Diseño del blog

20 sept 2023

Ana del Río

 Lost in Translation: False Friends

Welcome to another exciting chapter in your journey to mastering the beautiful Spanish language! In today's blog post, we're diving into a fascinating linguistic phenomenon: false friends. These linguistic traps can bewilder even the most seasoned learners, but fear not! Río Spanish School is here to shed light on this quirky aspect of language learning.

False friends, or "falsos amigos" in Spanish, are words that seem deceptively familiar in two languages but hold entirely different meanings. These linguistic doppelgangers can lead to hilarious misunderstandings if not navigated carefully. Imagine casually using the word "embarazada" in Spanish, thinking it refers to embarrassment, only to discover it actually means "pregnant"! Quite the mix-up, right?

Turning False Friends into True Allies:


Rather than seeing false friends as mere obstacles, embrace them as opportunities to deepen your understanding of the Spanish language. Each linguistic curveball you encounter is a step towards becoming a more confident and nuanced speaker. Remember, even native speakers stumble upon these linguistic tricks from time to time!

In this blog post, we'll uncover some of the most intriguing false friends. Have you ever found yourself caught in the web of a false friend, leading to an unintended linguistic mishap? After reading this post, you'll be well-equipped to steer clear of these language pitfalls:

Share these "falsos amigos" with your classmates!

Spanish English English Spanish
Decepción Dissapointment Deception Engaño
Molestar To bother To molest Acosar sexualmente
Argumento Plot Argument Pelea, discusión
Discusión Fight, argument Discussion Debate, conversación
Sensible Sensitive Sensible Sensato
Éxito Success Exit Salida
Compromiso Engagement, commitment Compromise Acuerdo
Lectura Reading Lecture Conferencia
Ahorrar To save To afford Permitirse
Constipado Cold (sick) Constipated Estreñido

Are you hungry for more examples of false friends? If you're eager to explore additional intriguing instances where languages play tricks on us, drop your requests in the comments below! We'd love to hear from you and delve into even more false friends in our upcoming blog post.


Stay tuned for Part Two of our False Friends series. Let's unravel the mysteries of language together!


At Río Spanish School - Malta we're passionate about guiding you through every twist and turn of language learning. Embracing the world of false friends is just one of the many exciting challenges you'll conquer on your path to Spanish fluency. Join our vibrant community of learners today and let's unravel the mysteries of language together. ¡Vamos a aprender!

Book now!

If you are a Spanish teacher and you want your students to learn how to talk about religious expressions in Spanish, check out our lastest teaching material available in our shop:

Explore our shop to find many other teaching materials:

Barcelona, mobile phone theft, spanish school

My mobile phone has been stolen!

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 26 Mar, 2024
Barcelona, the vibrant Catalan city, is known for its impressive architecture, sunny beaches, and lively nightlife. However, it's also important to be aware of a problem that affects many residents and visitors: mobile phone theft. In this bustling metropolis, pickpockets -carteristas- lurk in crowded places, ready to take advantage of any lapse in attention...

How to use diminutives in Spanish

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 31 Mar, 2023
At Río Spanish School, in addition to teaching grammar or vocabulary, we show our students how the real spoken Spanish sound. One of the most practical and used resources in Spanish is the use of diminutives. Its main and best-known function is dimensional, that is, to explain that something has a small size:
Spanish slang about love. Girl with heart

Spanish slang about love

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 10 Oct, 2022
Many of our students have decided to study Spanish because they are in love -estar enamorado, or in slang, estar pillado- with a Spanish speaker, and since at Río Spanish School we always try to adapt to the needs of our students, we have designed a didactic unit on street talk in Spanish, which includes a lots of expressions about love. In this way, our students will sound more natural when talking about their relationships, especially if they are young.
expresiones religiosas en español, semana santa

Religious expressions in Spanish

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 13 Apr, 2022
As Lorenzo Rubio González explains in Religious Topics in Colloquial Spanish, the familiarity of Spaniards with religion leaves many foreigners dumbfounded. And it is that we Spaniards have grown up surrounded by the Catholic Christian culture and, as is natural, it has impregnated the language with hundreds of expressions that have crystallized in the collective imagination.

Expressions about work in Spanish

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 18 Feb, 2022
Many of my Spanish students end up moving to Spain and working in Spanish companies. For this reason, at Río Spanish School we have designed specific teaching materials for business. As an example of this, we want to share with all of you a series of expressions related to work that will be very useful to you.
boy loses train, arrive late to work

Spanish expressions about being late

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 22 Jan, 2022
There is a great debate on the issue facing those who defend the veracity of the stereotype, with those who defend themselves as Spaniards and punctual. What is clear is that the Spanish language has several expressions related to punctuality and our goal at Río Spanish School - Malta is for our students to know, understand and use them in their daily lives.

Are Spaniards always late?

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 12 Jan, 2022
In every group of friends there is someone who is always late, and if there isn't in yours, then it's you. Someone said there are two types of people: those who are late and those who are unhappy. This is because the first are more optimistic and think that they will have time to arrive on time.

Who were the Three Wise Men?

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 21 Dec, 2021
In Spain and in many other Hispanic countries, the Christmas celebrations don't finish o n 25th of December. We also celebrate, and it's the favorite of the children, The Epiphany, better known as The Three Wise Men Day, every 6th of January.
santa klaus antes de cocacola, santa klaus before coke

Why doesn't Santa Klaus bring presents in Spain?

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 13 Dec, 2021
As a Spanish child born in the beginning of nineties and based on my experience, I can tell that Santa Klaus, or how we call him, Papá Noel, was a secondary actor in Christmas. Only my grandparents gave a little something to us on Christmas Day. Spanish children must wait till 6th of January, when the Three Wise Men come, to receive the presents.
When is the Fool's Day in Spain?

When is Fools Day in Spain?

By Ana Del Rio Zolle • 08 Dec, 2021
April Fool’s Day isn’t a tradition in Spain, so we don’t celebrate it. But we have our special day for jokes and pranks, and it’s in the middle of the Christmas period: on 28th of December. In Spain, the equivalent of All fools‘ Day is Holy Innocents Day or “Día de los Santos Inocentes”.
Show More
Share by: