The other day, I was chatting with a friend of mine about Spanish/English false friends: the words that look or sound similar but often mean very different things. Classic examples of these are constipado vs constipated and embarazada vs embarrassed. A good list of such falsos amigos is compiled by Laura K. Lawless.
Some words are written (although not pronounced) exactly the same in English and Spanish, for instance these:
| Word | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| actual | existing in reality | current, present |
| agenda | a list of matters to be taken up | diary |
| arena | an enclosed area for the presentation of spectacular events | sand |
| cargo | freight | charge; position |
| hay | cut and dried grass | there is, there are |
| local n | a person who lives nearby | location, premises, site |
| mama | mother | breast |
| manga | a Japanese comic style | sleeve |
| mayor | the leader of a city | bigger; older |
| media | plural of medium; environment | sock, stocking, pantyhose; mean, average; half |
| once | one and only one time; as soon as | eleven |
| pan | flat vessel used in cooking | bread |
| quince | a tree, Cydonia oblonga, or its fruit | fifteen |
| real | existing in reality | existing in reality; royal |
| red | a colour | network, web |
| sensible | reasonable | sensitive |
| sin | a violation of a moral or religious law | without |
| taller | more tall | workshop |
| tan | a darkening of the skin after exposure to UV light | so, as |
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