Do you know what Spanish cognates and false cognates are?
As we all know, learning a foreign language is always difficult but things can get even more complicated when encountering some similarities in the vocabulary. Wondering why something that should make your life easier – such a similarity between two languages – is actually there to confuse you?
All the words that look and sound similar in two different languages can be divided and identified into two main groups: cognates and false friends.The expression cognate is used to define a word that is present in two different languages, with a similar spelling and the exact same meaning.This type of words is generally pronounced in the same way or very similarly in both languages and the spelling tends to be similar too.
Language learners turn to words similar to those of their mother tongue. That way, they can expand their vocabulary and improve their fluency by remembering them quickly in conversation. These similar words are called cognates.
Theoretically, a cognate is a term derived from Latin which literally means “inbred or with the same ancestor.” It means that a cognate is a word in one language that is similar in spelling, pronunciation, and meaning to a word in another language.
Cognates arise from the influence of languages through linguistic borrowings positioned and adapted to the language that receives them over time.
There are several types of cognates, including true cognates, near-perfect cognates, and false cognates.
True cognates
True cognates, also known as perfect cognates, are spelled the same, but pronounced differently depending on the language.
ENGLISH – SPANISH
Actor – actor
Admirable – admirable
Agenda – agenda
Alcohol – alcohol
Altar – altar
False cognates
False cognates, commonly known as false friends, are spelled the same or similar, but have a completely different meaning.
For example, if someone wants to say:
“I’m embarrassed to give a presentation in front of the whole class”, but if they use the word “embarazada“, they will be saying “I’m pregnant to give a presentation in front of the whole class”.
This is a very common mistake and someone will probably end up laughing their head off.
This is a clear example of how a false cognate or a false friend can misrepresent what we are saying, potentially causing great confusion (accompanied by laughter).
Here are more examples:
| ENGLISH | CORRECT SPANISH TRANSLATION | WHAT I THINK: | ENGLISH TRANSLATION |
| actual; actually | real, realmente | actual; actualmente | currently, at present, now |
| advertisement | un anuncio | advertencia | warning |
| altered | modificado/a | alterado/a | upset |
| American | estadounidense | americano/a | anyone from North or South America |
| apply | solicitar, pedir algo | aplicar | to apply something e.g.theory, paint, sanctions |
Near-perfect cognates
Near-perfect cognates are words that look alike in both languages and mean the same thing, but require a simple formula to convert them, in this case from English to Spanish.
ENGLISH – SPANISH
Abandon – abandonar Adjust – ajustar
Accelerate – acelerar Anniversary – aniversario
Compact – compacto Academic – académico
Absolutely – absolutamente Abundant – abundante
Accident – accidente Ambitious – ambicioso
Admission – admisión Circulation – circulación
