False friends

[fonix1159]

Some of the false friends I work with my secondary students are the following:

Exit – This word is English means ‘the way out of somewhere’, whereas in Spanish the meaning is the equivalent to ‘success’, that’s ‘éxito’.

Success – In English this word is related to fame and money, and to get what you want in life, but in Spanish we have the word ’suceso’ which means ‘event’.

Constipated – My students love this word as they find the meaning of this word in English quite fun. In Spanish the word ‘costipado’ means ‘to have a cold, and in English it means something related to health, but not with having a cold. Its meaning makes reference to the fact that you have some difficulties to go to the bathroom.

Actually – The word ‘actual’ in Spanish means something modern, but in English it is an adverb referring to reality.

Embarrassed – In English it means ‘to be ashamed’, but in Spanish we have the word ‘embarazada’ which is ‘pregnant’.

Carpet – In Spanish the word ‘carpeta’ means ‘a folder’ and in English it is like a big mat that covers the floor of rooms.

[Admin]

Great Fonix, you have a list of the classic false friends here. I too have dealt with these words many thousands of times!
Take care,
Pieter