False friends

embarazadaPeruvian

pregnant

Not embarrassed. Saying estoy embarazada in front of your partner's family starts a conversation you did not want. For embarrassed: tengo vergüenza, me da vergüenza.

excitado

aroused

For excited: emocionado, entusiasmado. Estoy muy excitado por el viaje says something rather different from what you meant.

preservativo

condom

Food preservatives are conservantes. Sin preservativos on a label means something else entirely.

molestar

to bother

Not to molest. ¿Te molesto? simply means am I interrupting, and is used constantly.

actualmente

currently, nowadays

For actually: en realidad, de hecho.

realizar

to carry out, to perform

For to realize: darse cuenta de.

Verbos reflexivos

asistir

to attend

For to assist: ayudar. Asistí a la reunión means I attended, not that I helped.

soportar

to put up with

For to support someone: apoyar. No lo soporto means I cannot stand him.

sensible

sensitive

For sensible: sensato, razonable. Es muy sensible describes someone emotional.

éxito

success

For exit: salida. The word on the door is SALIDA.

introducir

to insert

For to introduce someone: presentar. Te introduzco a mi hermana sounds odd and slightly violent.

constipado

blocked up with a cold

In Spain it means having a cold. For constipated: estreñido. Saying estoy constipado in a pharmacy gets you the wrong medicine.

España

estar constipado, tener catarro

Perú

estar resfriado

discutir

to argue

For to discuss calmly: hablar de, conversar sobre. Discutimos el tema sounds like they had a row.

Read it in “Se me fue el bus”

pretender

to intend, to aim to

For to pretend: fingir, hacerse el.

despedir

to fire someone / to see someone off

Despedirse is to say goodbye; despedir a alguien is to fire them. One letter apart.

Verbos reflexivos

recordar

to remember, to remind

For to record: grabar.

largo

long

For large: grande. Un texto largo has many pages, not big letters.