Learn Spanish Vocabulary Quickly
Jumpstart Language Study with Spanish/English Cognates
Oct 14, 2008
A cognate is a word that can be found in two different languages with similar, though not always exact, spelling and the same meaning. These words have the same root or origin. There are many Spanish/English cognates. Becoming aware of these cognates can help Spanish language students increase vocabulary quickly.
A note of caution: even though a Spanish word may look similar to its English counterpart, it might not sound the same. Be sure to review the sounds of the Spanish vowels (a = ah, e = a, i = ee, o = o, u = oo,). Remember that the “h” is silent, and the “j” sounds like the English “h.”
The following Spanish/English cognates are grouped into categories to put them into useful contexts.
People and Animal Cognates
el bebé – baby ……. la familia – family ……. el estudiante – student ……. el doctor – doctor ……. el paciente – the patient ……. el policía – police ……. el turista – tourist
el elefante – elephant ……. el tigre – tiger ……. el léon – lion ……. el gorila – gorilla ……. la jirafa – giraffe ……. el hipopótamo – hippopotamus …….. el camello – camel …….. el pingüino – penguin ……. el delfín – dolphin ……. el tucán – tucan ……. el hámster – hamster ……. el dinosaurio - dinosaur
Clothing, Musical Instruments, and Other Useful Items Cognates
las sandalias – sandals ……. el pijama – pajama ……. el suéter – sweater ……. los pantalones – pants ……. la chaqueta – jacket
la guitarra – guitar ……. el piano – piano ……. el violin – violin ……. la tuba – tuba …….. la trompeta – trumpet ……. la flauta – flute ……. los instrumentos – the instruments
el teléfono – telephone ……. la computadora – computer ……. la televisión – television ……. la radio – radio ……. el calendario – calendar ……. el diccionario – dictionary ……. el mapa – map …….. el papel – paper ……. la lista – list ……. la copia – copy ……. las instrucciones – instructions ……. el creyón – crayon ……. el microscopio – microscope ……. el compás – compass ……. las plantas – plants ……. la gasolina – gasoline ……. el satélite – satellite ……. un minuto – a minute ……. un segundo – a second
Food Cognates
la ensalada – salad ……. el tomate – tomato ……. el melón – melon ……. el limón – lemon ……. la pera – pear ……. la fruta – fruit ……. el yogur - yogurt ……. el cereal – cereal ……. la tostada - toast ……. el té - tea ……. la hamburguesa – hamburger ……. la sal – salt ……. la barbacoa - barbeque
Places To Go and Transportation Cognates
el restaurante – restaurant ……. el banco – bank ……. el parque – park ……. el hospital – hospital ……. el capital – capital ……. la montaña - mountain
el autobús – bus …….. el taxi – taxi ……. el tren – train ……. la canoa – canoe ……. el submarino – submarine ……. la motocicleta – motorcycle ……. la bicicleta – bicycle ……. el triciclo – tricycle ……. el jet – jet ……. el helicóptero – helicopter ……. el tractor – tractor
Descriptive cognates
importante – important ……. correcto – correct ……. fantastico - fantastic ....... horrîble – horrible ……. ambicioso – ambitious ……. temperatura – temperature ……. marvilloso – marvelous ……. tarde – tardy ……. terrible – terrible ……. temporal – temporary ……. tradicional – traditional ……. balancia - balance ....... el accidente – accident ……. el talento – talent
False Spanish/English Cognates
Beware of look-alike words that aren’t really cognates. These Spanish words may look like English words, but they mean something else entirely.
embarazada - not embarrassed, but pregnant
la pizarra - not a pizza restaurant, but a blackboard
el horno - not a musical instrument, but an oven
la suerte - not a sweater, but luck
Identifying cognates can help the Spanish language student build usable vocabulary quickly. The above cognate inventory is by no means a complete list; but it provides a starting place to increase functional vocabulary. The list can be added to as new cognates are discovered.
Buena suerte! (Good luck!)
Check out useful French/English and Italian/English cognates, too.
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