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Lesson Transcript

Hi everybody! Rosa here. Welcome to Ask a Teacher, where I'll answer some of your most common Spanish questions.
The question for this lesson is, What Are “False Friends”?
There are lots of words that look similar in English and Spanish, but they don't always mean the same thing. "False friends" is a great name for them, because they can be deceptive!
Here are some of the most common false friends. Beware of these so you can avoid misunderstandings when speaking Spanish with others.
Asistir doesn't mean "to help." That's ayudar. Asistir means "to attend." For example, "To attend a concert" would be asistir a un concierto.
Likewise, un asistente is "an attendee" and asistencia means "attendance."
In a more shocking example, molestar isn't as bad as it sounds. It simply means "to bother." And you won't find un éxito in a building. Un éxito means "a success."
For your studies, lectura is another one that's easy to misinterpret. Lectura means "reading." A lecture is una conferencia or una clase.
Another example is una carpeta, which isn't a carpet, it’s "a folder." And una librería is actually a bookstore—so don't expect to borrow anything for free! The word for “library” is actually biblioteca.
And watch how you use actual, because actual means "current." Actualmente means "currently."
Be careful with embarazada, too. "Embarrassed" is avergonzado for men and avergonzada for women. Don't use embarazado if you're a man because it means "pregnant."
If you see sopa on a restaurant menu, don't be alarmed—it means "soup." If you hear someone say delito, though, which may be mistaken for “delight,” you should be concerned, because it actually means "crime."
Last but not least, constipado can be confusing. As an adjective, it means "constipated," but as a noun, el constipado refers to the common cold.
Pretty interesting, right?
I hope that answers the question! If you have any more questions, leave them in the comments and I'll try to answer them!
¡Hasta la próxima!

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