Falsos Cognados Vocabulary Flashcards (IB Exam Focus)

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering false cognates and commonly confused terms from the notes.

Actual

In Spanish, means current or present ||'actualmente' means currently.

Advertencia

Warning, reminder, or piece of advice; 'advertisement' (un anuncio).

Apología

Defense or eulogy

Aprobar

To approve or consent to; also to pass a test or class.

Arena

Sand; can also refer to an arena or venue such as an amphitheater or plaza de toros.

Argumento

Reasoning or argument (in a courtroom); in the sense of a disagreement, it can be una discusión or pelea.

Asistencia

Attendance (often) or assistance; assistance is usually 'ayuda' or 'auxilio'.

Asistir

To attend; 'assist' is 'ayudar'.

Atender

In Spain: to pay attention to, to heed, or to care for; generally 'to attend to'.

Bachillerato

Equivalent of a US high school diploma or UK A-levels; note: 'bachelor' = soltero; 'bachelor's degree' = licenciatura.

Bizarro

Two meanings: brave/gallant or generous; false cognate with 'bizarre' which means extraño o raro.

Campo

Field or countryside; can also mean farm; 'camp' = campamento.

Carpeta

Folder or file; not to be confused with 'carpet' (alfombra).

Carrera

Many meanings: running or race; a row or line; a route or journey; career; or university studies.

Carta

A postal letter, document, deed, charter, map, or menu.

Cart

Carro, carreta, carretón, or carretilla (translations for 'cart').

Tarjeta

Card (usually una tarjeta) such as a credit card or ID.

Chocar

To crash or shock/startle; can also mean to clink (glasses) or to shake hands.

Constipación

Cold or catarro; constipado means congested; constipation is estreñimiento.

Contestar

To answer or reply; 'contest' as a verb can be impugnar, atacar, disputar, or competir.

Conveniente

Suitable, fitting, proper, useful, or advantageous.

Copa

A glass or goblet; an alcoholic drink; a trophy (la Copa del Mundo). Cup in English is una taza.

Coraje

Courage; can also mean anger.

Cuestión

Matter or issue; 'cuestión' for matter and 'pregunta' for asking a question.

Culto

Religious service or sect; as adjective, cultured or refined; 'cult' = una secta.

Damnificado

Victim; from the verb damnificar (to injure).

Delito

Crime, offense, or misdeed.

Delight

Delight = encantar or deleitar; note it's a false cognate with 'delito'.

Desgracia

Misfortune, mishap, setback, or bad luck; 'disgrace' = deshonra or ignominia.

Despertar

To wake up (literal or figurative); requires a direct object; reflexive form (despertarse) for waking up.

Desesperado

Desperate.

Destituido

Devoid of or lacking; destitute = indigente, desamparado, needy.

Disco

Disk or disc; can also mean disk, discus, traffic-light, or (audio) record; as a venue, 'discoteca'.

Disgusto

Annoyance or displeasure; not as strong as disgust.

Educado

Well-mannered or polite (from educar); 'educated' comes from educar but is typically 'formado' or 'instruido'.

En efectivo

In cash.

Efectivos

Military forces or police officers; 'effective' is 'eficaz' or 'efectivo'.

Elevador

Elevator (Mexico); also 'grain elevator'; standard elevator in Spanish is 'ascensor'.

Embarazada

Pregnant; can be a noun (una embarazada) meaning a pregnant woman; 'embarrassed' = avergonzado.

Emocionante

Exciting, thrilling, or moving.

Eventual

Fortuitous, possible, or temporary; not the same as final/definitivo.

Excitar

To excite sexually; or to excite about something (entusiasmar/provocar).

Éxito

Success; 'exit' = una salida.

Fábrica

Factory, plant, or mill.

Facultad

Mental faculty, power, or ability; university department; 'profesorado' = faculty.

Falta

Lack or absence; shortage; fault (defect) = defecto.

Firma

Signature; 'firma' can also mean a firm/company; adjective 'firme' = firm.

Fútbol

Soccer (in American English); 'fútbol americano' = American football.

Grabar

To engrave, record, or impress; 'grabar' vs 'grab' meaning 'to seize' (asir/coger/arrebatar) in some contexts.

Grosería

Rudeness, crudeness, or vulgarity.

Introducir

Semi-false cognate; means to introduce only when introducing a topic; to introduce a person = presentar.

Jubilación

Retirement; the act of retiring and a pension.

Labor

Work; can mean trabajo or la mano de obra (the workers).

Largo

Long, generous, or abundant.

Lectura

Act of reading or reading material.

Letra

Letter of the alphabet; not used to refer to a general letter of correspondence.

Biblioteca

Library.

Lujuria

Lust, lewdness, or excess.

Mama

Breast; 'mamá' = mom.

Marca

Mark, brand, or label; in sports, a record or best time; 'un marco' = frame.

Mayor

As an adjective: main/major/larger/older; as a noun: chief/boss/adult/ancestor; 'alcalde' = mayor.

Minorista

Retail/retail seller (Caribbean/South American usage).

Molestar

To annoy or bother; 'molest' = to sexually harass.

Noticia

News item; noticias = news/information.

Oficio

Trade or function; religious service/mass; official letter; 'office' = oficina.

Once

Eleven; 'una vez' = one time.

Pan

Bread; in cooking, 'pan' can mean a pan/pot (cazuela/olla/sartén) depending on region.

Papa

Potato (in many dialects); Pope; 'papá' = dad.

Pariente

Relative.

Preservativo

Condom.

Pretender

To claim or pretend; 'pretender' = to claim; 'pretend' in English = fingir o simular.

Procurar

To try or manage to do something; to procure is uncommon; obtain/conseguir are common translations.

Realizar

To realize in the sense of making real/fulfilling; also to realize as in darse cuenta de/comprender/reconocer.

Receta

Recipe or prescription.

Recolección

Collection, harvest, or summary.

Recordar

To remember, recall, or remind.

Relativo

Relative as an adjective; as a noun, pariente or familiar (linguistics: relativo).

Revolver

To move around, turn over, revolve, or disturb; as a noun, 'revólver' (gun) with accent.

Ropa

Clothing; note that 'rope' is 'cuerda' or 'soga'.

Sano

Healthy, fit, or intact; 'sane' means cuerdo/sensato.

Sensible

Sensitive or regrettable; 'sensible' in Spanish often means reasonable.

Sopa

Soup; informally, 'hangover'; 'soap' in English is jabón.

Soportar

To bear, carry, support, or withstand; synonyms include apoyar, sostener, mantener.

Suceso

Event, incident, happening, or outcome.

Tratar

To treat or handle; to deal with; to address.

Últimamente

Lately or recently.

Último

Final or last; 'ultimate' can mean best, essential, or the latest depending on context.

Vaso

Glass or tumbler; note that in English 'vase' means florero/jarrón.