Understanding English False Friends: A Guide to Avoiding Common Mistakes

Learn about common English false friends (like ‘constipated,’ ‘assist,’ and ‘molest’), understanding.

Why English False Friends Matters

This guide helps you practise English false friends and homophones with the episode’s real vocabulary, pronunciation points and examples. This episode is an interactive English learning radio broadcast focused on expanding students’ vocabulary, listening comprehension, and cultural knowledge through conversational games, movie analysis, and dictation exercises.

English False Friends: Fast Recap

This episode is an interactive English learning radio broadcast focused on expanding students’ vocabulary, listening comprehension, and cultural knowledge through conversational games, movie analysis, and dictation exercises.

Mastering the nuanced differences in English vocabulary—specifically distinguishing between false friends and homophones—is essential to avoid embarrassing misunderstandings.

Furthermore, engaging with native media (like interviews and classic films) is highly effective for internalizing complex idiomatic expressions.

What to Practise

• First, the false friend ‘constipated’ means being unable to go to the bathroom, not having a cold or ‘resfriado’.
• Next, the verb ‘assist’ means to help, whereas ‘attend’ is used when going to a class or an event.
• Also, in English, ‘molest’ refers to sexual harassment; to express the Spanish ‘molestar’, one should use ‘bother’, ‘bug’, or ‘leave me alone’.
• However, the word ’embarrassed’ means feeling ashamed. Meanwhile, ‘pregnant’ is the correct translation for ’embarazada’.
• Therefore, a ‘page turner’ is an idiom used to describe an excellent book that you cannot stop reading.

English False Friends: Episode Roadmap

At, the lesson shares a childhood anecdote about confusing the Spanish word ‘constipado’ (having a cold) with the English word ‘constipated’

Provides a highly memorable, real-world example of how false friends can lead to awkward and embarrassing miscommunications.

At, the lesson corrects a student who said ‘I can’t assist the class’ instead of ‘attend the class’

Teaches learners that false friends also dictate different grammatical structures, emphasizing that ‘attend’ does not take a preposition like ‘assist’ or ‘asistir’ might.

At, the lesson conducts a slow dictation of OPEC member countries (e.g. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates)

Offers a fundamental listening and spelling exercise that targets common learner struggles with the English alphabet (specifically vowels like A, E, and I) and geographical names.

At, the breakdown of the English words ‘friar’ (a monk) and ‘fryer’ (a cooking appliance)

Clearly demonstrates the concept of homophones, proving to learners that words with completely different spellings and definitions can sound identical and require context to understand.

Key Ideas to Remember

• First, the false friend ‘constipated’ means being unable to go to the bathroom, not having a cold or ‘resfriado’.
• Next, the verb ‘assist’ means to help, whereas ‘attend’ is used when going to a class or an event.
• Also, in English, ‘molest’ refers to sexual harassment; to express the Spanish ‘molestar’, one should use ‘bother’, ‘bug’, or ‘leave me alone’.
• However, the word ’embarrassed’ means feeling ashamed. Meanwhile, ‘pregnant’ is the correct translation for ’embarazada’.
• Therefore, a ‘page turner’ is an idiom used to describe an excellent book that you cannot stop reading.
• Finally, the idiom ‘water off a duck’s back’ describes a situation, criticism, or rumor that does not bother or affect a person at all.
• Making a big deal out of a completely trivial situation is called a ‘storm in a teacup’.
• The words ‘friar’ (a monk) and ‘fryer’ (an appliance for deep-frying) are homophones and sound exactly the same.
• The word ‘jade’ refers to a precious gemstone. Meanwhile, the adjective ‘jaded’ means feeling tired, saturated, or emotionally dulled.
• The terms ‘Roman’ (someone from Rome) and ‘roaming’ (wandering around) sound identical in certain English accents, making them great for puns.

English False Friends: Vocabulary

English	Español	Note / Uso
Don’t judge a book by its cover	No juzgues por apariencias	Appears in the lesson as ‘No jodges por apariencias’.
snippets	recortes, trocitos	Used to describe small pieces of audio shared on social media.
in full swing	en pleno auge	Transcribed phonetically as ‘in Pleno Auche’.
Tangled	Enredado	Referencing the Disney movie title.
How are you keeping up?	¿Cómo estáis sobreviviendo?	Explained as a way to ask how someone is surviving or managing.
in my neck of the woods	en mi zona	Used as a totally native expression for one’s local area.
drive	ganas, energía, pasión	Used to commend the students’ motivation.
hands down	sin lugar a duda	Used to describe something as undeniable.
constipated	estreñido	False friend. the lesson contrasts it with having a cold (‘resfriado’/’constipado’).
disgust	asco, me repugnas	False friend. Not ‘disgusto’. Verb form means ‘me das asco’.
A page turner	No puedes dejar de leerlo	Used to describe a highly engaging book that you cannot stop reading.
Get the show on the road	Listo para arrancar	An expression meaning to get started with an event, activity, or journey.
To run out of	Quedarse sin	A phrasal verb used when you have depleted your supply of something, such as running out of breath or running out of money.
All the rage	Está de moda	An expression used to describe an item or trend that is currently extremely popular or trendy.

Practice Ideas

Concept	Explanation	Why it matters
False Friends.	These are words that look or sound similar in English and Spanish but possess entirely different meanings.	Being aware of them prevents embarrassing miscommunications, such as saying you are ’embarrassed’ (ashamed) when you actually mean ‘pregnant’.
Constipated vs. Resfriado.	In English, being ‘constipated’ means being unable to go to the bathroom, whereas having a cold is expressed as having a ‘cold’ or a ‘runny nose’.	Using this false friend incorrectly can lead to highly awkward and confusing social situations.
Assist vs. Attend.	The verb ‘assist’ means to provide help to someone, whereas ‘attend’ is the correct verb to use when going to a class or an event.	Spanish speakers frequently confuse these due to the Spanish word ‘asistir’; using them correctly ensures contextual and grammatical accuracy.
Molest vs. Bother.	In English, the word ‘molest’ refers specifically to sexual harassment. Meanwhile, the Spanish concept of ‘molestar’ is translated as to ‘bother’ or to ‘bug’.	Confusing these terms can cause severe and alarming misunderstandings in everyday conversation.
Homophones (e.g. Friar and Fryer).	Homophones are words that share the exact same pronunciation but have completely different meanings and spellings, such as a ‘friar’ (a religious monk) and a ‘fryer’ (a cooking appliance).	Understanding homophones is essential for listening comprehension, as context is the only way to tell. This word is being spoken.
Water off a duck’s back.	This is an idiomatic expression meaning that a situation, rumor, or criticism does not bother or emotionally affect a person at all.	Learning this idiom helps students understand casual native English and express emotional detachment, as heard in an interview with Amy Winehouse.
A storm in a teacup.	This idiom describes a situation where people get incredibly angry or make a huge deal out of something that is completely trivial.	It provides a native, natural way to describe overreactions, famously used in classic film dialogue like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.
Jaded vs. Jade.	The word ‘jade’ refers to a precious green gemstone. Meanwhile, the identically spelled related adjective ‘jaded’ means feeling tired, saturated, or emotionally dulled.	It demonstrates to learners how identical root words can carry vastly different meanings and usages depending on the context.

Examples From the Episode

Source / Moment	Why it helps	Review cue
YouTube transcript	This episode mentions his English learning books, specifically noting that ‘The Remilk’ was reissued as ‘The Milk 2’.	Use this as context while reviewing the video.

Common Learner Traps

Watch out for	Why it matters	Better move
disgust	False friend. Not ‘disgusto’. Verb form means ‘me das asco’.	Say it in a short sentence, then check whether the meaning changes if you translate it literally.
Constipated vs. Resfriado.	In English, being ‘constipated’ means being unable to go to the bathroom, whereas having a cold is expressed as having a ‘cold’ or a ‘runny nose’.	Using this false friend incorrectly can lead to highly awkward and confusing social situations.
Assist vs. Attend.	The verb ‘assist’ means to provide help to someone, whereas ‘attend’ is the correct verb to use when going to a class or an event.	Spanish speakers frequently confuse these due to the Spanish word ‘asistir’; using them correctly ensures contextual and grammatical accuracy.
Molest vs. Bother.	In English, the word ‘molest’ refers specifically to sexual harassment. Meanwhile, the Spanish concept of ‘molestar’ is translated as to ‘bother’ or to ‘bug’.	Confusing these terms can cause severe and alarming misunderstandings in everyday conversation.
Homophones (e.g. Friar and Fryer).	Homophones are words that share the exact same pronunciation but have completely different meanings and spellings, such as a ‘friar’ (a religious monk) and a ‘fryer’ (a cooking appliance).	Understanding homophones is essential for listening comprehension, as context is the only way to tell. This word is being spoken.
Jaded vs. Jade.	The word ‘jade’ refers to a precious green gemstone. Meanwhile, the identically spelled related adjective ‘jaded’ means feeling tired, saturated, or emotionally dulled.	It demonstrates to learners how identical root words can carry vastly different meanings and usages depending on the context.

Try It Yourself

Use these prompts after reading the article. They are designed for active recall: say the answer aloud first, then check the tables above.

1. Explain this in your own words: The false friend ‘constipated’ means being unable to go to the bathroom, not having a cold or ‘resfriado’.
2. Explain this in your own words: The verb ‘assist’ means to help, whereas ‘attend’ is used when going to a class or an event.
3. Explain this in your own words: In English, ‘molest’ refers to sexual harassment; to express the Spanish ‘molestar’, one should use ‘bother’, ‘bug’, or ‘leave me alone’.
4. Make one original sentence with “snippets” without starting from “recortes, trocitos” in Spanish.
5. Make one original sentence with “a page turner” without starting from “no puedes dejar de leerlo” in Spanish.
6. Make one original sentence with “how are you keeping up?” without starting from “¿Cómo estáis sobreviviendo?” in Spanish.

English False Friends: Glossary

Term	Meaning / Spanish
snippets	recortes, trocitos
a page turner	no puedes dejar de leerlo
how are you keeping up?	¿Cómo estáis sobreviviendo?
in my neck of the woods	en mi zona
hands down	sin lugar a duda
constipated	estreñido
disgust	asco, me repugnas
carpet	moqueta
molest	acosar sexualmente
assist	ayudar
pretend	fingir, fingid
deception	un engaño

Questions Learners Ask

What is the Disney Vaughn Collection and where can it be purchased?

The Disney Vaughn Collection is a series of bilingual English and Spanish educational books based on popular Disney films like Toy Story 4 and Frozen. They are available for purchase on Saturdays at newsstands alongside El Mundo or Marca newspapers.

What are some common English-Spanish false friends mentioned in the episode?

This episode discusses several English-Spanish false friends, including 'constipated' (which means unable to go to the bathroom, not having a cold), 'carpet' (a rug, not a folder), and 'assist' (to help, rather than to attend).

What is the difference between the English homophones 'friar' and 'fryer'?

While 'friar' and 'fryer' are homophones that sound exactly the same, they have very different meanings. A 'friar' is a type of monk or religious figure, whereas a 'fryer' is an appliance used to deep-fry food.

Where was the 1962 classic movie Lawrence of Arabia filmed in Spain?

After starting production in Jordan, the production of Lawrence of Arabia was moved to Spain. Key Spanish filming locations included Sevilla, the Tabernas desert in Almería for western desert scenes, and the Sierra Nevada mountains for snowy scenes.

What does the English idiom 'water off a duck's back' mean?

The expression 'water off a duck's back' means that criticisms or negative remarks do not bother or affect you at all. It was highlighted in an audio clip featuring the late British singer Amy Winehouse.

Which OPEC member countries were featured in the episode's spelling bee?

The spelling bee segment focused on oil-producing countries that are part of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). The featured nations included Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates.

English False Friends: Quick Quiz

Review Cards