12. COMPROMISO is
Commitment
Tony made a commitment to increase efficiency by 50%.
13. Efectuar concesiones
is
Traicionar
To Compromise
They compromised their position when they accepted the
invitation to Roatan from our supplier.
34. Condescendiente
is
To say yes
They said yes to all our demands because they understood the
potential of our strategic alliance.
35. Tratar a los demas
como inferiores is
Condescending
The new manager was very condescending in his way of
speaking to the employees- nobody wanted to work with him!
58. Actual is
Current
or Real
The current budget figures do not match the proposed numbers
from last month.
59. Delito: There's seldom much delightful about acrime.
(Delito usually refers to a minor crime, as contrasted with a serious
crime or crimen.) The feeling of delight can be a deleite, while the
object that causes it an encanto or delicia (note that the latter
word often has a sexual connotation).
Desgracia: In Spanish, this is little more than a
mistake or misfortune. Something shameful isuna
vergüenza or una deshonra.
Despertar: This verb is usually used in the reflexive form, meaning
to wake up (me despierto a las siete, I wake up at seven). if you're
desperate, there's a true cognate you can use:desesperado.
Disgusto: Derived from the prefix dis- (meaning "not") and the
root word gusto(meaning "pleasure"), this word refers simply
to displeasure or misfortune. If you need to use a much stronger
term akin to "disgust," use asco or repugnancia.
60. Destituido: Someone who has been removed from
office is destituido. Someone without money
is indigente or desamparado.
Embarazada: It might be embarrassing to
be pregnant, but it isn't necessarily. Someone who feels
embarrassed tiene vergüenza or se siente avergonzado.
Emocionante: Used to decribe something
that's thrilling or emotionally moving. To say
"emotional," the cognate emocional will often do fine.
En absoluto: This phrase means the opposite of what you
think it might, meaning not at all or absolutely not. To
say "absolutely," use the true cognate totalmente or
61. Exito: It's a hit or a success. If you're looking for the way out, look for una salida.
Fábrica: That's a place where they fabricate items, namely a factory. Words for
"cloth" include tejido and tela.
Fútbol: Unless in a context that indicates otherwise, this means soccer. If you
want to refer the the popular U.S. spectator sport, use fútbol americano.
Fútil: This refers to something trivial or insignificant. If your efforts are futile,
useineficaz, vano or inútil.
Insulación: This isn't even a word in Spanish (although you may hear it in
Spanglish). If you want to say "insulation," use aislamiento.
Ganga: It's a bargain. Although ganga may be heard in Spanglish as a word for
"gang," the usual word is pandilla.
Inconsecuente: This adjective refers to something that is contradictory.
Something inconsequential is (among other possibilities) de poca importancia.
Introducir: This isn't truly a false cognate, for it can be translated as, among
other things, to introduce in the sense of to bring in, to begin, to put, or to
place. For example, se introdujo la ley en 1998, the law was introduced (put in
effect) in 1998. But it's not the verb to use to introduce someone. Use presentar.
62. Largo: When referring to size, it means long. If it's big, it's
also grande.
Minorista: Means retail (adjective) or retailer. A
"minority" is una minoría
Molestar: The verb doesn't have sexual connotations in
Spanish, and it didn't originally in English either. It means
simply to bother or to annoy. For the sexual meaning of
"to molest" in English, use abusar sexualmente or some
phrase that says more precisely what you mean.
Once: If you can count past ten, you know that once is the
word for eleven. If something happens once, it
happens una vez.
Pretender: The Spanish verb doesn't have anything to do
with faking it, only to try. To pretend, use fingir or simular.
63. Rapista: This is an uncommon word for a barber (peluquero or even the
cognate barberois more common), being derived from the verb rapar, to
cut close or to shave. Someone who attacks sexually is a violador.
Realizar, realizacón: The verb can be used flexibly to indicate
something becoming realor becoming completed: Se realizó el
rascacielos, the skyscraper was built. To realize as a mental event can be
translated using darse cuenta ("to realize"), comprender ("to understand")
or saber ("to know"), among other possibilities, depending on the
context.
Recordar: Means to remember or to remind. The verb to use when
recording something depends on what you're recording. Possibilities
include anotar or tomar notafor writing something down, or grabar for
making an audio or video recording.
Ropa: Clothing, not rope. Rope is cuerda or soga.
Revolver: As its form suggests, this is a verb, in this case meaning to turn
over, to revolve, or otherwise to cause disorder. The Spanish word for
"revolver" is close, however: revólver.
64. Sano: Someone who is sane is en su juicio or "in his right mind."
Sensible: Usually means sensitive or capable of feeling. A sensible
person or idea can be referred to as sensato or razonable.
Sensiblemente: Usually means "perceptibly" or "appreciably,"
sometimes "painfully." A good synonym for "sensibly" is sesudamente.
Sopa: Soup, not soap. Soap is jabón.
Suceso: Merely an event or happening, sometimes a crime. A success
is un éxito.
Tuna: Order this at a desert restaurant and you'll get edible cactus.
A tuna is also acollege musical glee club. The fish is atún.
A final note: Especially in the United States, Spanish doesn't exist in a
vacuum. In the United States, you may hear some speakers, especially
those who frequently speak Spanglish, use some of these false cognates
when speaking Spanish. A few of these usages may be creeping into the
language elsewhere, although they would still be considered
substandard.
