What is a cognate?

When you are learning another language there are sometimes clues that help you create a context which will help you understand what is going on even if you do not understand every word you hear or read. Follow these clues to decide if a word is a cognate.

Clue One: if the word looks similar to an English word it might be a cognate.

Clue Two: if the word sounds similar to an English word even though there is a variation of pronunciation, it might be a cognate.

Clue Three: if the word matches Clue One or Two use your dictionary to verify that it means the same thing.

Make sure that you are in the target language (Spanish) side of the dictionary. If every word you see is a cognate that is probably a clue that you are in the English side of your dictionary.

Ejemplo: embarazada = pregnant. Beware of false cognates! These are words that look and sound the same but mean something different. Ejemplo: embarazada = pregnant. Don’t use a word because you assume that you know what something means. You could be saying something that you clearly do not want to say. Use your dictionary to verify your work.

What do the following words mean?

familia

family

fruta

fruit

lámpara

lamp

helicóptero

helicopter

teléfono

telephone

examen

exam