They look so alike that you trust them — and that’s the trap. False friends are your mother tongue’s number-one interference: spotting them is half the cure.
Some Spanish words look so much like an English one that your brain waves them through without checking. That’s when you fall. They’re called false friends (falsos amigos): near-twins in form, different in meaning. They’re the most typical interference from your mother tongue, and at the Clinic we’re fond of them because, once you see them, they stop fooling you.
The classics that hurt most
- Embarrassed is not embarazada (that means pregnant!). If you’re embarrassed, say avergonzado or me da vergüenza.
- Actually is not actualmente (that’s currently/nowadays). Actually = en realidad, de hecho.
- To assist (help) ≠ asistir, which usually means to attend / be present.
- Sensible in English means sensato; Spanish sensible = sensitive.
- Constipated ≠ constipado, which means to have a cold. A dangerous one at the pharmacy.
- Library is biblioteca; a librería is a bookshop.
- To realize is darse cuenta; realizar is to carry out, to do.
- Carpet is alfombra; a carpeta is a folder.
- Exit is salida; éxito means success.
- To molest is far stronger than molestar, which just means to bother. Handle with care.
Why you fall for them (and why it isn’t your fault)
Your brain learns by shortcuts: if a word sounds similar, it reuses it. Efficient — until it isn’t. That’s why at the Clinic we work contrastively from your mother tongue: the Doctor knows your L1 and warns you about the interference before you make it, like a vaccine.
The three-second trick
When a Spanish word feels too familiar, distrust it and ask yourself: “Have I actually heard a native use it this way, or am I inventing it from English?” That three-second doubt saves you half of all false friends.
Practise it
Don’t memorise the list — use it. Write three sentences with en realidad, avergonzado and darse cuenta, and submit them in Redacciones. And if you want the Doctor to flag the false friends typical of your language, tell her your mother tongue in Espacio V Centenario.
A false friend spotted is a mistake you’ll never make again. Your mother tongue isn’t your enemy: used well, it’s your best clue.
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