Nearly half of everyday Spanish words look like their English meaning, which makes Spanish easier than it seems. These are the traps: words that look the same but mean something else. Learn them and you can trust the rest.
| Spanish | Really means | The trap |
|---|---|---|
| acta | minutes / formal record | Act of Parliament → ley |
| actual | current / present-day | actual → real / verdadero |
| actualmente | currently | actually → en realidad / de hecho |
| advertir | to warn | to advertise → anunciar |
| aplicar | to apply (a cream or a rule) | to apply for a job → solicitar |
| apología | defence / praise of something | apology → disculpa |
| argumento | plot (of a film or book) / line of reasoning | argument (row) → discusión |
| asesor | adviser | assessor → tasador / perito |
| asistir | to attend | to assist → ayudar |
| atender | to serve / look after | to attend → asistir |
| audiencia | a court (Audiencia Provincial) or a hearing | audience (spectators) → público |
| avisar | to warn / notify | to advise → aconsejar |
| balón | ball | balloon → globo |
| billón | a million million | billion → mil millones |
| bizarro | brave / gallant (traditionally) | bizarre → extraño / raro |
| campo | countryside / field | camp → campamento |
| carpeta | folder | carpet → alfombra / moqueta |
| carrera | race / degree course / career | career only partly overlaps |
| casualidad | coincidence | casualty → víctima / herido |
| colegio | school | college → universidad / facultad |
| compromiso | commitment / engagement | compromise → acuerdo / término medio |
| conductor | driver | conductor (music) → director; (train) → revisor |
| consistente | solid / thick | consistent → coherente / constante |
| constipado | having a cold | constipated → estreñido |
| contestar | to answer | to contest → impugnar / disputar |
| convenio | agreement | convenience → conveniencia / comodidad |
| costumbre | custom / habit | costume → disfraz |
| crimen | murder or serious violent crime | crime in general → delito |
| crudo | raw (food) | crude (vulgar) → grosero / tosco |
| cuestión | matter / issue | question → pregunta |
| dato | piece of information | date → fecha / cita |
| decepción | disappointment | deception → engaño |
| delito | crime / offence | delight → placer / encanto |
| demanda | claim / lawsuit | demand → exigencia |
| denuncia | report to the police / formal complaint | to denounce publicly → condenar / criticar |
| desgracia | misfortune | disgrace → vergüenza / deshonra |
| dice | says | dice → dados |
| discusión | argument / row | discussion → debate / conversación |
| disgusto | upset / annoyance | disgust → asco |
| divertido | fun / amusing | diverted → desviado |
| dormitorio | bedroom | dormitory → residencia / dormitorio colectivo |
| educado | polite / well-mannered | educated → culto / instruido |
| efectivo | cash (also effective) | effective → eficaz |
| embarazada | pregnant | embarrassed → avergonzado/a |
| emocionante | exciting / moving | emotional → emotivo / sentimental |
| en absoluto | not at all | absolutely → totalmente |
| envolver | to wrap | to involve → implicar |
| eventual | temporary / possible (contrato eventual = temporary contract) | eventual → final |
| eventualmente | possibly / occasionally | eventually → finalmente / con el tiempo |
| excitado | sexually aroused | excited → emocionado / ilusionado |
| éxito | success | exit → salida |
| fábrica | factory | fabric → tela |
| fastidioso | annoying | fastidious → meticuloso / quisquilloso |
| fatal | awful / terrible (in everyday speech) | fatal → mortal |
| fin | end | fin → aleta |
| genial | brilliant / great | genial → afable / cordial |
| gracioso | funny | gracious → amable / cortés |
| hay | there is / there are | hay → heno |
| ignorar | to be unaware of | to ignore → no hacer caso |
| injuria | insult | injury → lesión / herida |
| instrucción | pre-trial investigation phase | to instruct a solicitor → contratar / encargar a |
| intoxicación | poisoning | intoxication → embriaguez |
| introducir | to insert | to introduce (a person) → presentar |
| jubilación | retirement | jubilation → júbilo |
| juicio | trial | judgment (court decision) → sentencia / fallo |
| largo | long | large → grande |
| lectura | reading | lecture → conferencia / clase |
| letrado | lawyer | lettered → culto / instruido |
| librería | bookshop | library → biblioteca |
| lujuria | lust | luxury → lujo |
| magistrado | senior professional judge | UK magistrate (lay JP) → juez de paz |
| mayor | older / bigger | mayor → alcalde |
| miserable | stingy / wretched | miserable (unhappy) → desdichado / triste |
| molestar | to bother / annoy | to molest → abusar de |
| negocio | business | negotiation → negociación |
| notario | notary with a central role in property and company transactions | notary public (far narrower role in England) |
| noticia | piece of news | notice → aviso / anuncio |
| once | eleven | once → una vez |
| pan | bread | pan → sartén / cazo |
| parada | stop (bus etc.) | parade → desfile |
| pariente | relative | parent → padre / madre |
| particular | private (clases particulares = private lessons) | particular → concreto / exigente |
| petulante | smug / arrogant | petulant → malhumorado / caprichoso |
| pie | foot | pie → tarta / pastel |
| preservativo | condom | preservative → conservante |
| presumir | to show off | to presume → suponer |
| pretender | to intend / try to | to pretend → fingir |
| prevaricación | an official knowingly issuing an unjust decision | prevarication → evasivas / andarse con rodeos |
| prima | insurance premium / bonus / cousin | prime → principal |
| quitar | to remove | to quit → dejar / abandonar |
| realizar | to carry out / achieve | to realise → darse cuenta |
| receta | recipe / prescription | receipt → recibo / ticket |
| recordar | to remember / remind | to record → grabar |
| recurso | appeal / resource | recourse only partly overlaps |
| red | network / net | red → rojo |
| relevante | outstanding / important | relevant → pertinente |
| renta | income (declaración de la renta = tax return) | rent → alquiler |
| resumir | to summarise | to resume → reanudar |
| ropa | clothes | rope → cuerda |
| sano | healthy | sane → cuerdo |
| sensible | sensitive | sensible → sensato |
| sentencia | court judgment | sentence (punishment) → condena / pena |
| simpático | nice / friendly | sympathetic → comprensivo / compasivo |
| sin | without | sin → pecado |
| sindicato | trade union | syndicate → consorcio |
| sociedad | company (Sociedad Limitada) | society / association → asociación |
| son | they are | son → hijo |
| sopa | soup | soap → jabón |
| soportar | to put up with | to support → apoyar |
| suceso | event / incident | success → éxito |
| tan | so (as in "so big") | tan → bronceado |
| tópico | cliché | topic → tema |
| últimamente | lately | ultimately → en última instancia |
| vaso | drinking glass | vase → jarrón / florero |
| English | Say | Not |
|---|---|---|
| absolutely | totalmente / por supuesto | en absoluto (not at all) |
| act (legislation) | ley | acta (minutes / record) |
| actual | real / verdadero | actual (current) |
| actually | en realidad / de hecho | actualmente (currently) |
| advertise | anunciar | advertir (to warn) |
| advise | aconsejar | avisar (to warn / notify) |
| apology | disculpa | apología (defence / praise) |
| apply for (a job) | solicitar | aplicar (to apply a cream or rule) |
| argument (row) | discusión | argumento (plot / reasoning) |
| assessor | tasador / perito | asesor (adviser) |
| assist | ayudar | asistir (to attend) |
| attend | asistir | atender (to serve / look after) |
| audience | público | audiencia (court / hearing) |
| balloon | globo | balón (ball) |
| billion | mil millones | billón (a million million) |
| bizarre | extraño / raro | bizarro (brave, traditionally) |
| camp | campamento | campo (countryside / field) |
| carpet | alfombra / moqueta | carpeta (folder) |
| casualty | víctima / herido | casualidad (coincidence) |
| college | universidad / facultad | colegio (school) |
| compromise | acuerdo / término medio | compromiso (commitment) |
| conductor (music) | director | conductor (driver) |
| consistent | coherente / constante | consistente (solid / thick) |
| constipated | estreñido | constipado (having a cold) |
| contest (challenge) | impugnar / disputar | contestar (to answer) |
| convenience | conveniencia / comodidad | convenio (agreement) |
| costume | disfraz | costumbre (custom / habit) |
| crime (general) | delito | crimen (murder / serious violent crime) |
| crude (vulgar) | grosero / tosco | crudo (raw) |
| date | fecha / cita | dato (piece of information) |
| deception | engaño | decepción (disappointment) |
| delight | placer / encanto | delito (crime) |
| demand | exigencia | demanda (lawsuit) |
| disgrace | vergüenza / deshonra | desgracia (misfortune) |
| discussion | debate / conversación | discusión (argument / row) |
| disgust | asco | disgusto (upset / annoyance) |
| dormitory | residencia / dormitorio colectivo | dormitorio (bedroom) |
| educated | culto / instruido | educado (polite) |
| effective | eficaz | efectivo (cash) |
| embarrassed | avergonzado/a | embarazada (pregnant) |
| emotional | emotivo / sentimental | emocionante (exciting) |
| eventual | final | eventual (temporary / possible) |
| eventually | finalmente / con el tiempo | eventualmente (possibly) |
| excited | emocionado / ilusionado | excitado (sexually aroused) |
| exit | salida | éxito (success) |
| fabric | tela | fábrica (factory) |
| fastidious | meticuloso / quisquilloso | fastidioso (annoying) |
| genial | afable / cordial | genial (brilliant) |
| gracious | amable / cortés | gracioso (funny) |
| ignore | no hacer caso | ignorar (to be unaware of) |
| injury | lesión / herida | injuria (insult) |
| instruct (a solicitor) | contratar / encargar a | instrucción (pre-trial investigation) |
| intoxicated | borracho / ebrio | intoxicado (poisoned) |
| introduce (a person) | presentar | introducir (to insert) |
| jubilation | júbilo | jubilación (retirement) |
| judgment (court) | sentencia / fallo | juicio (trial) |
| large | grande | largo (long) |
| lecture | conferencia / clase | lectura (reading) |
| library | biblioteca | librería (bookshop) |
| luxury | lujo | lujuria (lust) |
| magistrate (UK lay JP) | juez de paz | magistrado (senior judge) |
| mayor | alcalde | mayor (older / bigger) |
| miserable (unhappy) | desdichado / triste | miserable (stingy / wretched) |
| molest | abusar de | molestar (to bother) |
| negotiation | negociación | negocio (business) |
| notice | aviso / anuncio | noticia (news item) |
| parade | desfile | parada (stop) |
| parent | padre / madre | pariente (relative) |
| particular | concreto / exigente | particular (private) |
| petulant | malhumorado / caprichoso | petulante (smug) |
| preservative | conservante | preservativo (condom) |
| presume | suponer | presumir (to show off) |
| pretend | fingir | pretender (to intend) |
| prevaricate | andarse con rodeos | prevaricar (official issuing unjust decision) |
| question | pregunta | cuestión (matter / issue) |
| quit | dejar / abandonar | quitar (to remove) |
| realise | darse cuenta | realizar (to carry out) |
| receipt | recibo / ticket | receta (recipe / prescription) |
| record | grabar | recordar (to remember) |
| relevant | pertinente | relevante (outstanding) |
| rent | alquiler | renta (income) |
| resume | reanudar | resumir (to summarise) |
| rope | cuerda | ropa (clothes) |
| sane | cuerdo | sano (healthy) |
| sensible | sensato | sensible (sensitive) |
| sentence (punishment) | condena / pena | sentencia (court judgment) |
| soap | jabón | sopa (soup) |
| society (association) | asociación | sociedad (company) |
| success | éxito | suceso (event / incident) |
| support | apoyar | soportar (to put up with) |
| sympathetic | comprensivo / compasivo | simpático (nice) |
| syndicate | consorcio | sindicato (trade union) |
| topic | tema | tópico (cliché) |
| ultimately | en última instancia | últimamente (lately) |
| vase | jarrón / florero | vaso (drinking glass) |
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