I was standing in the bread aisle at Masymas, sniffing loaves like a cat at a fishmonger’s. A friendly-looking young woman was stacking shelves with fresh baguettes, so I decided to check if they contained any pesky “preservatives.”
“Perdona,” I said with my best Spanish accent. “¿Este pan tiene… preservatives?”
The poor girl’s cheeks went bright red. She gawked at me, mouth slightly open, then snapped it shut without saying a word. I realized something was off when she hastily slid a loaf of bread onto the shelf and scurried away. A moment later, I heard muffled giggles echoing from the next aisle.
Soon, a young man approached, brow furrowed but attempting a polite smile. In halting English, he explained, “This bread… no conservantes, okay?”
“Oh!” I nodded, grateful for the clarification. But the question still nagged at me: What on earth did I just say?
Preservativos Are NOT Preservatives in Spanish!
It turns out that “preservativos” in Spanish doesn’t mean “preservatives” at all. It means… condoms! So, in my earnest quest for preservative-free bread, I’d effectively asked the bewildered shelf-stocker if the loaves came with condoms.
That evening, as I recounted my supermarket escapade to Paul, he just about choked on his dinner. Actually, he snorted water right out of his nose, which sprayed halfway across the kitchen table.
Between laughter and coughing, he managed, “You know, Libs, maybe next time you just speak English?”
I considered it. But then, life wouldn’t be half as entertaining if I didn’t stumble my way through these delightful linguistic pitfalls. Every misstep is a new story, a new lesson… and a new reason for Paul to snort water out of his nose.
14 “False Friends” in Spanish
Still, I’ve decided to collect more of these sneaky Spanish words that trip us English speakers up.
Welcome to the world of false friends—words that sound like English but mean something entirely different. Here’s a short list for you:
- Caliente – We’ve covered this before. Yes, it can mean “hot,” but also “horny” in the wrong context. Use tengo calor if you’re feeling warm!
- Preservativos – Means “condoms,” not “preservatives.” The correct Spanish for “preservatives” is conservantes.
- Embarazada – Means “pregnant,” not “embarrassed.” If you’re embarrassed, say avergonzado/a.
- Molestar – Means “to bother” or “annoy,” not anything to do with sexual assault.
- Éxito – Means “success,” not “exit.” For an exit, say salida.
- Nudo – Means “knot,” not “nude.” “Nude” is desnudo/a.
- Delito – Means “crime,” not “delight.” If you’re delighted, try encantado/a or encantado de la vida.
- Recordar – Means “to remember,” not “to record.” Recording is grabar.
- Asistir – Means “to attend,” not “to assist.” To help someone, say ayudar.
- Librería – Means “bookshop,” not “library.” A library is biblioteca.
- Carpeta – Means “folder,” not “carpet.” The floor covering is alfombra.
- Largo – Means “long,” not “large.” Large is grande.
- Preocupado – Means “worried,” not “preoccupied.” Distraído/a or absorto/a can mean “preoccupied.”
- Sida – Means “AIDS,” not “cider.” Cider is sidra.
I’ll be sharing more of these falsos amigos (false friends) in future posts.
One thing’s for certain: beware the giggling Spaniards when you utter one of these out of context!