False Cognates - Cognados Falsos

Question

Let's see who can find the most interesting false cognates. These are words in our new language that would seem to have the same meaning as they do in our first language. I once came accross the word "suburbio," and I thought it would mean the same as "suburb" in English, but it acutally means "shanty town." These meanings are quite different, so they are false cognates. Have you come accross any of these? Please try to respond in both Spanish and English.

Vayamos a ver quién puede encontrar los cognados falsos mas interesantes. Éstos son palabras en nuestra idioma nueva que parecería tener el mismo sentido que ellos hacen en nuestra primera lengua. Me encontré con la palabra -suburbio,- pensé que significaría el mismo como -suburb- in inglés, pero esto realmente significa el -barrio de chabolas.- Estos sentidos son completamente diferentes, así que son cognados falsos. ¿Han encontrado alguna de éstas? Por favor trate de responder tanto enspañol como inglés.

Love the question... can't think of my favorites right now. - yahvey_hoffman, Aug 3, 2012

Good question. Hopefully there will be a lot of answers. - 0095ca4c, Aug 4, 2012

Hairsplitter here. *Technically*, your example, suburbio/suburb, is not a case of false cognates. That's called "false friends". Suburbio and suburb *are*, in fact, cognates - they both stem from the same Latin word - but have since come to mean slightly- - inkubzz, Aug 6, 2012

-different things. An example of false cognates would be mucho/much (their etymologies are entirely disparate). ;) Sorry about this, I just wanted to clear it up. I *love* the thread otherwise. Great job! ;) - inkubzz, Aug 6, 2012

Thanks for the clarification inkubzz. - RiCrow, Aug 7, 2012

Yeah, that's useful to know. - yahvey_hoffman, Aug 7, 2012

Answer 1

éxito = success, not exit. con éxito = successfully

Answer 2

Hurtar = to steal (Not to hurt, as the English word is.)

¡Alguien me hurtó el chicle!

Someone stole some gum from me!

Answer 3

Un éxito es el opuesto de un fracaso, no es una salida.

Un éxito is the opposite of a failure, it is not an exit.

Answer 4

Contestar = the answer. (Not a contest, as an English speaker would think).

¿Es correcta, la contesta?

Is the answer correct.

Do many people use la contesta rather than la respuesta for the answer? - afowen, Aug 6, 2012

Answer 5

"Exit" and "éxito."
La fiesta fue un éxito. (The party was a success.) Now let's find the exit.

And exito, as in me exito... - afowen, Aug 6, 2012

Answer 6

Here's a part-time false cognate: Competencia usually means competition, but sometimes it's a true cognate because it can mean competence.

Hay siempre bastante competencia en los juegos olympicos. There is always plenty of competition in the olympics.

No había ningun duda acerca de su competencia como mecánico, pero no estaba muy bueno en los negocios. There was no doubt about his competence as a mechanic, but he wasn't a very good businessman.