Thursday
Jul282011
False Spanish Cognates for English Speakers


What are false cognates and how to set them apart from actual cognates that will not mislead us in the process of learning a second or even third language?
Here are some very common examples to watch out for when learning Spanish as a native English speaker:
Sensible -> Sensitive
Embarrassed -> Avergonzado/-a
Assist (v.) -> Atender
Actually -> En realidad
Gist -> Lo esencial / lo fundamental
Lately -> Últimamente
Move (v.) -> Mudarse
Applicaton -> Solicitud
Apply [for a placement] (v.) -> Solicitar
There is no way of guessing these and the process of learning will be the best way to increase one's awareness of which ones translate literally and which ones simply do not work in literal translation.
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