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Spanish False Cognates Trivia Quiz

Sometimes words in English and Spanish sound similar and have identical meanings, like problema/problem and importante/important. They're called Cognates. On the other hand, sometimes you can be fooled by the cruel and deceptive False Cognate.

A multiple-choice quiz by OwlBullet. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
OwlBullet

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
327,132

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
1363

Last 3 plays: ken kramer (10/10), Guest 98 (10/10), batowers (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. A guy could really turn red in the face if he said he was EMBARAZADA. Meaning to say he was embarrassed, instead what did he just tell you about himself? Hint

He wears dresses

He's a mermaid

He's drunk

He is pregnant

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. You won't have much "success" if you are trying to leave through an �XITO. Which of the following might bring you better results? Hint

la Salida

el Fondo

el Piso

la Bufanda

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. If you ordered TUNA at a restaurant in Spain, you just asked for a group of University musicians to come serenade you. What did you mean to order? Hint

At�n

Al Toon

Altoona

Tunafisha

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. CARPETA isn't something you would use to decorate the floor, you're thinking of an ALFOMBRA (carpet). What does CARPETA translate to in English? Hint

Caterpillar

File Folder

Bird's Nest

Sweater

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. ROPA doesn't translate to rope in English. What does it really mean? Hint

Flag

Candle

Clothes

Pillow

6. In Spain, "arena" isn't a place where you would sit to watch a sporting event with thousands of other spectators. Instead, where would you most likely be if you were surrounded by "la arena"? Hint

The beach

The mountains

The forest

The clouds

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. An assistant is a helper or one who assists another. The verb ASISTIR does not mean to assist in Spanish but instead to do what? Hint

To attend

To sing

To cut

To brush

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. I set my VCR to RECORDAR my favorite TV program while I was out. Oops, RECORDAR isn't the verb I should use in this sentence! What verb would have fit more appropriately? Hint

Cantar

Nadar

Grabar

Tirar

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Close but no cigar! I thought LARGO meant LARGE. As it turns out it doesn't. What does LARGO really translate to in English? Hint

Long

Heavy

Short

Light

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Unless you made some sort of "social blunder", you wouldn't put a PIE in your mouth. Why? Hint

because too much PIE is fattening

because PIE means FOOT

because we don't mention PIE in polite social settings

because PIE means HAND

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A guy could really turn red in the face if he said he was EMBARAZADA. Meaning to say he was embarrassed, instead what did he just tell you about himself?

Answer: He is pregnant

He wouldn't be the first English speaker to make this mistake, but chances are he wouldn't do it again. He would fare better if he said TENGO VERGŨENZA and spare himself ... well, the embarrassment.

2. You won't have much "success" if you are trying to leave through an �XITO. Which of the following might bring you better results?

Answer: la Salida

�xito means success, not a door from which you leave. Salida is the correct translation for the English word exit. Piso means floor, Fondo means background or bottom, and Bufanda is a scarf.

3. If you ordered TUNA at a restaurant in Spain, you just asked for a group of University musicians to come serenade you. What did you mean to order?

Answer: At�n

Tunas are musical troupes usually made up of students who play traditional music to crowds for tips - hey, school books are expensive in any country! Altoona is a town in Pennsylvania and Al Toon was a wide receiver for the New York Jets from '85 to '92. Tunafisha is just a word I made up but I can see someone using it to order some At�n!

4. CARPETA isn't something you would use to decorate the floor, you're thinking of an ALFOMBRA (carpet). What does CARPETA translate to in English?

Answer: File Folder

Whether it's an electronic file or the old fashioned manila folder, CARPETA is one of those false cognates that mean something entirely different from what you would think.

5. ROPA doesn't translate to rope in English. What does it really mean?

Answer: Clothes

I guess you could make a rope out of your clothes if you tied them all together but it would be easier if you used UNA CUERDA (rope) instead.

6. In Spain, "arena" isn't a place where you would sit to watch a sporting event with thousands of other spectators. Instead, where would you most likely be if you were surrounded by "la arena"?

Answer: The beach

"Arena" means "sand" in Spanish and the beach has plenty of it around. "Anfiteatro" would be a more accurate translation for a sports arena.

7. An assistant is a helper or one who assists another. The verb ASISTIR does not mean to assist in Spanish but instead to do what?

Answer: To attend

Asistir in Spanish means to attend (most commonly as in to attend a class) not to assist or help someone. Ayudar is the closest translation of assist.

8. I set my VCR to RECORDAR my favorite TV program while I was out. Oops, RECORDAR isn't the verb I should use in this sentence! What verb would have fit more appropriately?

Answer: Grabar

Recordar best translates to remember, not to record as you might think. Grabar would probably be the verb you would use in this case if you wanted to "record" something. You could also use the verbs inscibir and registrar. Nadar means to swim, tirar means to shoot, and cantar means to sing.

9. Close but no cigar! I thought LARGO meant LARGE. As it turns out it doesn't. What does LARGO really translate to in English?

Answer: Long

This is one of those false cognates that you kick yourself for using in the wrong way because the real definition of large is one that is familiar to many non Spanish speaking people. GRANDE means large in Spanish. As large and long/grande and largo all define size and length respectively, you could say that they're cousins but don't mean exactly the same thing.

10. Unless you made some sort of "social blunder", you wouldn't put a PIE in your mouth. Why?

Answer: because PIE means FOOT

PASTEL is a better translation for PIE in Spanish. PIE means FOOT. Incidentally, the idiom to "put your foot in your mouth", meaning you said something that embarrassed yourself, is best translated as "meter la pata". You could use "meter la pata" to say someone made any number of mistakes - not just the embarrassing ones like using a false cognate in the wrong circumstance!

Source: Author OwlBullet

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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