English has a lot of words of Latin origin. And so does Spanish (or any other romantic language for that matter). However, the fact that two words look almost alike does not guarantee that they mean the same! And this leads to some pretty embarrassing and hilarious errors in everyday life. The Spanish call these kind of words- Falsos Amigos- False Friends! Maybe because, these words give you a false sense of comfort and confidence only to pull the carpeta from right under your feet! Hold on! I just used a Falso Amigo! Damn!
Falso Amigo 1: La Receta
La Receta could mean A recipe or a prescription. La Cuenta is the bill. And for a more official sounding bill (for example your electricity or shipment bill) use la factura.
Falso Amigo 2: Papa
Papa could mean a potato or the Pope. Papá is the word for dad. The moral of the story is that an accent makes a world of a difference. Just ask mamá !
Falso Amigo 3: Grabar
The verb grabar means to record. Una grabación is a recording. You could use the word coger to mean to grab. But vamos por un bocadillo or te apetece un bocadillo sounds better!
Falso Amigo 4: Éxito
The word el éxito means the success. La salida means the exit.
Falso Amigo 5: Carpeta
The word alfombra which is of arabic origin, means a carpet in Spanish. Una carpeta normally means a file or a folder in which you keep your papers.
Falso Amigo 6: Embrazada
The word embrazada means to be pregnant in Spanish. You could say Me da verguenza to say that you are ashamed. Also, if you are really pregnant say Yo estoy embrazada and not Yo soy embrazada for that could mean you are the very meaning of being pregnant!
Babel School of Languages 