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Transcript:
Before we jump into today’s topic, I want to talk about something that can really help you understand English vocabulary better — especially if you speak a Romance language like Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, or Romanian.
These languages all come from Latin — you know, the language spoken by the Romans a long time ago. That’s why we call them Romance languages.
Now, English is different. It doesn’t come from Latin — English is a Germanic language, more like German or Dutch.
But… have you ever wondered why so many English words look really similar to words in Spanish or French?
Words like:
Hospital.
Animal.
Important.
Restaurant.
They look familiar, right?
Well, the reason is history.
Back in 1066, England was invaded by the Normans — people from France. After that, French became the language of the court, the government, and education. And at the same time, Latin was still being used in churches and for official documents.
So little by little, English started borrowing thousands of words from both French and Latin.
That’s why, even though English is technically Germanic, about half of all English words today come from Latin and French.
So if you speak a Romance language, it makes sense that a lot of English words seem familiar.
But here’s the tricky part…
Some of these familiar-looking words don’t mean what you think they mean.
These words are called false friends — and that’s exactly what we’re talking about today.
🤔 What Are False Friends?
False friends are words that exist in both English and your language — and they look very similar — but they actually mean different things.
These words can really trick you.
You might feel confident using a word…
But the person listening to you might understand something completely different.
Let’s look at a few classic examples — the kind of mistakes that almost every learner makes at least once. 😄
Example 1: Eventually
In Spanish, Portuguese, or French, you’ve probably seen a word like “eventualmente” or “éventuellement” — and you might think it means the same as the English word “eventually.”
But it doesn’t.
In those languages, it usually means “maybe” or “possibly.”
But in English, “eventually” means “finally” — like, after some time.
For example:
“Eventually, I’ll go to the party.”
That means: “Yes, I will go — just not right away.”
If you want to say “maybe” in English, try:
“I might go,” or
“Possibly, I’ll go.”
Example 2: Assist
This one’s really common too.
In Portuguese, assistir means “to watch” — like watching a movie.
And in Spanish or French, asistir or assister often means “to attend.”
But in English, “assist” means “to help.”
So if you say:
“I assisted a movie,”
it sounds like you were part of the film crew!
Or if you say:
“I assisted the meeting,”
people might think you were helping the speaker — not just sitting there.
What should you say instead?
✅ “I watched a movie.”
✅ “I attended a meeting.”
Example 3: Sympathetic
This one sounds friendly — but again, it’s a trap.
In many Romance languages, words like “simpático” or “sympathique” mean “nice” or “friendly.”
But in English, “sympathetic” means someone who shows empathy or understanding when someone else is going through a hard time.
So if you say:
“My teacher is very sympathetic,”
you’re not just saying she’s kind — you’re saying she’s understanding and emotionally supportive, especially when you’re feeling bad.
If you just mean she’s a nice person, you can say:
✅ “She’s really friendly.”
✅ “She’s very kind.”
Example 4: Constipated
Okay — this one always gets a laugh. 😅
In Spanish and Portuguese, constipado means you have a cold — like a stuffy nose or sore throat.
But in English, “constipated” means you’re having… let’s say… stomach problems.
You’re not sick with a cold — your digestion isn’t working properly.
So if you walk into a pharmacy and say:
“I’m constipated,”
people might give you the wrong medicine — or just look very confused!
What you want to say is:
✅ “I have a cold.”
✅ “I’m a little congested.”
Final Thoughts
False friends are everywhere.
They’re not bad — they’re just a bit tricky.
But the great news is: once you make one of these mistakes, you almost never make it again.
In fact, these little accidents help you learn faster. Why?
Because they’re funny, awkward, or memorable.
And those are the kinds of moments your brain remembers best.
Now, let’s practice with a point of view story.
Point of View-Story 📖
(Learn Grammar)
Now, let’s practice with a Point of View Story.
I will tell you the same story, but in different points of view. This will help you practice grammar in a natural way.
If you want to practice more, get my
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Pedro had just moved to Chicago from Brazil.
He was excited, friendly, and ready to speak English at his new job.
But that first week? It was full of surprises.
On Monday, someone invited him to a birthday dinner.
Pedro smiled and said,
“Eventually, I’ll go.”
Everyone thought he meant yes, later.
But Pedro meant maybe.
So when he didn’t show up, people were confused.
On Tuesday, his boss asked what he did the night before.
Pedro said,
“I assisted a movie.”
His boss looked surprised.
“You helped with a movie?”
Pedro laughed. “No, no — I just watched it!”
That’s when he realized: “Assist” in English means to help, not to watch.
On Wednesday, a coworker told him her dog was sick.
Pedro said,
“I’m very sympathetic.”
She looked like she might cry and thanked him.
Pedro had just meant to be friendly — but the word had a much deeper meaning.
Then came Thursday.
Pedro had a cold. His nose was stuffy. His throat hurt.
He went to the pharmacy and said:
“Hi. I’m constipated.”
The pharmacist handed him some medicine.
Pedro looked at the box… and froze.
“Oh no! I meant… I have a cold!”
That night, he laughed about the whole week with his roommates.
By Friday, Pedro had learned four new words — and some important lessons he would never forget.
Let’s Hear It Again — In the Plural
We had just moved to Chicago from Brazil.
We were excited, friendly, and ready to speak English at our new jobs.
But that first week? Wow — it was full of surprises.
On Monday, someone invited us to a birthday dinner.
We smiled and said,
“Eventually, we’ll go.”
But we meant maybe.
So when we didn’t show up, people were a little confused.
On Tuesday, our boss asked what we did the night before.
We said,
“We assisted a movie.”
They thought we helped with the film!
But we just meant… we watched it.
On Wednesday, a coworker told us her dog was sick.
We said,
“We’re very sympathetic.”
She got emotional and thanked us.
We didn’t expect that! We were just trying to be friendly.
Then came Thursday.
We had a cold. Our noses were stuffy.
We went to the pharmacy and said,
“Hi. We’re constipated.”
Yeah… wrong word.
We got the wrong medicine — and a funny story to tell later.
By Friday, we had learned four very useful lessons — and we never forgot those words again.
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👉 SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/courses
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