Today’s blog post is the first in a mini series about ‘false friends’, also known as false cognates.
A false cognate is when a word sounds similar to a word in another language, but it doesn’t actually have the same meaning. In today’s post I will cover some common false cognates in English for Spanish speakers, so you can avoid making these mistakes! Coming up we will also have posts on false cognates for speakers of other languages.
Actually / Actualmente
In English, the adverb actually means ‘in fact’ or ‘in reality’. It does not mean ‘at this moment in time.’
Currently means ‘right now’ or ‘at this moment in time’.
Examples:
“You’re a teacher, right?” “Yes, actually, I’m the headteacher!”
Louise is currently working on starting her new business.
Assist / Asistir
To assist means to help. You may often see the noun assistance used to mean help or support. It is a more formal way to say help.
Note: We use the verb help with the infinitive form of the verb (help someone to do something), but we use the verb assist with the preposition ‘with’ + gerund.
To describe being present at an event, we use the verb ‘attend’. Often, at the beginning of a class the teacher will check attendance by reading the names on the class register.
Examples:
The hotel receptionist assisted the guest with her bags.
Please ring bell for assistance.
Will you be attending the seminar tomorrow?
The teacher spoke to the student about his attendance record.
Large / Largo
Large is a synonym of big. Long refers to the length of something. Some common collocations with long include a long time, or a long way (referring to distance.)
Examples:
London is a large city.
It’s a long journey from London to Auckland.
Carpet / Carpeta
A carpet is a soft floor covering made from thick woven fabric. A folder or binder is a holder for storing papers, documents or files.
Examples:
The carpet felt soft under her feet.
I put the report in the folder on your desk.
Exit / Éxito
An exit is a place where you go out of a building. The noun ‘success’ refers to doing well at something.
Examples:
Please don’t put those boxes there. They are blocking the fire exit.
She studied at the best fashion school in the country, and has enjoyed a lot of success as a designer.
Sensible / Sensible
In English, if someone is sensible it means that they make wise and logical choices. If someone is sensitive, they are empathetic and feel things deeply.
Examples:
He decided to be sensible, not drink too much and leave the party early as he had an early start and a busy day the next day.
He is a very sensitive child, so he was upset to see a dead pigeon in the road.
So now you know, you can use these words correctly and avoid common mistakes! Don’t forget to also share with your Spanish-speaking friends who are learning English.
Stay tuned for other false friends blog posts coming soon!