- Looks like
- actual – actual, real (in Spanish: real, verdadero)
- Means
- current
- Example
- La situación actual es complicada.
False friends
Spanish false friends
Spanish false friends: words that look like English and mean something else. Search the list, then test yourself in eight questions.
Quiz: would you fall for it?
Eight words, three answers each. One of them is the trap.
All 56 false friends
56 words
- Looks like
- advertisement – advertisement (in Spanish: el anuncio)
- Means
- warning
- Example
- El médico me hizo una advertencia.
- Looks like
- arena – arena (in Spanish: el estadio)
- Means
- sand
- Example
- Los niños juegan en la arena.
- Looks like
- argument – argument, quarrel (in Spanish: la discusión)
- Means
- plot
- Example
- El argumento de la novela es muy original.
El argumento can also be a line of reasoning.
- Looks like
- signature – signature (in Spanish: la firma)
- Means
- school subject
- Example
- Mi asignatura favorita es la historia.
- Looks like
- assist – to assist (in Spanish: ayudar)
- Means
- to attend
- Example
- Mañana asisto a una conferencia.
atender
in Carpi- Looks like
- attend – to attend (in Spanish: asistir a)
- Means
- to serve, to attend to
- Example
- La doctora atiende a sus pacientes por la mañana.
avisar
in Carpi- Looks like
- advise – to advise (in Spanish: aconsejar)
- Means
- to let know
- Example
- Avísame cuando llegues.
- Looks like
- buffet – buffet (in Spanish: el bufé)
- Means
- law firm
- Example
- Trabaja en un bufete de abogados.
- Looks like
- carpet – carpet (in Spanish: la alfombra)
- Means
- folder
- Example
- Pon los papeles en la carpeta azul.
la carta
in Carpi- Looks like
- card – card (in Spanish: la tarjeta)
- Means
- letter, menu
- Example
- Te escribí una carta muy larga.
- Looks like
- casualty – casualty (in Spanish: la víctima)
- Means
- coincidence
- Example
- ¡Qué casualidad verte aquí!
- Looks like
- college – college (in Spanish: la universidad, la facultad)
- Means
- school
- Example
- Mis hijos van al colegio a las ocho.
- Looks like
- compromise – compromise (in Spanish: el acuerdo)
- Means
- commitment; also engagement
- Example
- Esta noche tengo un compromiso.
- Looks like
- conductor – conductor of an orchestra (in Spanish: el director de orquesta)
- Means
- driver
- Example
- El conductor del autobús es muy amable.
- Looks like
- constipated – constipated (in Spanish: estreñido)
- Means
- having a cold
- Example
- Estoy constipado, tengo tos y mocos.
In parts of Latin America constipado can also mean constipated. Resfriado is never ambiguous.
contestar
in Carpi- Looks like
- contest – to contest (in Spanish: impugnar)
- Means
- to answer
- Example
- No contesta el teléfono.
- Looks like
- deception – deception (in Spanish: el engaño)
- Means
- disappointment
- Example
- La película fue una decepción.
- Looks like
- discussion – calm discussion (in Spanish: la conversación, el debate)
- Means
- argument, row
- Example
- Tuvieron una discusión por el dinero.
- Looks like
- disgust – disgust (in Spanish: el asco)
- Means
- upset, annoyance
- Example
- Me llevé un disgusto con la noticia.
embarazada
in Carpi- Looks like
- embarrassed – embarrassed (in Spanish: avergonzado)
- Means
- pregnant
- Example
- Mi hermana está embarazada de cinco meses.
la firma
in Carpi- Looks like
- firm – firm, company (in Spanish: la empresa)
- Means
- signature
- Example
- Falta tu firma en este documento.
- Looks like
- fabric – fabric (in Spanish: la tela)
- Means
- factory
- Example
- Mi padre trabaja en una fábrica de muebles.
- Looks like
- grab – to grab (in Spanish: agarrar)
- Means
- to record
- Example
- Vamos a grabar un video para tu cumpleaños.
- Looks like
- injury – injury (in Spanish: la lesión, la herida)
- Means
- insult, slander
- Example
- Lo denunciaron por injurias.
- Looks like
- introduce – to introduce someone (in Spanish: presentar)
- Means
- to insert, to put in
- Example
- Introduce la tarjeta en el cajero.
largo
in Carpi- Looks like
- large – large (in Spanish: grande)
- Means
- long
- Example
- El viaje en autobús es muy largo.
- Looks like
- lecture – lecture (in Spanish: la conferencia, la clase)
- Means
- reading
- Example
- La lectura es mi pasatiempo favorito.
- Looks like
- library – library (in Spanish: la biblioteca)
- Means
- bookshop
- Example
- Compré este libro en una librería del centro.
- Looks like
- mascot – mascot (in Spanish: also la mascota)
- Means
- pet
- Example
- ¿Tienes mascota? Yo tengo un gato.
La mascota can also be a mascot – but in everyday talk it is your pet.
- Looks like
- molest – to molest (in Spanish: abusar de)
- Means
- to bother
- Example
- Perdón por molestar, ¿tienes un minuto?
- Looks like
- once – once (in Spanish: una vez)
- Means
- eleven
- Example
- Mi hijo tiene once años.
la parada
in Carpi- Looks like
- parade – parade (in Spanish: el desfile)
- Means
- stop (bus or train)
- Example
- Bájate en la próxima parada.
- Looks like
- parent – parent (in Spanish: el padre, la madre)
- Means
- relative
- Example
- Tengo parientes en México.
el pie
in Carpi- Looks like
- pie – pie (in Spanish: el pastel, la tarta)
- Means
- foot
- Example
- Me duele el pie derecho.
- Looks like
- preservative – preservative (in Spanish: el conservante)
- Means
- condom
- Example
- El preservativo protege contra muchas infecciones.
- Looks like
- presume – to presume (in Spanish: suponer)
- Means
- to show off
- Example
- Le gusta presumir de su teléfono nuevo.
- Looks like
- pretend – to pretend (in Spanish: fingir)
- Means
- to aim, to intend
- Example
- Pretendo terminar el trabajo hoy.
- Looks like
- quit – to quit (in Spanish: dejar)
- Means
- to remove, to take off
- Example
- Quita los platos de la mesa, por favor.
el rato
in Carpi- Looks like
- rat – rat (in Spanish: la rata)
- Means
- while, a moment
- Example
- Espérame un rato, ya vuelvo.
- Looks like
- realize – to realize (in Spanish: darse cuenta)
- Means
- to carry out, to fulfil
- Example
- Por fin pude realizar mi sueño.
recordar
in Carpi- Looks like
- record – to record (in Spanish: grabar)
- Means
- to recall, to remind
- Example
- No recuerdo dónde dejé las llaves.
- Looks like
- red – red (in Spanish: rojo)
- Means
- net, network
- Example
- Los pescadores sacan la red del agua.
el regalo
in Carpi- Looks like
- regal – regal, royal (in Spanish: real)
- Means
- present, gift
- Example
- Gracias por el regalo, me encanta.
- Looks like
- revolver – revolver (in Spanish: el revólver)
- Means
- to stir
- Example
- Revuelve la sopa para que no se pegue.
la ropa
in Carpi- Looks like
- rope – rope (in Spanish: la cuerda)
- Means
- clothes
- Example
- Tengo que lavar la ropa hoy.
sano
in Carpi- Looks like
- sane – sane (in Spanish: cuerdo)
- Means
- healthy
- Example
- Mi abuelo come sano y camina mucho.
- Looks like
- sensible – sensible (in Spanish: sensato)
- Means
- sensitive
- Example
- Es una persona muy sensible.
- Looks like
- sympathetic – sympathetic (in Spanish: comprensivo)
- Means
- nice, friendly
- Example
- Tu amiga es muy simpática.
la sopa
in Carpi- Looks like
- soap – soap (in Spanish: el jabón)
- Means
- soup
- Example
- La sopa está muy caliente.
- Looks like
- support – to support (in Spanish: apoyar)
- Means
- to put up with, to bear
- Example
- No soporto el calor.
- Looks like
- success – success (in Spanish: el éxito)
- Means
- event, incident
- Example
- El periódico habla del suceso de ayer.
- Looks like
- taller – taller (in Spanish: más alto)
- Means
- workshop, garage
- Example
- Llevé la bicicleta al taller.
- Looks like
- vague – vague (in Spanish: impreciso)
- Means
- lazy
- Example
- No seas vago y ayúdame con la mudanza.
Vago can also mean vague, but the everyday meaning is lazy.
el vaso
in Carpi- Looks like
- vase – vase (in Spanish: el florero, el jarrón)
- Means
- glass
- Example
- Un vaso de agua, por favor.
- Looks like
- exit – exit (in Spanish: la salida)
- Means
- success
- Example
- La fiesta fue un éxito.
Carpi trains the vocabulary you need to get by in everyday life – with pronunciation in three varieties.
Get the app →How it works
A false friend looks like a word you already know and means something else. Embarazada is not embarrassed but pregnant; éxito is not an exit but a success. Because the form looks familiar, the brain skips the check.
Each card shows the Spanish word, the English word it resembles, what it really means and an everyday example. Where Argentina, Latin America or Spain use another word, the card says so.
Words marked “in Carpi” are part of the vocabulary the Carpi app trains; their meaning here matches the app.
Questions
What is a false friend?
A word that looks like a word in your language but means something else. Embarazada looks like embarrassed and means pregnant.
Which Spanish is this?
The meanings hold in Argentina & Uruguay, Latin America and Spain. Where one variety prefers another word, the card notes it.
Are all of them completely false?
Not all. Some have a second meaning that does match – discusión can also be a discussion. The card names the everyday meaning first.
What does “in Carpi” mean?
The word is part of the vocabulary the Carpi app trains, and the meaning on the card matches the app.
Is anything I do saved?
No. The quiz runs in your browser, without an account. Only an anonymous count of how often the page is used is recorded.