False Cognates – Falsos amigos

Spanish and English languages contain some words that look and sound similar but have different meanings. Spanish student often make mistakes when they try to express something using this false cognates.

In the first post about this topic we are going to focus on two common cases:

Case 1: Actually vs actualmente

Actually means in Spanish “en realidad”
e.g. He is actually not a good dancer – Él no es en realidad un buen bailarín.

Actualmente means in English “at present”
e.g. María trabaja actualmente en una oficina – María is currently working in an office.

Case 2: To advertise vs advertir

To advertise means in Spanish “publicitar”
e.g. If you want to sell your service you have to advertise it – Si quieres vender tu servicio, debes publicitarlo.

Advertir means in English “to warn”
e.g. I warning you, don’t do that! – Te advierto, no hagas eso!

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