Spanish Cognates: An Easy Way to Learn Spanish

These words tend to have the same meaning in English. As you will see, the only difference between some Spanish words and their English counterparts is the letter C, especially for adjectives. You may also notice that several Spanish words contain the letters “NM,” whereas their English counterparts use “MM.”

• Abdominal - Abdominal
  Example: Tengo dolor abdominal. - I have abdominal pain.
• Accidental - Accidental
  Example: Su encuentro fue accidental. - Their meeting was accidental.
• Adicional - Additional
  Example: Aquí hay información adicional. - Here is some additional information.
• Asociar - Associate
  Example: No quiero que me asocien con ese movimiento. - I don’t want to be associated with that movement.
• Celebrar - Celebrate
  Example: Vamos a celebrar tu cumpleaños. -- Let’s celebrate your birthday.
• Crear - Create
  Example: Ellos crearon un monstruo. - They created a monster.
• Decorar - Decorate
  Example: No quiero decorar mi oficina. - I don’t want to decorate my office.
• Eliminar - Eliminate
  Example: Nuestros doctores buscan eliminar la causa de la epidemia. - Our doctors seek to eliminate the cause of the epidemic.
• Evaluar - Evaluate
  Example: El profesor evaluará los ensayos.- The teacher will evaluate the essays.
• Convencional - Conventional
  Example: Me gustan los hornos convencionales. - I like conventional ovens.
• Digital - Digital
  Example: Esa es una imagen digital. - That is a digital image.
• Esencial - Essential
  Example: No cumples con los requerimientos esenciales para la admisión en la universidad. - You don’t meet the essential requirements for admission to college.
• Excepciona - Exceptional
  Example: Esta es una situación excepcional. - This is an exceptional situation.
• Ideal - Ideal
  Example: Él es un candidato ideal para el trabajo. - He is an ideal candidate for the job.
• Inmortal - Immortal
  Example: Desearía ser inmortal. - I wish I were immortal.
• Imparcial - Impartial
  Example: Necesitas un análisis imparcial del caso. - You need an impartial analysis of the case.

Many of these Spanish words are very similar to their English counterparts, except with an extra “E” attached to the end.

• Abundante - Abundant
  Example: Necesitas un suministro de comida abundante. - You need an abundant supply of food.
• Distante - Distant
  Example: Ella ha estado muy distante últimamente. - She has been very distant lately.
• Elegante - Elegant
  Example: Me gusta la ropa elegante. - I like elegant clothes.
• Importante - Important
  Example: Esta es una materia muy importante. - This is a very important subject.
• Instante - Instant
  Example: Las cosas cambian en un instante. - Things change in an instant.

The root words here can also be very similar to English, but do be extra mindful about spelling.

• Abandonar - Abandon
  Example: Ellos abandonaron su casa. - They abandoned their house.
• Adaptar - Adapt
  Example: Ella se adaptó a la vida universitaria. - She adapted herself to college life.
• Adoptar - Adopt
  Example: Acabo de adoptar un gatito. - I’ve just adopted a kitten.
• Comentar - Comment
  Example: Comenté en tu estado de Facebook. - I commented on your Facebook status.
• Considerar - Consider
  Example: Me considero una persona feliz. - I consider myself a happy person.
• Importar - Import
  Example: Importé mis contactos. - I imported my phone contacts.
• Altar - Altar
  Example: Ella lo dejó en el altar. - She left him at the altar.
• Familiar - Familiar
  Example: Eso me parece familiar. - That looks familiar.
• Regular - Regular
  Example: Él es un estudiante regular. - He’s a regular student.

The -ir ending is very uncommon in English, but it does appear in Spanish cognates.

• Insistir - Insist
  Example: Mi mamá insistió en pagar la cuenta. - My mom insisted on paying the bill.
• Existir - Exist
  Example: ¿Los unicornios existieron? - Did unicorns exist?
• Invertir - Invest
  Example: Debes invertir tu tiempo sabiamente. - You should invest your time wisely.

The -ario ending is quite common in the Spanish vocabulary.

• Extraordinario - Extraordinary
  Example: Quisiera tener poderes extraordinarios. - I wish I had extraordinary powers.
• Glosario - Glossary
  Example: Hay un glosario en el libro. - There is a glossary in the book.
• Imaginario - Imaginary
  Example: ¿Alguna vez tuviste un amigo imaginario? - Did you ever have an imaginary friend?
• Necesario - Necessary
  Example: La comida es necesaria para la vida. - Food is necessary for life.
• Salario - Salary
  Example: Tengo un salario muy bajo. - I have a low salary.
• Vocabulario - Vocabulary
  Example: Tú tienes un vocabulario sofisticado. - You have a sophisticated vocabulary.

This construction in Spanish is very similar to that of English.

• Admirable - Admirable
  Example: Ese es un logro admirable. - That is an admirable achievement.
• Adorable - Adorable
  Example: Eres adorable. - You’re adorable.
• Flexible - Flexible
  Example: Necesitas un horario flexible. - You need a flexible schedule.
• Honorable - Honorable
  Example: Enseñar es una profesión honorable. - Teaching is an honorable profesión.
• Horrible - Horrible
  Example: Tuve un día horrible. - I’ve had a horrible day.
• Imposible - Impossible
  Example: Es imposible, ella no puede estar aquí. - That’s impossible, she can’t be here.
• Increíble - Incredible
  Example: Tienes habilidades increíbles. - You have incredible skills.
• Posible - Possible
  Example: Es una tarea difícil, pero posible. - It’s a difficult, but possible task.
• Cuestionable - Questionable
  Example: Tus políticas son cuestionables. - Your policies are questionable.
• Sociable - Sociable
  Example: Ellos son personas sociables. - They are sociable people.
• Inestable - Unstable
  Example: Ese es un matrimonio inestable. - That’s an unstable marriage.
• Visible - Visible
  Example: Las consecuencias son visibles. - The consequences are visible.

These are some the most common Spanish cognates you will come across when learning Spanish. However, there are many more you should keep an eye out for. As discussed earlier, the ending should usually tip you off, but if you aren’t sure about the meaning or the use, look the word up in a Spanish-English dictionary!