Wouldn’t it be great, as you’re learning Spanish, to have a key that automatically matches English words to Spanish? As it happens, the two languages have many shared words. These words, called cognates, are the ultimate hack for accelerating your language learning curve.
Let’s examine what they are, some examples (including a few “perfect” ones), and how they can help anyone learn Spanish more quickly and efficiently.
What are Spanish English Cognates?
If you want to learn Spanish or any language for that matter, a good tip is to identify the language’s cognates – the vocabulary you already know! Cognates are words that have common etymological origins, a.k.a. words that are spelled the same in Spanish and English or have only slight alterations.
Spanish cognates are a useful tool for new language learners. For native English speakers in particular, Spanish cognates examples, which we’ll show below, are able to contextualize similar words and phrases between the two languages. Anyone looking to learn Spanish should use cognate-heavy sentences to accelerate and solidify their newfound language knowledge!
These Spanish cognates will become your very best friends, holding your hand and building up your confidence throughout the whole language-learning process!
In this article, we will identify:
- What cognates are
- Where cognates come from
- The most common Spanish and English cognates
Before we get into the Spanish words you already know from English, let’s take a look at why different languages have the same words in the first place.
What are Spanish Cognates?
Languages are living systems that are constantly evolving. English is unique in that while it derives from the Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, it still has many words borrowed from Latin, due mostly to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 AD. The Normans spoke a language much closer to Latin than modern-day French, and the English language evolved to accommodate the lexicon of the Normans.
Listen up English speakers! This gives us a great advantage when it comes to learning other languages because while we have Germanic words, we also have an abundance of Latin words.
For example, the English word “father” comes from German vater, but we also have the word “paternal,” from Latin pater. Or take the word “speak” from the German sprechen. We also have a similar verb “narrate,” from Latin narro.
The first step to learning Spanish is realizing the similarities between the two languages – both English and Spanish are full of cognates, words derived from Latin.
List of Spanish Cognates
In a perfect world, wouldn’t it be nice to have words that are spelled the same for two different languages? Well, perfect cognates are just what the (language learning) doctor ordered!
These Spanish cognate examples aren’t just spelled the same – they have the exact same meaning as their English counterparts. Perfect Spanish cognate examples are listed below by their common suffixes with English. If you’re trying to learn Spanish, it’s a great idea to speak and listen to sentences that have cognates, as they have a unique way of putting into context other words you’re trying to acquire.
- Words ending in -or :
actor, anterior, doctor, director, exterior, interior, factor, horror, inferior, inspector, pastor, protector, superior, terror
- Words ending in -al :
artificial, brutal, capital, colonial, cordial, criminal, cultural, diagonal, electoral, experimental, fatal, federal, festival, final, formal, fundamental, general, global, hospital, ideal, individual, industrial, ilegal, liberal, literal, local, marginal, mental, metal, normal, original, penal, personal, plural, principal, regional, ritual, social, superficial, total, tropical, universal, visual, vital
- Words ending in –ón:
conclusión, confusión, decisión, dimensión, división, explosión, extensión, invasión, región, religión, reunión, televisión, versión
- Words ending in -ble:
abominable, admirable, flexible, horrible, invisible, terrible
English to Spanish “Near Perfect” Cognates
Sometimes, Spanish cognate examples don’t always match their English version with spelling and meaning. But hey, even if they’re not perfect, Spanish English cognates can achieve “near perfect” status. The list below are mostly similar – a letter or two differ, but the root meaning of the words is the same. Pay attention to the Spanish accent marks to get the pronunciation right!
Incorporate these near-perfect Spanish cognates as you’re learning the language – practice makes perfect, after all!
- Words ending in –ary in English, → end in –ario in Spanish:
adversario, comentario, contrario, necesario, ordinario, salario, secretario, vocabulario, temporario
- Words ending in -tion in English → end in -ción in Spanish:
administración, aplicación, asociación, atención, autorización, celebración, colección, colaboración, concentración, dedicación, educación, formación, manipulación, nación
- Words ending in -ic in English → end in -ico in Spanish:
académico, auténtico, clásico, dinámico, diplomático, dramático, económico, étnico, fantástico, mágico, orgánico, plástico, público, romántico, tóxico
- Words ending in -ious in English → end in -oso in Spanish:
aventuroso, curioso, delicioso, misterioso, precioso, religioso
- Words ending in -ct in English → end in -cto in Spanish:
abstracto, artefacto, conflicto, contacto, correcto, dialecto, efecto, exacto, excepto, insecto, perfecto, producto
Spanish to English Greek Words
Some Spanish and English words were actually borrowed from Greek. Here are some Greek cognates that both English and Spanish share.
- Words ending in -ema in Spanish:
crema, esquema (scheme), poema, problema, sistema
- Words ending in -ma in Spanish:
aroma, asma, dilema, dogma, drama, sigma
Spanish “False Cognates” Examples
Unlike perfect and near-perfect cognates for Spanish, false cognates are the fool’s gold of language learning. These words look the same, but they often have totally different meanings. Keep these false Spanish cognates on your radar.
| Spanish | English Translation | Common Mistake |
| Embarazada | Pregnant | Often mistaken for the English word “embarrassed.” To say embarrassed in Spanish, use avergonzado. |
| Sensible | Sensitive | Often mistaken for the English word “sensible.” In Spanish, someone sensible would be sensato or razonable. |
| Molestar | Bother | Often mistaken for the English word “molest,” it simply means “to inconvenience” in Spanish. |
| Fábrica | Factory | Often mistaken for the English word “fabric.” In Spanish, use tela to mean “cloth” or “fabric.” |
| Realizar | To perform/ carry out | Often mistaken for the English word “realize.” To say “realize” in the English sense, use darse cuenta (yo me doy cuenta). |
| Recordar | To remember/ recall | Often mistaken for the English word “record.” To say “record” in Spanish, use the verb grabar. |
| Actual | Current | Often mistaken for the English word “actual.” Use actual in Spanish to mean current, i.e. el presidente actual (the current or acting president). |
| Éxito | Success | Often mistaken for the English word “Exit.” To say “exit” in Spanish, use salida. |
You Know More Spanish Than You Think!
See? Your Spanish lexicon is much bigger than you could ever have imagined, and it’s all thanks to the Normans (That was a test to see if you were paying attention!).
Feeling confident and ready to take the next steps in your Spanish learning process?Sign up with a Premium or All Access subscription. You can start speaking Spanish after your first lesson, and Pimsleur will get you speaking the language conversationally within weeks – all it takes is 30 minutes per day! We offer both Castilian and Latin American Spanish courses.