False Friends: English mistakes that Spanish speakers make

Would you like to be my friend?

I don't want to be your friend actually.

Maybe.

My name's Ronnie.

If you speak Spanish, you are very lucky

because a lot of words in Spanish and English are very similar.

You can change your accent, drop the "o" or the "a" at the end of it, make some hand gestures,

and most of the time people will understand you, as long as they're not a little stupid,

and this makes learning English for you easier.

Yes!

But life is not so easy, because we have some words that you think they mean something in

English, but guess what?

It doesn't translate.

Probably the most popular example would be: "embarazada".

So, in Spanish you know "embarazada" means pregnant, you're going to have a baby.

In English it sounds like the word "embarrassed".

So if you use the word, people are confused and you're probably embarrassed, too, because

you've used the wrong word.

So, in English we've actually made a term for these.

These things are called "False Friends", and this is the Spanish Edition.

Stay tuned for the Portuguese edition as well.

"Embarazada" means pregnant in Spanish, but in English it sounds like our English word

"embarrassed".

"Embarrassed" means you've made a mistake, you've done something stupid, and people have

seen you do it - and your face maybe goes a little red and you're a little ashamed of something.

For example, if you're walking down the street and you fall, or you're picking your nose

and somebody sees you pick your nose - you feel uncomfortable.

You feel embarrassed.

Okay. The next one, in Spanish you say: "sensible", "sensible", "sensible".

In your language it means sensitive.

By the way, guys, I'm not a Spanish speaker so I'm going to make mistakes with your language.

I'm sorry.

Bear with.

So, in your language it means "sensitive".

"Sensitive" in English means that you are aware of other people's emotions, or the other

meaning is that you cry very easily or that you get angry very quickly.

So if I say that you are sensitive...

For example, if I say: "Oh, I don't like your shoes."

If you are a sensitive person, you are upset.

But in English, "sensible" kind of means the opposite.

"Sensible" means that you're reasonable in your brain or you can make sense of something.

So, for example, if I said to you: "I don't like your shoes."

And you say: "Well, I don't care. They're not your shoes, Ronnie."

So you're being reasonable or you're being sensible to my comment.

Okay? False friends, they're a doozy.

The next one we have is "carpeta".

So, in Spanish "carpeta" is a folder, it's like a thick paper where you can put other

documents in and keep it safe, keep it out of danger so you don't spill some Tequila on it.

But in English it sounds like "carpet", so a carpet is something that covers your floor.

We use carpets a lot because our floors are very cold in Canada.

Most houses, I think...

For example, in Mexico, you guys don't have a carpet, it's too hot.

You have tile floor.

But a carpet is a floor covering made of fabric, not a folder.

Okay?

The next one: "compromiso".

"Compromiso" in your language means an obligation.

"Obligation" means you have to do something or you must do something.

For example, when you come to Canada through the airport you must show the airport security

your passport.

It's an obligation to do it.

In English it sounds like the word "compromise".

"Compromise" in English means you have reached an agreement.

So, for example, you want to go and see a horror movie, your friend wants to go and

see a romantic comedy movie.

You disagree, have a little discussion about it, and then at the end you go:

"Do you know what? As a compromise or as an agreement

we'll go see a comedy movie because we both like comedy movies."

So you've reached an agreement or you've reached a compromise.

"Contestar" in your language means to answer, so you can answer a question.

A teacher will ask you a question and you will contestar, you will answer the question.

Hopefully correctly.

Come on, get it right!

But in English it sounds like the word "contest", and "contest" is like a competition.

A "competition" or a "contest" means that there is one person and some other people,

they are doing the same thing or similar thing.

They're trying to win a prize.

So, for example, you can have a running contest where everyone's running and you try and be

the first one.

Or you can have a spaghetti-eating contest.

You have to eat the most spaghetti.

Gluttonous, really.

I don't really like those contests.

You probably have contests at your school.

We have talent contests, those are popular now on TV.

Oh god.

Will that be over yet?

Nobody's got talent.

And: "empresa".

In your language it means a company or a business.

Just to confuse you, some people if you thought about this, we have the word in English "enterprise".

So, "enterprise" we get from you guys.

Thanks. Thanks for giving us our language, by the ways.

"Empresa" we can understand as enterprise to mean a business, but it actually sounds

like the verb "to impress" someone.

Maybe you've heard about something called a first impression.

But if you impress someone, it means that you make them like you.

So, let's say that you...

There's a boy or a girl that you like and you want to impress them - maybe you give

them flowers or you talk to them, or "hehe", you laugh at their jokes.

You're impressing the person to make someone like you.

Or at least not want to kill you or hate you.

Good luck with that as well.

People are just awful.

This is one of my favourites.

I used to say this when I was a child: "groseria".

In your language it's a story to buy food.

We, again, steal this word and we say...

We can say: "a grocery store".

But if you use the word "groseria", we think it's very similar to our English word "gross".

Oh my god, that's disgusting.

"Gross", it's not a store to buy food.

It means that something is disgusting or you hate it.

You do not like it.

So, if you are somewhere and somebody is picking their nose, you might go:

"Oh my god, that's disgusting. That person is picking their nose."

So disgusting means something you do not like.

It's not a store at all.

This is fun, this is fun.

So maybe you say: "Oh, for lunch today I ate some sopa."

And you...

You know that in your language that means "soup", and you think: "Oh, it was delicious."

And your friend is kind of worried, and thinking that maybe you are eating soap.

So your friend says: "What flavour soap did you eat today?"

And you say: millet or chicken.

Or maybe I had some albondigas soap.

And your friend is further confused, because in English "soap" is what we use to wash our

bodies, and we don't eat that.

Nobody eats that.

Even if you're starving, you'd probably eat an insect or a cucaracha or something.

Not...

Definitely not soap, something we use to wash with.

So, "sopa" isn't soup in English.

Okay? Be careful.

One you eat, one you wash your body with.

I don't even think you could wash your body with soup, unless you really like

chicken noodle smell.

No, no, no.

Nope, nope.

A really fun one-oh, fun, this is fun, yeah, look at this-is tuna.

Tuna you guys know as a fruit, delicious.

It's a cactus fruit.

Grows on a cactus.

But for us it's a stinky, old fish.

A cactus fruit and a fish are very different.

We usually get canned tuna.

So if you say: "Oo, I really like... I really like tuna",

people think: "But you told me you don't like fish, Ronnie.

You're a vegetarian.

What are you doing?"

And actually, as always, I spelt "cactus" wrong.

So, a cactus fruit in your language is very different from what we call tuna.

Do you like tuna?

The fish, the fish, the fish.

Cactus fruit is not a very common food in Canada or in the northern part of America,

the northern States.

But I'm sure in the southern part of the States it grows.

I don't know.

We definitely don't have it here naturally growing.

And one of the last ones is: "ropa".

So you guys know that "ropa" means clothes, things that you wear.

Nope, in English it sounds like the word "rope".

Yee-ha.

So, if you're a cowboy living on a ranch, you are going to use a rope or a lasso.

Lasso, yeah?

Does that sound closer to your language?

So, in English a rope is like lasso, it's something you use to tie things together,

or they use on ships to secure the ship.

It is definitely not something that you wear.

Well, maybe you can start a new fashion.

Maybe you can make rope ropas.

That'd be cool, you can make some money, confuse your friends.

But, damn, you'd...

No, it'd be itchy.

Wouldn't it?

To have clothes made out of a rope.

No, sorry, not a good idea.

Hey, you're going to have to get your business advice someplace else.

I can teach you about stuff in English, but business, can't do it.

I hope you guys had fun.

And good luck with English.