Spanish Cognates - Expand Your Vocabulary
February 20, 2025
Do you want to boost your Spanish vocabulary effortlessly? If so, you’re in luck! English and Spanish share many similar words, which means you can learn new vocabulary without starting from scratch. In this article, we’ll explore how to spot these similarities and use them to your advantage. I’ve put together some patterns, examples, and tips to help you make the most of Spanish-English cognates. Let’s dive in!
Are English and Spanish Similar?
Did you know that around 30-40% of English words have a Spanish equivalent that looks or sounds similar? That means if you’re listening to someone speak Spanish, you might already understand more than you think! Spanish is considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn, and cognates play a big role in that.
What Are Cognates?
Cognates are words in different languages that have the same linguistic origin. Some are easy to recognize because they look and mean the same thing. Others are a bit trickier, and then there are “false cognates”—words that seem similar but actually have different meanings.
When people talk about cognates in language learning, they usually mean words that are similar in spelling and meaning, making them easier to remember. This might not be the technical definition, but the key takeaway is that cognates can be a huge help in expanding your vocabulary quickly.
How Cognates Can Help You Learn Spanish
Think of cognates as the overlap between English and Spanish. The bigger this overlap, the easier it is to learn the new language. For example, Czech and Polish have a lot in common, so speakers of one language find it easier to learn the other. But for English speakers, learning Czech or Polish is much harder since they don’t share many cognates.
Since English and Spanish have a considerable overlap—about one-third of their vocabulary—it gives English speakers a real advantage when learning Spanish. Research suggests that recognizing these overlapping words can speed up language acquisition. And the more languages you learn, the more overlaps you’ll discover!
So, when you start learning Spanish, take a moment to check out the words you probably already know. You might be surprised by how much you can understand right away!
English-Spanish Cognates
Now, let’s get specific. Some words are identical in both languages, such as:
Animal
Chocolate
Error
But beyond these exact matches, there are hundreds of words you can predict using simple patterns. If you’ve been learning Spanish for a while, you might already guess some words without memorizing them. Here are some useful patterns and their examples:
-tion → -ción
Celebration → celebración
Application → aplicación
Motivation → motivación
-ious → -ioso
Curious → curioso
Precious → precioso
Religious → religioso
-ic → -ico
Basic → básico
Organic → orgánico
Plastic → plástico
-ct → -cto
Exact → exacto
Insect → insecto
Perfect → perfecto
-ist → -ista
Tourist → turista
Artist → artista
Dentist → dentista
Add -ar or -ir
Adapt → adaptar
Import → importar
Exist → existir
-ble → -ble
Incredible → increíble
Impossible → imposible
Adorable → adorable
-ly → -mente
Absolutely → absolutamente
Completely → completamente
Perfectly → perfectamente
-nt → -nte
Urgent → urgente
Different → diferente
Elegant → elegante
-y → -ia
Academy → academia
Battery → batería
Energy → energía
-e → -ar/-ir (infinitive verbs)
Define → definir
Cause → causar
Practice → practicar
-ive → -ivo
Active → activo
Positive → positivo
Effective → efectivo
-ty → -dad
Activity → actividad
Humanity → humanidad
Possibility → posibilidad
-ment → -mento
Argument → argumento
Moment → momento
Experiment → experimento
These are just some of the most useful patterns, but there are plenty more! Over time, as you continue studying Spanish, you’ll start applying these patterns naturally without having to think about them.
Read Also: Spanish Filler Words for Beginners - A Way to Sound More Native
Watch Out for False Cognates
Now, here’s where things get tricky—false cognates! These words look similar but actually have different meanings. Here are some common ones:
Embarazada = pregnant (not embarrassed!)
Pie = foot (not a baked dessert)
Éxito = success (not exit)
Arma = weapon (not arm)
Asistir = attend (not assist)
Realizar = to do or achieve (not to realize)
Pariente = relative (not parent)
Compromiso = commitment (not compromise)
Suceso = event or incident (not success)
Librería = bookstore (not library)
Constipado = to have a cold (not constipated!)
Funny, right? These can be misleading, but don’t worry—with practice, you’ll learn to spot the differences!
Final Words
Using cognates is a great way to build your vocabulary, especially if you’ve been studying Spanish for a while. I don’t recommend memorizing long lists of them, though. Instead, focus on listening and reading in Spanish—soon enough, you’ll start recognizing cognates naturally! The more exposure you have, the more words you’ll remember without much effort. So keep practicing, and enjoy the learning process!
Happy Learning!
Hana Koubova
Language enthusiast
