12 Spanish–Portuguese false friends (and how to avoid them)
If you speak Spanish, Portuguese feels familiar, and that's exactly the trap. These twelve words look the same but mean something else.
In each pair, the Portuguese word comes first, then the Spanish word it looks like.
esquisito ≠ exquisito
PT esquisito = strange · ES exquisito = delicious (PT: delicioso)
polvo ≠ polvo
PT polvo = octopus · ES polvo = dust (PT: pó)
borracha ≠ borracha
PT borracha = rubber, eraser · ES borracha = drunk (PT: bêbeda)
embaraçada ≠ embarazada
PT embaraçada = embarrassed · ES embarazada = pregnant (PT: grávida)
escritório ≠ escritorio
PT escritório = office · ES escritorio = desk (PT: secretária)
oficina ≠ oficina
PT oficina = workshop, garage · ES oficina = office (PT: escritório)
propina ≠ propina
PT propina = tuition fee · ES propina = tip (PT: gorjeta)
largo ≠ largo
PT largo = wide · ES largo = long (PT: comprido)
acordar ≠ acordar
PT acordar = to wake up · ES acordar = to agree (PT: concordar)
contestar ≠ contestar
PT contestar = to dispute · ES contestar = to answer (PT: responder)
cena ≠ cena
PT cena = scene, (informal) thing · ES cena = dinner (PT: jantar)
rato ≠ rato
PT rato = mouse · ES rato = a while (PT: um bocado)
Try thisWhen a Portuguese word looks exactly like Spanish, stop for a second: it's often a false friend. Keep a short list and review it.
Quick check
A friend in Lisbon says “Estou tão embaraçada!”. What happened?
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