100 False Friends — English vs Spanish Words That Trick You

Spanish vocabulary for music: la canción, el cantante, la banda, el concierto, la guitarra, el piano, la batería. Covers genres and instruments plus everything around a live show, from tickets and the queue to the encore.

Spanish vocabulary for getting around by road: el coche, el conductor, el motor, el neumático, el volante, el freno, plus road signs and traffic rules and the phrases used at a petrol station or a car rental desk.

Spanish vocabulary for everyday technology: el teléfono inteligente, el portátil, la tableta, el cargador, la batería, la pantalla, el teclado. Plus apps and accounts and the words for describing a fault or changing a setting.

Spanish academic vocabulary for studying at a Spanish-speaking university: universidad, profesor, clase, semestre, título, beca. Covers following a lecture, structuring an essay, and handling enrolment, deadlines and coursework.

Spanish vocabulary for looking after an animal: la mascota, el cachorro, el hámster, el loro, la tortuga, la raza. Plus feeding, grooming and daily care, and the words for describing a symptom to a vet and understanding the treatment.

Spanish vocabulary for celebrations: la boda, el cumpleaños, la fiesta, la celebración, el día festivo, el regalo, la invitación. Plus everyone involved in a wedding and the toasts and congratulations that are expected.

Spanish vocabulary for life online: publicación, muro, me gusta, compartir, comentario, seguidor and the verbs for posting, following and unfollowing. Plus the abbreviations and slang that fill comment threads and private chats.

Spanish vocabulary for crime and public safety: el delito, la policía, el agente, el sospechoso, la víctima, el testigo. Covers news coverage, the legal terms behind it and the language needed to report an incident at a station.

Spanish vocabulary for building and renovating: la renovación, la reparación, remodelar, el contratista, el albañil, el arquitecto. Covers tools and materials, and how to explain a job or buy the right thing in a hardware shop.

Spanish vocabulary for environmental topics: el cambio climático, el calentamiento global, el medio ambiente, la contaminación, la sostenibilidad. Covers recycling and waste, renewable energy and the terms used in news reports.

Spanish vocabulary for renting abroad: alquiler, inquilino, propietario, contrato de arrendamiento, depósito, estudio. Covers reading a listing, understanding a lease and the questions worth asking before anything is signed.

Spanish phrases for the phone, where there is no body language to fall back on: ¿puedo hablar con…?, ¿quién llama por favor?, llamo por mi pedido. Covers transfers, leaving a message and working through a customer service call.