False Friends – Spanish vs English part 1

False friends are words in two languages that are similar in appearance and/or pronunciation but have different meanings.
And now, after learning False Friends in English you will find a selection of the most common false friends in Spanish and its respective meaning in English.

Always with the respective example:

Common Spanish Words

1. Disgusto: Vas a tener un disgusto cuando te enteres dónde estuvo.
2. Animar: Tenemos que animarla antes de la competición.
3. Collar: ¡Me encanta tu collar de perlas naturales!
4. Agenda: No pudimos encontrar su agenda entre tantos papeles.
5. Constipado: Estoy constipado desde hace más de dos semanas.
6. Rebate: Ella rebatió sus argumentos.
7. Convenir: Te conviene ir a clase por lo menos dos días a la semana.
8. Simpático: Todos los alumnos de esta clase son simpáticos.
9. Surtido: Cómprame un surtido de chocolates y bombones.
10. Quieto: ¡No puedes estar quieto ni siquiera un minuto!

Equivalent English Translations

1. Upset: You will get upset when you find out where she was.
2. Cheer: We have to cheer her up before the competition.
3. Necklace: I love your natural pearl necklace!
4. Planner: We couldn’t find her planner among so many papers.
5. Sick: I’ve been sick for more than 2 weeks.
6. Refute: She refuted his arguments.
7. Advisable: It’s advisable for you to go to class 2 days a week.
8. Nice: All of the students in this class are nice.
9. Assortment: Buy me an assortment of chocolate and candy.
10. Still: You can’t be still not even for a minute!