{"id":14547,"date":"2020-03-24T17:10:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T21:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pimsleur.com\/?p=14547"},"modified":"2020-05-12T07:59:14","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T11:59:14","slug":"keep-your-false-friends-close-our-guide-to-learning-false-friends-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/keep-your-false-friends-close-our-guide-to-learning-false-friends-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your False Friends Close: Our Guide to Learning False Friends in Spanish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Let\u2019s do a little vocabulary exercise. Take a look at this sentence: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comer las frutas en la cafeter\u00eda es su actividad favorita.<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve been learning Spanish for a while, that\u2019s pretty easy to translate, right? \u201cEating fruit in the cafeteria is his favorite activity\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No problem. Now try this one: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
La multitud emocionada observ\u00f3 la boda real<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uhhh\u2026 what? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019d be forgiven for translating that literally as \u201cthe emotional multitude observed the real body\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, that doesn\u2019t make any sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What it actually means is: \u201cThe excited crowd watched the royal wedding\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That, my friends, is the power of Spanish false friends.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can see in the first example sentence, Spanish and English have some lexical overlap. This is because French \u2013 a Romance language related to Spanish \u2013 was the main language spoken in England for hundreds of years, following the Norman conquest in 1066. Hundreds of French words were adopted into the English language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This sizeable shared vocabulary is one reason why Spanish is among the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. With so many common words, it\u2019s often possible to make a guess at Spanish words you don\u2019t know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, relying on this method isn\u2019t always helpful! Words that look the same don\u2019t always have the most obvious translation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are False Friends and Where Do They Come From? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
False friends<\/strong> are similar-looking words in different languages that have completely different meanings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They get their name because they lure you into a false sense of security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s interesting is that it\u2019s not just coincidence that these pairs of words exist. Here\u2019s how they are formed: one language \u201cborrows\u201d a word from another language, at which point the word had the same meaning in both languages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over time, semantic drift takes place and the word\u2019s meaning changes in both languages, taking on new definitions following technological, societal or evolutionary advances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can sometimes take the shape of a new, narrower definition of the word. Take the English word \u2018reunion\u2019 for example. This means \u201cto meet after a long time apart\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original Spanish word reuni\u00f3n<\/em> <\/em>simply means \u2018meeting\u2019, but when the word was borrowed into English (from the French r\u00e9union<\/em>), the term \u2018meeting\u2019 already existed, and so the English word \u2018reunion\u2019 shifted to take a more specific definition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 3 Different Types of Spanish False Friends <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Like reuni\u00f3n<\/em> <\/em>and \u2018reunion\u2019, many false friends had the same origin, before taking different directions over time. We can loosely group these words into three sets according to how \u2018false\u2019 they are as friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These can be words of different origins that just happen to sound the same. For example, the Spanish word mucho<\/em> \u2013 from Latin multus<\/em>, is actually unrelated to the English word \u2018much\u2019, which comes from Old English mycel<\/em>. Another way this can happen is when words that originated from the same term evolve in completely different directions, to result in two completely unrelated terms. \u2018Embarrassed\u2019 and embarazada <\/em>(pregnant) are perfect examples of this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.<\/strong> Related concepts, but different definitions. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The words \u2018history\u2019 and historia <\/em>illustrate this. Both concepts refer to a story of the past, but the English word is the story of a people, place, or broader organization, whereas the Spanish historia <\/em>describes a personal account of something, a story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. The only difference is in nuance or strength of meaning.<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This is where the least amount of semantic creep has happened. A perfect example is \u2018to ignore\u2019 and ignorar <\/em>(to not know). Both terms relate to a lack of knowledge, but the English term implies the person doesn\u2019t know something on purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being aware of the different variations of false friends can help with learning them. With groups 2 and 3 of the above list, you can research learn multiple words from the same concept when you encounter Spanish false friends \u2013 that\u2019s excellent for quick vocabulary building! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tips for Learning False Friends in Spanish <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dedicate time to memorizing misleading vocabulary, just as you would with completely new words. Build a list of them and review them regularly. We\u2019ll give you some of the main offenders to start with further down this post. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Resist the temptation to assume a new word\u2019s definition. Likewise, don\u2019t assume you can just Hispanicize an English word. Although it\u2019s easy to take new words at face value, not taking the time to look up their meanings can cause a huge deal of embarrassment! (Don\u2019t get me started on the time I offered a plate of condoms to a table of Spanish business travelers while working in a hotel\u2026) <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Use a monolingual Spanish dictionary to look up your new words. This will naturally boost your vocabulary, and you\u2019ll also learn how to describe an unfamiliar concept in Spanish. The ability to describe something using other Spanish words is super helpful if you\u2019re nervous about false friends! <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re having a conversation in Spanish and the other person uses a word you\u2019re not sure of, ask them to explain it to you. You could also check with them by reiterating what they said using different words. Not only is this great for learning false friends, but it\u2019s a handy way to show someone you\u2019re listening to them! <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Examples of False Friends in Spanish <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
With these tips in mind, let\u2019s give you some false friend vocabulary to start your list. These words seem like cognates, but they’re not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Spanish-English False Friend Pairs with Their Actual Translations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Hopefully this list should make you more aware of false friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Sure-Fire Way to Level Up at Learning Spanish <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Some would argue that you find the most value in language learning in making mistakes. The vulnerability of saying the wrong word is what helps us connect to each other as humans (and often provides a good story to tell later). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best language-learners tend to have personalities open to risk-taking. Taking a risk, and getting a word wrong, means you are more likely to get corrective feedback. Plus, as a bonus, you\u2019ll probably never forget that word if you\u2019ve been corrected on it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ready to Speak Spanish Today? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"pimsleur](\"https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2019\/11\/Pimsleur-Subscription-Free-Trial.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n