False cognates have come up a couple of times recently

Question

Here's something one of my Spanish teachers told me:

Spanish is strange. Sopa isn't soap, ropa isn't rope, and butter is meant to kill ya.

:-) That's funny! I had never heard that one before! - Gekkosan, Nov 3, 2010

That is funny! - Yeser007, Nov 3, 2010

I like it! :) - lchsnicolita, Nov 3, 2010

lol - 00b6f46c, Nov 7, 2010

Answer 1

And pan isn't a pan that you use for cooking.

Not, but comPANion is a person you share the PAN (bread) with (com) - lazarus1907, Nov 7, 2010

Answer 2

"Estrechar" no es "to stretch" sino todo lo contrario.

"Eventually" no es "eventualmente".

"Exit" no es "éxito".

"Estimado" no es " estimate" si se refiere a un cálculo aproximado.

"Condition" no es "condición" si se refiere a una enfermedad.

Y uno de mis favoritos, "intoxicated" no es "intoxicado" si se refiere a embriaguez.

Oh! y también "insurance" no es "aseguranza" por que, bueno, ésta todos la debemos de saber.

medical condition is afección another false congnate - BellaMargarita, Nov 7, 2010

Right, my point exactly... "medical condition" translate as "afección médica" or under some contexts as "cuadro clínico"... - Myneg, Nov 7, 2010

Answer 3

How about "actualmente"? It isn't "actually".

Both come from Latin "actualis", meaning active, practical. Each language took a different approach to the original meaning to produce the new ones. - lazarus1907, Nov 7, 2010

Thank you Lazarus. - Yeser007, Nov 7, 2010

Answer 4

Here are a few more.

actual - actual

agenda - agenda

apuntar - appoint

constipado - constipated

decepción - deception

disgustado - disgusted

diversión - diversion

embarazada - embarrassed

espada - spade

éxito - exit

fábrica - fabric

largo - large

librería - library

noticia - notice

pariente - parent

pretender - pretend

profesor - professor

receta - receipt

recordar - record

sano - sane

sensible - sensible

simpático - sympathetic

soportar - support

suceso - success

Both "record" and "recordar" come from Latin "recordari" (to remember). You record things to remember them. - lazarus1907, Nov 7, 2010

Similar thing happens with "video", which comes from Latin, where it means "I see" (in Modern Spanish, "veo"). Also, "mirror", from Latin "mirari" (to see), in modern Spanish "mirar". - lazarus1907, Nov 7, 2010

Acutal in English does meant current or present, but no one uses that way. - BellaMargarita, Nov 7, 2010

It also means "real" which is the same word in Spanish. - ian-hill, Nov 8, 2010

Answer 5

Sensible is not sensible either nor is embarazada embarrassed

"sensible" used to carry the Spanish meaning (cf. Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility) but that mening has been pretty much lost. - samdie, Nov 7, 2010

But that is not the only meaning samdie. - ian-hill, Nov 8, 2010

Answer 6

And carpeta is not a carpet.

Answer 7

"Quieto" is not "quiet", even though they come from Latin "quietus", meaning originally still, inactive, calm. In Spanish "quieto" means still, calm, but it does not imply being silent, like in Latin.