Spanish & French False Friends: 10 Tricky Pairs to Watch
If you’re an English speaker learning Spanish or French, cognates are a superpower… until they aren’t. Some words look familiar but don’t mean what you think. These are called false friends, and they can lead to confusion, funny misunderstandings, or awkward moments.
The good news: you don’t need to fear them. False friends are a small subset of vocabulary, and you can learn the most common ones quickly. Once you know them, they stop being “traps” and become easy wins.
In this guide you’ll get:
- 10 high‑frequency false friends (5 Spanish + 5 French)
- The correct meaning, plus the word you probably wanted
- Example sentences (so you learn them in context)
- Memory hooks and quick practice
How to learn false friends efficiently
Use this 3‑step method:
- Meaning first: learn what the word actually means.
- Replacement: learn the correct word for what you wanted to say.
- One sentence: memorize one real sentence and repeat it out loud.
That’s it. One sentence per word beats a long list every time.
Spanish false friends (with examples)
1) embarazada ≠ embarrassed
- What learners think: “embarrassed”
- What it means: pregnant
- What you wanted: avergonzado/a (embarrassed)
Example:
- Está embarazada. (She is pregnant.)
- Estoy avergonzado. (I’m embarrassed.)
Memory hook: embarazada has “bar” in it → imagine a “baby bump” at a bar (silly, but memorable).
2) asistir ≠ assist
- What learners think: “to assist/help”
- What it means: to attend
- What you wanted: ayudar (to help)
Example:
- Voy a asistir a la reunión. (I’m going to attend the meeting.)
- ¿Puedes ayudarme? (Can you help me?)
Memory hook: “assist” in English can mean “attend” in formal contexts (assist a meeting). Spanish kept that meaning.
3) ropa ≠ rope
- What learners think: rope
- What it means: clothes
- What you wanted: cuerda (rope)
Example:
- Necesito ropa nueva. (I need new clothes.)
- La cuerda es muy larga. (The rope is very long.)
Memory hook: ropa → “robe” → clothing.
4) actualmente ≠ actually
- What learners think: actually
- What it means: currently / at the moment
- What you wanted: en realidad (actually / in reality)
Example:
- Actualmente vivo en Madrid. (I currently live in Madrid.)
- En realidad, no me gusta. (Actually, I don’t like it.)
Memory hook: actualmente = “at the actual time” → currently.
5) éxito ≠ exit
- What learners think: exit
- What it means: success
- What you wanted: salida (exit)
Example:
- Tuvo mucho éxito. (It was very successful.)
- La salida está aquí. (The exit is here.)
Memory hook: “X marks success” → éxito.
French false friends (with examples)
6) actuellement ≠ actually
- What learners think: actually
- What it means: currently
- What you wanted: en fait (actually / in fact)
Example:
- Actuellement, j’habite à Paris. (Currently, I live in Paris.)
- En fait, je préfère Lyon. (Actually, I prefer Lyon.)
Memory hook: actuellement mirrors Spanish actualmente: currently.
7) préservatif ≠ preservative
- What learners think: preservative (food additive)
- What it means: condom
- What you wanted: conservateur (preservative) / additif (additive)
Example:
- Il faut un préservatif. (You need a condom.)
- Ce produit contient des additifs. (This product contains additives.)
Memory hook: “to preserve” can mean “protect” → French uses it for protection in a specific context.
8) journée ≠ journey
- What learners think: journey
- What it means: day (as an experience/period)
- What you wanted: voyage (trip/journey)
Example:
- Bonne journée ! (Have a nice day!)
- C’était un long voyage. (It was a long journey.)
Memory hook: jour = day → journée.
9) location ≠ location
- What learners think: location (place)
- What it means: rental
- What you wanted: endroit / lieu (place/location)
Example:
- La location d’une voiture coûte cher. (Car rental is expensive.)
- C’est un bon endroit. (It’s a nice place.)
Memory hook: “to locate” vs “to rent” — French kept a different sense.
10) librairie ≠ library
- What learners think: library
- What it means: bookstore
- What you wanted: bibliothèque (library)
Example:
- Je vais à la librairie. (I’m going to the bookstore.)
- Je travaille à la bibliothèque. (I work at the library.)
Memory hook: librairie looks like “library,” but it sells books. bibliothèque is the public library.
Quick checks (test yourself)
7‑day micro‑plan (2 minutes/day)
- Day 1: Learn the 5 Spanish false friends + one sentence each.
- Day 2: Learn the 5 French false friends + one sentence each.
- Day 3: Say all 10 sentences out loud twice.
- Day 4: Write 5 new sentences from your own life (real context = retention).
- Day 5: Do the quizzes again without looking.
- Day 6: Spot false friends while reading (highlight them).
- Day 7: Teach these 10 to someone else (best review).
️ One more tip (don’t lose the cognate advantage)
It’s easy to overreact to false friends and stop trusting cognates. Don’t. Cognates are still one of the biggest reasons English speakers learn Spanish and French quickly. The best mindset is: trust cognates by default, but “double‑check once” when a word feels too convenient or the sentence meaning doesn’t make sense.
Takeaway
False friends are rare compared to real cognates, but the high‑frequency ones are worth learning early. Once you know them, they stop being traps—and your confidence with Spanish and French grows fast.
Next, build “true cognate” power with:
Quick FAQ
Should I stop trusting cognates because of false friends?
No. Cognates are still a huge advantage. The goal is just to learn the small set of high-frequency false friends so you keep the speed without the mistakes.
What’s the fastest way to learn false friends?
Learn each one with:
- a “safe translation” you’ll actually use, and
- one sentence you can repeat out loud.
Are false friends the same in every country?
Most of the big ones are stable, but usage can vary by region and context. When in doubt, check how native speakers use the word in a real sentence (news headline, dictionary example, or a short video clip).