1001 Spanish Words You

Already Know

A Guide To English-Spanish Cognates

1001 Spanish Words You
Already Know – A Guide To
English-Spanish Cognates
One of the best things about learning Spanish from English is that there are
hundreds of words that you already know.

As an English speaker you have a huge advantage in learning Spanish compared

to say a person trying to learn Spanish with a native language from a country such
as Japan or China. You have the advantage of the same alphabet and a mile long
list of cognates. What this means is you effectively start learning Spanish with a
vocabulary of almost 1000 words without even trying.

When you find words that are the same in both languages they are referred to
English-Spanish cognates.

The proper definition of cognate is reserved for words that exists in two different
languages and have the same root or origin. Since Spanish and English both have
Latin roots there are heaps of words that are the same or very close in both
languages.

In this article I’m going to provide a list of perfect cognates and near perfect
cognates for Spanish and English.

There are way more English-Spanish cognates than what I have provided in this
article but the cognates that I have focused on are the more useful due to their
frequency and practicality in both languages.

I suggest you read through the full list once over and then when you have a good
feel for the patterns that start to emerge with the cognates, start to put them in a
few Spanish sentences to get a feel for how they sound.

Obviously they aren’t pronounced the same as in English but once you have the
rules down for Spanish pronunciation you are free to communicate away.

Cognates Definition
In this article, I have defined perfect cognates as words that are spelt exactly the
same in Spanish and English except for maybe an accent over one letter and they
mean the same thing in both languages.

I have defined near perfect cognates as words that have up to 3 letters different.
But you will be able to see that there are certain patterns that form with near
perfect cognates that allow you to potentially predict when a near cognate is likely
to exist if, of course, you don’t have this list handy.

There is also a heap of false cognates or false friends, which will be a topic for
another post but note here that they are words that are spelt the same or similar

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but mean completely different things. For example one of the most famous
Spanish-English false friends is ‘embarazada’ which doesn’t mean ‘embarrassed’ it
means ‘pregnant’.

Perfect Cognates
Here is the list of perfect English-Spanish cognates:

SPANISH ENGLISH
Actor Actor

Admirable Admirable

Agenda Agenda

Alcohol Alcohol

Altar Altar

Animal Animal

Area Area

Artificial Artificial

Auto Auto

Balance Balance

Bar Bar

Base Base

Bridge Bridge

Brutal Brutal

Cable Cable

Café Cafe

Canal Canal

Cáncer Cancer

Canon Canon

Capital Capital

Carbon Carbon

Cartón Carton

Central Central

Cerebral Cerebral

Cheque Cheque

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 Chocolate Chocolate

Circular Circular

Civil Civil

Club Club

Collar Collar

Colonial Colonial

Coma Coma

Combustión Combustion

Conclusión Conclusion

Conductor Conductor

Confusión Confusion

Considerable Considerable

Control Control

Cordial Cordial

Criminal Criminal

Crisis Crisis

Cultural Cultural

Debate Debate

Decisión Decision

Diagonal Diagonal

Dimensión Dimension

Director Director

Disco Disco

División Division

Doctor Doctor

Drama Drama

Editorial Editorial

Electoral Electoral

Elemental Elemental

Enigma Enigma

Error Error

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 Exclusive Exclusive

Excursión Excursion

Experimental Experimental

Explosión Explosion

Expulsión Expulsion

Extensión Extension

Exterior Exterior

Factor Factor

Familiar Familiar

Fatal Fatal

Federal Federal

Festival Festival

Final Final

Flexible Flexible

Formal Formal

Formula Formula

Frontal Frontal

Fundamental Fundamental

Gala Gala

Gas Gas

Gene Gene

General General

Génesis Genesis

Global Global

Grave Grave

Habitual Habitual

Hobby Hobby

Horizontal Horizontal

Horror Horror

Hospital Hospital

Hotel Hotel

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 Idea Idea

Ideal Ideal

Imperial Imperial

Implacable Implacable

Incursión Incursion

Individual Individual

Industrial Industrial

Inevitable Inevitable

Inferior Inferior

Informal Informal

Informative Informative

Inseparable Inseparable

Inspector Inspector

Interminable Interminable

Invasión Invasion

Invisible Invisible

Irregular Irregular

Judicial Judicial

Kilo Kilo

Lateral Lateral

Legal Legal

Liberal Liberal

Literal Literal

Local Local

Macho Macho

Maestro Maestro

Mango Mango

Manía Mania

Manual Manual

Marginal Marginal

Mate Mate

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 Material Material

Matrimonial Matrimonial

Medieval Medieval

Mediocre Mediocre

Melon Melon

Mental Mental

Menú Menu

Metal Metal

Miserable Miserable

Moral Moral

Mortal Mortal

Motel Motel

Motor Motor

Múltiple Multiple

Municipal Municipal

Musical Musical

Natural Natural

Noble Noble

Normal Normal

Nostalgia Nostalgia

Ópera Ópera

Oral Oral

Oriental Oriental

Original Original

Panorama Panorama

Particular Particular

Pasta Pasta

Pastor Pastor

Patio Patio

Patrón Patron

Peculiar Peculiar

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 Penal Penal

Perfume Perfume

Personal Personal

Peseta Peseta

Piano Piano

Plural Plural

Popular Popular

Pretension Pretension

Principal Principal

Probable Probable

Propaganda Propaganda

Protector Protector

Provincial Provincial

Radical Radical

Radio Radio

Región Region

Regional Regional

Regular Regular

Religion Religion

Reunión Reunion

Revision Revision

Ritual Ritual

Rural Rural

Secular Secular

Sentimental Sentimental

Serial Serial

Sexual Sexual

Similar Similar

Simple Simple

Singular Singular

Social Social

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 Solar Solar

Solo Solo

Subversión Subversion

Superficial Superficial

Superior Superior

Taxi Taxi

Televisión Television

Terrible Terrible

Terror Terror

Total Total

Transcendental Transcendental

Triple Triple

Tropical Tropical

Unión Unión

Universal Universal

Usual Usual

Verbal Verbal

Versión Version

Vertical Vertical

Violín Violin

Visible Visible

Visual Visual

Vital Vital

Vulgar Vulgar

Vulnerable Vulnerable

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Near Perfect Cognates
Here the near perfect cognates are divided into separate lists based on their
behaviour:

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule that nouns ending ‘tion’ in
English can be converted to Spanish by replacing the ending with ‘ción’.

SPANISH ENGLISH
Abstracción Abstraction

Acción Action

Acusación Accusation

Adaptación Adaptation

Admiración Admiration

Aplicación Application

Apreciación Appreciation

Asociación Association

Aspiración Aspiration

Atención Attention

Atracción Attraction

Autorización Authorization

Celebración Celebration

Circulación Circulation

Civilización Civilization

Clasificación Classification

Colaboración Collaboration

Colección Collection

Combinación Combination

Compensación Compensation

Composición Composition

Concentración Concentration

Concepción Conception

Condición Condition

Conservación Conservation

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 Consideración Consideration

Constitución Constitution

Construcción Construction

Exposición Exposition

Ficción Fiction

Formación Formation

Nación Nation

Simplificación Simplification

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English nouns ending ‘ary’
can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘ario’.

SPANISH ENGLISH
Adversario Adversary

Aniversario Anniversary

Arbitrario Arbitrary

Comentario Commentary

Complementario Complementary

Contrario Contrary

Diario Diary

Glossario Glossary

Estuario Estuary

Primario Primary

Rosario Rosary

Salario Salary

Secretario Secretary

Solitario Solitary

Vocabulario Vocabulary

Temporario Temporary

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The following near perfect cognates follow this rule: you can convert English
adjectives ending in ‘ic’ to Spanish by substituting an ‘ico’.

SPANISH ENGLISH
Académico Academic

Alcohólico Alcoholic

Artístico Artistic

Auténtico Authentic

Automático Automatic

Básico Basic

Característico Characteristic

Clásico Classic

Cómico Comic

Democrático Democratic

Dinámico Dynamic

Diplomático Diplomatic

Doméstico Domestic

Dramático Dramatic

Económico Economic

Electrónico Electronic

Erótico Erotic

Exótico Exotic

Fantástico Fantastic

Genérico Generic

Genético Genetic

Geométrico Geometric

Heroico Heroic

Irónico Ironic

Mágico Magic

Médico Medic

Mosaico Mosaic

Orgánico Organic

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 Pánico Panic

Plástico Plastic

Poético Poetic

Público Public

Romántico Romantic

Sistemático Systematic

Trágico Tragic

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English adjectives ending
‘ous’ can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘oso’.

SPANISH ENGLISH
Curioso Curious

Delicioso Delicious

Glorioso Glorious

Misterioso Mysterious

Numeroso Numerous

Precioso Precious

Religioso Religious

Tedioso Tedious

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The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for nouns ending ‘ct’ in English
can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘cto’.

SPANISH ENGLISH
Abstracto Abstract

Acto Act

Artefacto Artefact

Compacto Compact

Conflicto Conflict

Contacto Contact

Correcto Correct

Exacto Exact

Excepto Except

Insecto Insect

Perfecto Perfect

Producto Product

There you have it, not all, but a good summary of the most useful English-Spanish
cognates.

If you enjoyed this post then make sure you check out the Spanish Conversation
Hacking Guide, in there you will find the 1000 most useful Spanish words based on
how frequently they are used in the Spanish language.

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