Learning a language will always be a fascinating experience. The road is full of efforts, but above all of challenges, laughter, and fun and exciting moments. Even when it comes to languages ​​as close to each other as French and Spanish, the Students never cease to be amazed by the number of facts and curiosities that are discovered every day when learning a new language.  

In a previous article, Emma Lanceau, a French student at the school Nueva Lengua, told us about his personal experience studying in Colombia and explained some of the main differences and similarities between french and spanish. On this occasion, we want to tell you about another curiosity that unites these two languages, and that it is very important for you to know and take into account during your Spanish learning process: it is about “false friends”. 

In case you didn't know the term, “false friends” is the name given to those words that are pronounced or written in a similar way in two languages, but that, although they are similar, mean very different things. They are then called false friends because when you are learning a nueva lengua it is very easy to make the mistake of believing that these terms are related or related. But, as its name indicates, this closeness is only apparent and does not correspond to the reality of the meanings of each word. 

Due to their proximity, false friends often lead to humorous mix-ups during conversations, but sometimes also to very embarrassing situations that are best avoided. Therefore, so that you do not fall into these mistakes while learning Spanish, here we bring you some examples of the most frequent false friends between French and Spanish, so that you get to know them, become familiar with them, and can practice your communication with them. more ease and confidence.  

"name" and "name" 

• name (French) = number (Spanish) 
• name (Spanish) = prénom (French) 

"see" and "see" 

• see (French) = worm (Spanish) 
• see (Spanish) = voir (French) 

"sun" and "sun" 

• Salt (French) = soil (Spanish) 
• Salt (Spanish) = soleil (French) 

"two and two" 

• the two (French) = back (Spanish) 
• the two (Spanish) = deux (French)

"quitter" and "remove" 

• to leave (French) = leave (Spanish) 
• remove (Spanish) = reliever (French) 

"go out" and "go out" 

• salir (French) = dirty (Spanish) 
• salir (Spanish) = sortir (French) 

"equipage" and "luggage" 

• équipage (French) = crew (Spanish) 
• luggage (Spanish) = bagages (French) 

"large" and "long" 

• large (French) = width (Spanish) 
• long (Spanish) = long (French) 

"up" and "up" 

• upload (French) = suffer (Spanish) 
• upload (Spanish) = monter (French) 

«bâtir» and «beat» 

• bâtir (French) = to build (Spanish) 
• beat (Spanish) = arrêter (French) 

As you can see, some of these false friends are very funny, but they can definitely be very confusing in the middle of your conversations with Spanish speakers.

The best so that Spanish does not make you "suffer" (which is not monter but upload) is to practice it, and the best way to practice it is traveling. Therefore, so that you do not give out your phone number when they ask your name, you must identify the false friends of Spanish and French, and put them into practice through real communication scenarios and direct social experiences.

The school Nueva Lengua has four locations around Colombia, where you can learn and practice your Spanish through tourism and cultural immersion, with professional teachers and colleagues from all over the world. Master “fake friends” while having fun and making real friends.

Check the plans what we have for you, or write to info@nuevalengua.com for more information on how learn spanish in colombia.