10 Spanish words you already know: True cognates, true friends – Episode 82

10 Spanish words you already know: True cognates, true friends

Podcast episode 82 – SEE ALL EPISODES

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Today you’re going to master 10 words that look very similar in English and Spanish, and have the same meaning.

See also: Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses.

Today’s question comes from Sandra, one of my students. Sandra asked me recently: “Could we have some more true friends? I find it really motivating to learn Spanish words fast”.

As we’ve seen in previous lessons, true friends are words that look very similar in English and Spanish, and have the same meaning.

True friends are great. They’re the easiest words to learn and remember. But they aren’t always easy to say. Words that look similar in English and Spanish often sound very different in both languages. So you need to make sure you’re saying them correctly.

To help you expand your vocabulary fast, here are 10 true friends. Repeat after me:

avenida :: avenue
banco :: bank
cheque :: check
diccionario :: dictionary
gasolina :: gasoline, petrol
mosquito :: mosquito
música :: music
probable :: probable
profesor :: professor
sardina :: sardine

Let’s say those 10 words again. Make sure you stress them on the right vowel. Repeat after me.

These 10 words are easy to recognise when you read them. But they’re not so easy to understand when you first hear them. Let’s see the main pronunciation differences:

Notice how the stress often falls on a different vowel in English and Spanish: avenida, diccionario, gasolina, probable, profesor.

Also, notice how I say the five Spanish vowels: a, e, i, o, u. Avenida, mosquito, música, sardina.

Let’s do a listening drill. Can you tell me what these 10 words mean?

cheque :: check
probable :: probable
música :: music
diccionario :: dictionary
gasolina :: gasoline, petrol
mosquito :: mosquito
banco :: bank
profesor :: professor
avenida :: avenue
sardina :: sardine

Now, let’s do a speaking drill. Can you tell me these 10 words in Spanish?

check :: cheque
gasoline, petrol :: gasolina
mosquito :: mosquito
probable :: probable
avenue :: avenida
dictionary :: diccionario
professor :: profesor
music :: música
bank :: banco
sardine :: sardina

To recap, let’s say those 10 words again. Repeat after me:

avenida
banco
cheque
diccionario
gasolina
mosquito
música
probable
profesor
sardina

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