Sunday, November 20, 2011

False Friend: Fábrica vs. Fabric


Hello! Today we have another quick False Friend. If you don't know what a False Friend is, see this introductory post. Today we're going to look at the difference between fábrica in Spanish and fabric in English. These two words also look very similar: 

False Friend: fábrica vs. fabric 
This SPANISH word...
Looks like this ENGLISH word...
...but they are DIFFERENT because...
fábrica
fabric
In English, fabric is a noun; synonyms include cloth or textile:
"I need to go to the fabric store to buy some material to make a pair of pants."

In Spanish, fábrica is a noun that means factory or mill:
"Trabajo en la fábrica de zapatos."
("I work in the shoe factory.")

One more note: the verb "fabricar" in Spanish is very similar to "fabricate" in English, but the meaning is often different.
"fabricar" is normally translated as "produce" in English, because "fabricate" often means to invent a false story or to tell a lie!

A roll of fabric. Photo credit.
Good luck! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below, but do understand I may be slow in responding. If you have suggestions for other False Friends or Common Errors, please tell me. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Monday, November 7, 2011

False Friend: Éxito vs. Exit


Hello again! Today we have another False Friend. If you're not sure what a False Friend is, check out this introductory post. Today we'll look at the difference between éxito in Spanish and exit in English. They're not as frequently confused as some False Friends, but they definitely look very similar: 

False Friend: éxito vs. exit 
This SPANISH word...
Looks like this ENGLISH word...
...but they are DIFFERENT because...
éxito
exit
In English, exit can be a verb or a noun:
-(Verb): "Sir, you're being disruptive-- please exit the theater."
-(Noun): "Many buses have two doors; one is the entrance and the other is the exit."

In Spanish, éxito is a noun that often means success, like when a person does things correctly and becomes successful:
"Mi presentación no fue muy exitosa porque estaba muy nervioso."
("My presentation wasn't very successful because I was very nervous.")

I wish you a lot of success when using these words! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. If you have suggestions for other False Friends or Common Errors, please tell me. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!