Tuesday Quick Tip: Embarassing False Cognates (and how to avoid their tricks)

Good afternoon, dear students!

Today I have a series of images for you to check out to help you learn about false cognates.  What’s a false cognate? 

Well first, what’s a cognate? 

A cognate is a word that looks very similar to another word in another language, and they mean the same thing.  For example, Additional and Adicional are cognates of English and Spanish.  There are (fortunately) a lot of cognates between these two languages.  However, there are a few that are ‘’False Cognates’’—words that look like cognates, but in reality mean very different things.

False Cognates are tricky.  If you use one that you think is a true cognate, people will misunderstand what you are trying to say.  Sometimes they can lead to embarassing mistakes.  Like REALLY embarassing. 

Because I love you all so much, today’s mini-lesson is just on embarassing false cognates and how to avoid using them incorrectly.  Most of them are embarassing because they imply some type of sex joke (it’s shocking, I know).

Let’s take a look!

Preservativo – Preservative

A preservativo is a condom in English.  A preservative is a conservante, something used in foods to make them last longer.  VERY.IMPORTANT.DIFFERENCE.

Preservativo: Condom

Preservative:  Conservante

Embarazada—Embarrassed

You are going to be super embarrassed if you use this one incorrectly.  Embarrassed is Avergonzado;  Embarazada is pregnant.

Embarrassed:  Avergonzado;  Embarrassment:  verguenza

Embarazada:  Pregnant;  Embarazo:  Pregnancy

Molestar—Molest

This is a reaaaalllly important mistake to avoid.

In Spanish, you use ‘’molestar’’ for annoy or bother.  In English,  to molest is to touch someone in a sexual manner without their consent.  It’s a serious crime, so it’s important to be careful not to accuse someone of a sexual assault when you’re trying to communicate how much they are annoying you or bothering you by talking on the phone too loudly.

Molestar—to Annoy, to Bother

Molest— Abusar sexualmente

Have you ever used one of these false cognates incorrectly?  I have!  I hope that you remember to laugh at your mistakes-- it's super normal to say crazy things while you're learning your second or third language, but it's also important to learn from them and try not to commit the same mistake again. 

Happy Tuesday and happy studying!