HabloroVocabulary · False cognates · With audio
Spanish false friends: 22 words that don't mean what they look like
Éxito isn't the exit. Ropa isn't rope. Flip the cards to see what each word really means — most come with a real sentence from a Habloro story you can listen to. Then try the quiz at the end.
A true story about one false friend
The man who asked for success
Tomás, an American visitor, is lost in a huge shopping mall. He wants the way out, so he asks a security guard for el éxito. Listen to what happens.
-
«Pues, ¿dónde está el éxito?»“Well, where is success?”
-
«Mire, joven, el éxito no es un lugar.»“Look, young man, success isn't a place.”
-
El letrero de arriba decía «salida», y afuera estaba el estacionamiento lleno de carros.The sign above it said “Exit,” and outside was the parking lot full of cars.
-
«Laura, por fin encontré el éxito.»“Laura, I finally found success.”
In Spanish, éxito means success. The exit is la salida. The guard answered the question he heard — with advice about life.
What are Spanish false cognates?
Spanish and English share thousands of words that come from Latin: hospital, animal, chocolate, problema. Most of them are true friends — they look alike and mean the same thing, and they're a big head start for English speakers.
False friends, or false cognates, are the exceptions: pairs that look alike but mean different things. Some started as the same Latin word and drifted apart. Latin exitus meant a going out, and later an outcome. English kept the door; Spanish kept the good outcome — éxito, success.
Why English speakers trip on them
- They look familiar, so you don't stop to check. Your brain reads the shape and moves on.
- The wrong meaning often still fits. “Where is success?” is an odd question, but the guard had an answer for it. Nobody noticed the mix-up.
- A few of them can embarrass you. Saying embarazada when you mean embarrassed is the classic — it means pregnant.
The fix is simple: when a word looks English but the sentence suddenly makes no sense, it's probably a false friend. Meet these words inside sentences, not alone, and the real meaning sticks.
Flip cards
22 Spanish false friends
-
éxito
means success
For “exit”, say salida.
«Es que el éxito es un camino largo, no una puerta.»“The thing is, success is a long road, not a door.” From ¿Dónde está el éxito?
-
embarazada
means pregnant
For “embarrassed”, say avergonzado / avergonzada — or, very often in everyday talk, use pena:
«Ay, me da mucha pena, Rogelio.»“Oh, I'm so embarrassed, Rogelio.” From Tres horas de Rubén
-
molestar
means to bother, to annoy
“To molest” is something very serious: abusar de. Don't mix them up.
«Buenos días, vecina, ¿no le molesta mi gallo?»“Good morning, neighbor, doesn't my rooster bother you?” From El gallo de don Ramiro
-
largo
means long
For “large”, say grande.
«Ay, maestra, es que las frases son muy largas.»“Oh, teacher, it's just that the sentences are very long.” From El olor de la lluvia
-
ropa
means clothes
For “rope”, say cuerda.
«Para nada, ahorita mi ropa está en la lavadora.»“Not at all, right now my clothes are in the washer.” From Las camisas de doña Fabiola
-
grabar
means to record (sound, video)
For “to grab”, say agarrar.
«¿Qué estás grabando, papá?»“What are you recording, Dad?” From La calle de mi papá
-
quitar
means to take off, to remove
To quit a job: renunciar. To quit a habit: dejar de.
«¿Y si quitamos la puerta?»“What if we take the door off?” From El sofá de mi abuela
-
mayor
means older (for people); bigger
For “mayor”, say alcalde.
Es un señor mayor, muy serio y muy formal.He is an older man, very serious and very formal. From Véngase con su traje
-
librería
means bookstore
For “library”, say biblioteca. And a librero is a bookshelf:
Para mis libros, compré un librero por internet.For my books, I bought a bookshelf online. From Yo puedo sola
-
once
means eleven
For “once”, say una vez.
«Los otros once se los dejo a la escuela de al lado.»“I leave the other eleven at the school next door.” From Doce crayones
-
bigote
means mustache
For “bigot”, say intolerante.
Tenía unos sesenta años, un bigote gris y la cara muy seria.He was about sixty, with a gray mustache and a very serious face. From ¿Dónde está el éxito?
-
futbol
means soccer
American football is futbol americano. Also spelled fútbol.
Tiene ocho años y siempre juega futbol en la calle.He is eight years old and always plays soccer in the street. From La ventana de don Ernesto
-
firma
means signature
For a firm (a company), say empresa.
Antes de irse, sacó un cuaderno viejo y me pidió una firma.Before leaving, he took out an old notebook and asked me for a signature. From El ladrillo de don Benito
-
campo
means the countryside; fields
For “camp”, say campamento.
Trabajó toda su vida en el campo, y nunca fue a la escuela.He had worked in the fields his whole life, and he had never gone to school. From El olor de la lluvia
-
sopa
means soup
For “soap”, say jabón.
«La sopa se ve deliciosa.»“The soup looks delicious.” From La sopa de Karina
-
vaso
means a glass, a cup (to drink from)
For “vase”, say florero.
Lo puso en el despachador, llenó un vaso y me lo dio.He put it on the dispenser, filled a cup, and gave it to me. From La sala de espera
-
parada
means a stop (a bus stop)
For “parade”, say desfile.
Yo le cargué las bolsas desde la parada hasta su puerta.I carried the bags for her from the bus stop to her door. From La casita roja
-
contestar
means to answer
For “a contest”, say concurso.
En ese momento empezó a sonar, y contesté rápido.At that moment it started to ring, and I answered quickly. From El arroz de la abuela
-
jubilación
means retirement
For “jubilation”, say alegría or júbilo.
El viernes era la fiesta de jubilación de su compañero, don Efraín.Friday was the retirement party for his coworker, don Efraín. From El pastel equivocado
-
atender
means to serve, to take care of (a customer)
To attend a class or a meeting: asistir a.
Luego atendí al señor del queso y a unos niños.Then I took care of the cheese man and some kids. From El mesero de la feria
-
simpático
means nice, friendly, likable
For “sympathetic”, say comprensivo / comprensiva.
-
actualmente
means currently, nowadays
For “actually”, say en realidad.
Quiz · 10 questions
What does it really mean?
Pick an answer. You'll see why right away.
-
«Pues, ¿dónde está el éxito?»
Tomás asks the guard this. What is he really asking for?
- The exit
- Success
- The elevator
Answer
Success. Éxito means success. The exit is la salida — that's why the guard gave him advice about life.
-
What does embarazada mean?
- Embarrassed
- Tired
- Pregnant
Answer
Pregnant. Embarazada means pregnant. Embarrassed is avergonzado/a, or in everyday talk, me da mucha pena.
-
«Buenos días, vecina, ¿no le molesta mi gallo?»
The neighbor asks about his rooster. What does he want to know?
- If it bothers her
- If it scares her
- If she has seen it
Answer
If it bothers her. Molestar means to bother or annoy — nothing more.
-
Había una mesa muy larga y muchas sillas.
What kind of table is this?
- A large table
- A low table
- A long table
Answer
A long table. Largo / larga means long. Large is grande.
-
You want to buy a book. Where do you go?
- La biblioteca
- La librería
- La parada
Answer
La librería. A librería sells books. A biblioteca is a library, where you borrow them.
-
«¿Qué estás grabando, papá?»
What is Dad doing?
- Grabbing something
- Recording
- Drawing
Answer
Recording. Grabar means to record. To grab is agarrar.
-
Es un señor mayor, muy serio y muy formal.
Who is this man?
- The mayor
- An older man
- A tall man
Answer
An older man. For people, mayor means older. The mayor is el alcalde.
-
«¿Y si quitamos la puerta?»
The sofa won't fit. What do they want to do with the door?
- Take it off
- Paint it
- Lock it
Answer
Take it off. Quitar means to take off or remove. To quit a job is renunciar.
-
You need soap. Which word do you ask for?
- Sopa
- Ropa
- Jabón
Answer
Jabón. Soap is jabón. Sopa is soup, and ropa is clothes.
-
What does actualmente mean?
- Actually
- Currently
- Usually
Answer
Currently. Actualmente means currently, nowadays. Actually is en realidad.
Keep going
What to try next
Spanish dialoguesSix everyday conversations as chat bubbles, with audio for every line
Igualito al míoA full short story: a car that looks exactly like hers
El reloj de don ChuyA full short story: the bus driver's watch
More ways to practice: Short stories · Reading practice · Listening practice · Comprehensible input
Meet words in sentences, and they stay.
In the Habloro app you read short everyday stories, tap any sentence for the English and keep the words you want. Each one comes back for practice in its own sentence.