Falsos amigos en España: consulta médica y vida diaria

Mini-quiz de falsos amigos frecuentes en España: elige la traducción correcta en contexto.

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Dannis

2 min reading time

Language At a doctor's, pharmacy Vocabulary Idioms

Keywords:

embarazada ≠ avergonzado/a constipado ≠ estreñido éxito ≠ salida sensible ≠ sensato/a

Estás en Urgencias y ves un cartel verde con un icono de salida. ¿Cuál es la interpretación correcta?

Correct: 0/8

Hints for this Quiz

Think about navigation inside a building: where it says "SALIDA", people go out.

"Salida" in a Spanish hospital means "exit". The word "éxito" means "success" and has nothing to do with doors. See the hospital navigation vocabulary (Salida = Exit) and the note about the false friend "éxito".

In a pharmacy, for a runny nose you ask for algo para el constipado.

In Spain, "constipado" means "to have a cold" (runny nose / cold), not "constipated". For constipation they use "estreñido". See the explanation of colloquial medical Spanish: constipado = resfriado.

Think of a visit to the ginecólogo: what do they usually talk about?

"Embarazada" means "pregnant". "Embarrassed" in Spanish is "avergonzado/a". This is a classic false friend, especially important around level A2.

Remember: sensible (es) ≈ sensitive (en); sensato (es) ≈ sensible (en).

In Spanish, "sensible" means "sensitive", "emotionally vulnerable". English "sensible" corresponds to Spanish "sensato" = "reasonable, with common sense". It's important not to confuse them.

It’s about qualities needed to tomar decisiones con cabeza (to make decisions using your head).

"Sensato/a" means "sensible, prudent, reasonable". The word "sensible" in Spanish means "sensitive", not "sensible" in the English sense (false friend).

Think about succeeding, not about doors.

"Éxito" means "success". "Exit" (a way out) is "salida". Don’t confuse these words: they’re a classic pair of false friends.

It’s not a cold; it’s a digestive problem.

"Estreñido" means "constipated". Don’t confuse it with "constipado", which in Spain means "to have a cold" (runny nose). This is a typical trap for English-speaking students.

Think about feeling ashamed, not about pregnancy.

Here you need "avergonzado/a" ("I was ashamed / I felt embarrassed"). "Embarazada" means "pregnant", not "embarrassed" – a classic mistake because they sound similar.