5 English False Friends Spanish Speakers Mix Up

A false friend is a word that looks like a word you already know and means something else. Spanish and English inherited a lot of the same Latin forms, then sent them in different directions. The five below cause real mix-ups: a time word, a pregnancy, a public building, a personality adjective, and something on the floor.

1. Actually is not actualmente

Actually means "in fact" or "contrary to what you might think": Actually, I'm not tired — En realidad, no estoy cansado/a. It does not mean "at the present time".

Actualmente is currently or nowadays:

• Currently I live in Madrid. — Actualmente vivo en Madrid.
• Nowadays I work from home. — Hoy en día trabajo desde casa.

If you say Actually I live in Madrid and you only meant "these days", an English speaker hears a correction: "The truth is, I live in Madrid", as if someone had claimed otherwise. Use currently for the time meaning. Save actually for when you are adjusting what was just said.

2. Embarrassed is not embarazada

Embarrassed means you feel awkward or ashamed: I felt embarrassed — Me sentí avergonzado/a. Embarazada is pregnant: She's pregnant — Está embarazada.

The words look close because both are tied to older ideas of being hindered or burdened, but they split. Saying I'm embarrassed when you mean you are expecting a baby is a famous mix-up, and the other way around is just as confusing. If you need the Spanish "embarazada", the English word is pregnant. If you need "vergüenza", the English word is embarrassed.

3. A library is not a librería

A library lends books and is usually public or attached to a school: The library is open today — La biblioteca está abierta hoy. You study there. You do not normally buy a novel there.

A shop that sells books is a bookshop in British and Australian English, and a bookstore in American English:

• I bought this novel at the bookshop. — Lo compré en la librería.
• I borrowed it from the library. — Lo saqué prestado de la biblioteca.

I bought this novel at the library tells an English speaker you purchased it in the place where people borrow books. That is why the sentence sounds odd.

4. Sensible is not sensible

English sensible means reasonable, practical, showing good judgement: That's a sensible decision — Es una decisión sensata. Spanish sensible (emotionally) is English sensitive: He's very sensitive — Es muy sensible.

So She's very sensible does not mean she cries at films. It means she makes sound choices. If you want the emotional meaning, use sensitive. You can keep both in one contrast: She's sensitive, but her plan was sensible — she feels things strongly, and the plan was still a reasonable one.

5. A carpet is not a carpeta

A carpet covers a floor: There's a carpet in the living room — Hay una alfombra en la sala. A carpeta for papers is a folder: Put the files in the folder — Pon los archivos en la carpeta.

Put the files in the carpet asks someone to put documents into the rug. The words diverged after Latin carpere ("to pluck"); English kept a floor covering, Spanish kept a cover for papers. A small rug can also be a rug, but it is still not a folder.

Practice

Each sentence uses the false friend. Say what the speaker probably meant, then give the English that matches that meaning.

1. Actually I work from home — the speaker wanted "actualmente".
2. I'm embarrassed — the speaker wanted to say she is pregnant.
3. I study at the bookshop — the speaker sits and studies where books are borrowed.
4. A sensitive plan — the speaker meant a plan that is reasonable.
5. My desk carpet — the speaker meant the thing that holds papers.

Answer key

1. They meant "these days I work from home", not "in fact". Say Currently I work from home or Nowadays I work from home.
2. Embarrassed is vergüenza. For pregnancy say I'm pregnant.
3. A bookshop sells books. The place for studying with borrowed books is the library: I study at the library.
4. Sensitive is the emotional word. A reasonable plan is a sensible plan.
5. Papers go in a folder. Carpet is the floor covering, so my desk folder is the one that matches a carpeta.

Use them in a new note

The five fixes above were separate. This note mixes them. You are writing to a classmate. The facts are:

• On Thursdays these days you work from home. You are not correcting a rumour. You are only saying when.
• The meeting was awkward. You are not pregnant.
• You borrowed a novel from the public library, and you bought a second copy in a bookshop.
• Your flatmate feels things strongly, and choosing the quiet flat was a reasonable decision.
• The living room has a rug. The papers belong in a folder on the desk.

The draft gets every false friend backwards:

Actually I work from home on Thursdays. I'm embarrassed, so we need a cot. I bought the novel at the library and I study at the bookshop. She's very sensible, which is why she cried. Put the files in the carpet. That's a sensitive plan.

Rewrite the note so it matches the facts.

Answer key for the note

• Currently I work from home on Thursdays. Actually would mean "in fact", as a correction. The fact you wanted was the time.
• I felt embarrassed in the meeting. Awkwardness is embarrassed. Pregnancy would be I'm pregnant, and that is not what happened, so the cot line does not belong.
• I borrowed the novel from the library, and I bought another copy at the bookshop. Buying happens at the bookshop. Borrowing happens at the library. The draft had those two places swapped.
• She's very sensitive, which is why she cried. Choosing the quiet flat was a sensible plan. Sensitive is the emotional word. Sensible is the reasonable plan. The draft had them the other way round.
• There's a carpet in the living room. Put the files in the folder. Carpet is the rug. Folder is the carpeta.