Embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed, and constipado means having a cold, not constipated. These are false friends: Spanish words that look like English ones but mean something else. The list below groups the ones that cause real embarrassment, with what to say instead, so you can avoid announcing a pregnancy by accident.
Start here, because these are the mistakes that stop a conversation.
| Spanish | Actually means | What you probably meant |
|---|---|---|
| embarazada | pregnant | avergonzado, avergonzada (embarrassed) |
| constipado | having a cold (in Spain) | estreñido (constipated) |
| excitado | aroused, as most listeners hear it | emocionado (excited) |
| preservativo | condom | conservante (preservative) |
| molestar | to bother, annoy | abusar de (molest) |
| estar caliente | to be horny (of a person) | tener calor (to feel hot) |
The classic story: an English speaker blushes and says Estoy muy embarazada, meaning "I'm so embarrassed," and a room full of people congratulates them. Say ¡Qué vergüenza! or Me da vergüenza. In Mexico and much of Latin America you will also hear me da pena for embarrassment, but be careful in Spain, where pena usually means sadness or pity: ¡Qué pena! there means "what a shame." Interestingly, embarazoso really does mean awkward or embarrassing, as in una situación embarazosa. Just never apply embarazada to yourself unless a baby is on the way.
For the food label, "no preservatives" is sin conservantes. Asking a pharmacist for something sin preservativos will get you a strange look.
With heat, Spanish separates the person from the thing. Tengo calor means "I'm hot." La sopa está caliente is fine for soup. Applied to yourself, estoy caliente is heard sexually. Excitement works the same way: for "I'm so excited about the trip," say Estoy muy emocionado con el viaje, or in Spain, Me hace mucha ilusión el viaje.
| Spanish | Actually means | English word you wanted |
|---|---|---|
| librería | bookstore | library: biblioteca |
| carpeta | folder | carpet: alfombra |
| ropa | clothes | rope: cuerda |
| vaso | drinking glass | vase: jarrón, florero |
| éxito | success | exit: salida |
| suceso | event, incident | success: éxito |
| fábrica | factory | fabric: tela |
| pariente | relative | parent: padre, madre (parents: padres) |
| colegio | school (kids) | college: universidad |
| lectura | reading | lecture: conferencia, clase |
| largo | long | large: grande |
| casualidad | coincidence | casualty: víctima |
Two of these matter in airports and train stations. Looking for el éxito will not get you out of the building; the sign says Salida. And in news headlines, suceso is often a crime or an accident, the opposite of a success story.
Parents trips people up in a sneaky way: mis padres means "my parents," even though padre alone means father. Mis parientes means your relatives in general: cousins, aunts, uncles.
| Spanish | Actually means | English word you wanted |
|---|---|---|
| realizar | to carry out, do | realize: darse cuenta de |
| asistir a | to attend | assist: ayudar |
| atender | to serve, look after, pay attention | attend a meeting: asistir a |
| soportar | to put up with | support: apoyar |
| recordar | to remember, remind | record: grabar |
| introducir | to insert, put in | introduce a person: presentar |
| advertir | to warn | advertise: anunciar |
| contestar | to answer | contest: impugnar, competir |
These cause quieter but costly mistakes at work. Realicé que no tenía las llaves should be Me di cuenta de que no tenía las llaves. No puedo soportar tu propuesta means "I can't stand your proposal"; the supportive version is Apoyo tu propuesta. And when you meet someone new, Te presento a mi jefa introduces your boss; introducir is what you do with a card in a machine.
| Spanish | Actually means | English word you wanted |
|---|---|---|
| actual | current, present-day | actual: real, verdadero |
| actualmente | currently | actually: en realidad |
| eventualmente | possibly, occasionally | eventually: al final, con el tiempo |
| sensible | sensitive | sensible: sensato |
| simpático | nice, friendly | sympathetic: comprensivo |
| en absoluto | not at all | absolutely: totalmente, por supuesto |
| decepción | disappointment | deception: engaño |
| compromiso | commitment; engagement to marry | compromise: acuerdo, término medio |
En absoluto deserves a warning of its own because it reverses your answer. If someone asks ¿Te molesta si abro la ventana? and you reply En absoluto, you have said "not at all," which happens to be polite. If they ask ¿Estás de acuerdo? and you answer en absoluto hoping to mean "absolutely," you have just disagreed. Say ¡Por supuesto! or ¡Totalmente!
Actualmente is the one intermediate learners keep using wrong. "Actually, I live in Denver" is En realidad, vivo en Denver. Actualmente vivo en Denver means "I currently live in Denver," which is true but answers a different question.
Most cognates are honest: hospital, nación, importante, posible all mean what you expect. The risky ones tend to be common everyday words that drifted apart over centuries, especially verbs. A practical habit: when a Spanish word looks exactly like an English one and the sentence suddenly sounds odd, check the word before you build on it. If you are about to describe your own body, feelings or temperature with a cognate, check twice.
False friends stop catching you once you have used the right word in a real moment: telling a pharmacist you have a cold, apologizing for being late, saying you are excited about a trip. Practicing those lines out loud, with someone who will laugh kindly and correct you, is the safest place to make the embarazada mistake exactly once.
It means pregnant. To say you are embarrassed, use avergonzado or avergonzada, or the more natural Me da vergüenza or ¡Qué vergüenza! In Mexico you will also hear me da pena.
In Spain, estar constipado means to have a cold. The word for constipated is estreñido. Resfriado is a safe word for a cold everywhere.
Say estoy emocionado or emocionada. In Spain, me hace mucha ilusión is very common. Avoid estoy excitado, which most listeners hear as sexual arousal.
No. Actualmente means currently or nowadays. For actually, use en realidad or la verdad es que.
