What are some common false friends between Italian and Spanish
False friends are words in two languages that look or sound similar but have different meanings. Between Italian and Spanish, two closely related Romance languages, there are several common false friends that can easily lead to misunderstandings. Here are some notable examples:
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Barato: In Spanish, barato means “cheap,” while in Italian, it means “cheated” 1.
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Burro: In Spanish, burro means “donkey,” whereas in Italian, it means “butter” 1.
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Guardar and Guardare: The Spanish verb guardar means “to guard, to save, or to keep,” but the Italian verb guardare means “to look” 1.
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Parar and Parare: In Spanish, parar means “to stop,” while in Italian, parare can mean “to adorn or to parry, shield, ward off” 1.
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Oficina and Officina: The Spanish oficina translates to “office,” whereas the Italian officina means “workshop” 1.
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Pesca: In Spanish, pesca always means “fishing.” In Italian, it can mean “fishing” (with a closed “e”) but more commonly means “peach” 1.
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Pronto: In Spanish, pronto means “soon,” while in Italian, it means “ready” 1.
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Salir and Salire: The Spanish verb salir means “to depart, to leave, or to go out,” whereas the Italian verb salire means “to go up” (ascend) 1.
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Subir and Subire: The Spanish verb subir means “to go up,” while the Italian verb subire means “to endure, to suffer” 1.
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Sembrar and Sembrare: The Spanish verb sembrar means “to sow or plant,” but the Italian verb sembrare means “to appear or seem” 1.
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Tras and Tra: The Spanish preposition tras means “after or behind,” whereas the Italian preposition tra means “between or among” 1.
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Tener and Tenere: In Spanish, tener means “to have” (conveying ownership), while in Italian, tenere can mean “to have or to take” without implying ownership 1.
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Topo: In Spanish, topo means “mole” (the animal), but in Italian, it refers to a “mouse” 1.
These false friends highlight the importance of context and understanding when learning similar languages like Spanish and Italian.