False Friends: They are words that look similar in two languages but which mean

something completely different. Here are some favorites:

Embarazada, a word which has caused more than one misunderstanding, does not
mean "embarrassed". It means "pregnant".

Constipación is no more serious than a "common cold", nothing to do with "constipation"

which means “estreñimiento”.

Decepción has nothing to do with deceiving somebody, but is, instead, a

"disappointment".

Compromiso is not a "comprimise", but a "committment" or "obligation".

Remover is not "to remove", but "to stir".

Suplir, a verb, means "to substitute", not to "supply".

Quieto, in Spanish, is not "quiet" but "still, unmoving" (the opposite of "inquieto", "restless").

Profundo usually means "deep", rather than "profound".

Fastidioso is "bothersome", not "fastidious" which means strict or demanding

Soportar is not "to support", but to "suffer" or "tolerate" something.

Molestar is to "annoy" or "bother", not to "molest" which means sexual abuse

Suceso is not a "success", but an "incident"

Exito is a "success", not an "exit" (which is "salida")

Actualmente is "currently", not "actually", and "actualidad" is "news".

Lectura is the act of "reading", not a "lecture".

Recordar is not to "record", but to "remember".

Simpático is "friendly" or "charming", but not necessarily "sympathetic" which means

“compasivo”

Sensible means "sensitive" rather than "sensible".

Oscuro is "dark", not "obscure".

Pariente is not just a "parent", but any relative.

Informal, when used to describe a person, means he is "unreliable", not that he is casually
dressed.

Excitado isn't "excited" in the usual sense of the word, but rather aroused, as in "sexually
aroused".

Disgustado does not mean you're "disgusted", but that you're "angry".

Discusión is an "argument" (usually a loud one), not a "discussion".

Rendición means "surrender", not "rendition" which doesn´t exist

Desgracia is not a "disgrace", but a "misfortune" - nothing disgraceful when someone says
"qué desgracia!", meaning "what a disaster!".