient" alude a todos los paises que pasada el oriente medio y no solo China.
Saludos!
Oriental no significa que es de China. 
. Amplio no dice amplified.
What's a false friend (besides the obvious)??
-Charlius-
Bombero n. firefighter, one employed to extinguish fires; troubleshooter
Huh! I have never heard this term before! Interesting.
The term I learned was 'false cognate' or 'cognados falsos', same idea.
LOL, I was just thinking, false friends? Yea, someone you can't really rely upon.
-Charlius-
Circularse doesn't mean to draw circles.
False friends are words that sound like one thing in spanish but are quite different in english.
