ENGLISH X SPANISH
COGNATES

Freebies

You may already have figured out that you already know quite a few words in Spanish, easily over 3,000 to be exact. Here is your first technical term, "cognate". A cognate is a word that comes from the same original word or root, in this case, words that are the same or similar in Spanish and English.


We call cognates "freebees" because you already know these words!


How similar are these languages? Take a look at this list of simple vocabulary words; it will instantly enhance your Spanish vocabulary.


  1. Desafío #1 (challenge):

Write a paragraph in Spanish using as many cognates as you can.


  1. Desafío #2 (challenge):

What other cognates can you come up with that aren't on this list?


  1. Desafío #3 (challenge):

Learning Bad words is one of the perks of learning a new language, we have hidden 5 Swear words on the site, can you find them for me?

Perfect cognates

English

Actor

Admirable

Agenda

Alcohol

Altar

Animal

Area

Artificial

Auto

Balance

Bar

Base

Bridge

Brutal

Cable

Cafe

Canal

Cancer

Canon

Capital

Carbon

Carton

Central

Cerebral

Cheque

Chocolate

Circular

Civil

Club

Collar

Colonial

Coma

Combustion

Conclusion

Conductor

Confusion

Considerable

Control

Cordial

Criminal

Crisis

Cultural

Debate

Decision

Diagonal

Dimension

Director

Disco

Division

Doctor

Drama

Editorial

Electoral

Elemental

Enigma

Error

Exclusive

Excursion

Experimental

Explosion

Expulsion

Extension

Exterior

Factor

Familiar

Fatal

Federal

Festival

Final

Flexible

Formal

Formula

Frontal

Fundamental

Gala

Gas

Gene

General

Genesis

Global

Grave

Habitual

Hobby

Horizontal

Horror

Hospital

Hotel

Idea

Ideal

Imperial

Implacable

Incursion

Individual

Industrial

Inevitable

Informal

Informative

Inseparable

Inspector

Interminable

Invasion

Invisible

Irregular

Judicial

Kilo

Lateral

Legal

Liberal

Literal

Local

Spanish

Actor

Admirable

Agenda

Alcohol

Altar

Animal

Area

Artificial

Auto

Balance

Bar

Base

Bridge

Brutal

Cable

Café

Canal

Cáncer

Canon

Capital

Carbon

Cartón

Central

Cerebral

Cheque

Chocolate

Circular

Civil

Club

Collar

Colonial

Coma

Combustión

Conclusión

Conductor

Confusión

Considerable

Control

Cordial

Criminal

Crisis

Cultural

Debate

Decisión

Diagonal

Dimensión

Director

Disco

División

Doctor

Drama

Editorial

Electoral

Elemental

Enigma

Error

Exclusive

Excursión

Experimental

Explosión

Expulsión

Extensión

Exterior

Factor

Familiar

Fatal

Federal

Festival

Final

Flexible

Formal

Formula

Frontal

Fundamental

Gala

Gas

Gene

General

Génesis

Global

Grave

Habitual

Hobby

Horizontal

Horror

Hospital

Hotel

Idea

Ideal

Imperial

Implacable

Incursión

Individual

Industrial

Inevitable

Informal

Informative

Inseparable

Inspector

Interminable

Invasión

Invisible

Irregular

Judicial

Kilo

Lateral

Legal

Liberal

Literal

Local

English

Macho

Maestro

Mania

Manual

Marginal

Material

Matrimonial

Medieval

Mediocre

Melon

Mental

Menu

Metal

Miserable

Moral

Mortal

Motel

Motor

Multiple

Municipal

Musical

Natural

Noble

Normal

Nostalgia

Oral

Oriental

Original

Panorama

Particular

Pastor

Patio

Patron

Peculiar

Penal

Perfume

Personal

Peseta

Piano

Plural

Popular

Pretension

Principal

Probable

Protector

Provincial

Radical

Radio

Region

Regional

Regular

Religion

Reunion

Revision

Ritual

Rural

Secular

Sentimental

Serial

Sexual

Similar

Simple

Singular

Social

Solar

Solo

Subversion

Superficial

Superior

Television

Terrible

Terror

Total

Transcendental

Triple

Tropical

Unión

Universal

Usual

Verbal

Version

Vertical

Visible

Visual

Vital

Vulgar

Vulnerable

Spanish

Macho

Maestro

Manía

Manual

Marginal

Material

Matrimonial

Medieval

Mediocre

Melon

Mental

Menú

Metal

Miserable

Moral

Mortal

Motel

Motor

Múltiple

Municipal

Musical

Natural

Noble

Normal

Nostalgia

Oral

Oriental

Original

Panorama

Particular

Pastor

Patio

Patron

Peculiar

Penal

Perfume

Personal

Peseta

Piano

Plural

Popular

Pretension

Principal

Probable

Protector

Provincial

Radical

Radio

Region

Regional

Regular

Religion

Reunion

Revision

Ritual

Rural

Secular

Sentimental

Serial

Sexual

Similar

Simple

Singular

Social

Solar

Solo

Subversión

Superficial

Superior

Televisión

Terrible

Terror

Total

Transcendental

Triple

Tropical

Unión

Universal

Usual

Verbal

Versión

Vertical

Visible

Visual

Vital

Vulgar

Vulnerable

Word ending patterns

Rule #1: When a word ends in –al in English it is usually the same in Spanish

English

Animal

Casual

Digital

Hospital

Medical

Portal

Spanish

Animal

Casual

Digital

Hospital

Medical

Portal

Rule #2: When a word ends in –ance in English it will usually change to –ancia in Spanish...

English

Ambulance

Circumstance

Distance

France

Tolerance

Spanish

Ambulancia

Circunstancia

Distancia

Francia

Tolerancia

Rule #3: When a word ends in –ant in English it will usually change to -ante in Spanish

English

Abundant

Distant

Elegant

Important

Mutant

Spanish

Abundante

Distante

Elegante

Importante

Mutante

Rule #4: When a word ends in –ar in English it will usually stay the same in Spanish

English

Familiar

Lunar

Muscular

Regular

Solar

Spanish

Familiar

Lunar

Muscular

Regular

Solar

Rule #5: When a word ends in –ary in English it will usually change to –ario in Spanish

English

Adversary

Anniversary

Arbitrary

Canary

Commentary

Complementary

Contrary

Diary

Glossary

Estuary

Ordinary

Primary

Rosary

Salary

Secretary

Solitary

Vocabulary

Temporary

Spanish

Adversario

Aniversario

Arbitrario

Canario

Comentario

Complementario

Contrario

Diario

Glossario

Estuario

Ordinario

Primario

Rosario

Salario

Secretario

Solitario

Vocabulario

Temporario

Rule #6: Rule #4 : When a word ends in -ble in English are usually the same in Spanish

English

Audible

Cable

Destructible

Horrible

Terrible

Spanish

Audible

Cable

Destructible

Horrible

Terrible

Rule #7: When a word ends in –ct in English it will usually change to -cto in Spanish

English

Abstract

Act

Artefact

Compact

Conflict

Contact

Correct

Dialect

Exact

Except

Insect

Perfect

Product

Spanish

Abstracto

Acto

Artefacto

Compacto

Conflicto

Contacto

Correcto

Dialecto

Exacto

Excepto

Insecto

Perfecto

Producto

Rule #8: When a word ends in –ence in English it will usually change to -encia in Spanish

English

Coincidence

Competence

Difference

Excellence

Spanish

Coincidencia

Competencia

Diferencia

Excelencia

Rule #9: When a word ends in –ic in English it will usually change to -ico in Spanish

English

Academic

Alcoholic

Artistic

Authentic

Automatic

Basic

Characteristic

Classic

Comic

Democratic

Dynamic

Diplomatic

Domestic

Dramatic

Economic

Electronic

Erotic

Exotic

Fantastic

Generic

Genetic

Geometric

Heroic

Ironic

Magic

Medic

Mosaic

Organic

Panic

Plastic

Poetic

Public

Romantic

Systematic

Tragic

Spanish

Académico

Alcohólico

Artístico

Auténtico

Automático

Básico

Característico

Clásico

Cómico

Democrático

Dinámico

Diplomático

Doméstico

Dramático

Económico

Electrónico

Erótico

Exótico

Fantástico

Genérico

Genético

Geométrico

Heroico

Irónico

Mágico

Médico

Mosaico

Orgánico

Pánico

Plástico

Poético

Público

Romántico

Sistemático

Trágico

Rule #10: When a word ends in –id in English it will usually change to -ido in Spanish

English

Acid

Fluid

Rapid

Solid

Valid

Spanish

Ácido

Fluido

Rápido

Sólido

Válido

Rule #11: when a word ends in -ly in English, it will end in -mente in Spanish

English

Immediately

Normally

Perfectly

Recently

Secretly

Totally

Spanish

Inmediamente

Normalmente

Perfectamente

Recientemente

Secretamente

Totalmente

Rule #12: When a word ends in –ous in English it will usually change to -oso in Spanish

English

Ambitious

Calamitous

Capricious

Contagious

Curious

Delicious

Fabulous

Famous

Furious

Generous

Glorious

Gracious

Harmonious

Impetuous

Laborious

Malicious

Marvelous

Mysterious

Nervous

Numerous

Odious

Precious

Religious

Tedious

Venomous

Victorious

Spanish

Ambicioso

Calamitoso

Caprichoso

Contagioso

Curioso

Delicioso

Fabuloso

Famoso

Furioso

Generoso

Glorioso

Gracioso

Armonioso

Impetuoso

Laborioso

Mailicioso

Maravilloso

Misterioso

Nervioso

Numeroso

Odioso

Precioso

Religioso

Tedioso

Venoso

Victorioso

Rule #13: When a word ends in -tion in English, it will end in -ción in Spanish

English

Abstraction

Action

Accusation

Adaptation

Admiration

Application

Appreciation

Association

Aspiration

Attention

Attraction

Authorization

Celebration

Circulation

Civilization

Classification

Collaboration

Collection

Combination

Communication

Compensation

Composition

Concentration

Conception

Condition

Conservation

Consideration

Constitution

Construction

Decoration

Exposition

Fiction

Formation

Generalization

Investigation

Nation

Participation

Perfection

Simplification

Situation

Spanish

Abstracción

Acción

Acusación

Adaptación

Admiración

Aplicación

Apreciación

Asociación

Aspiración

Atención

Atracción

Autorización

Celebración

Circulación

Civilización

Clasificación

Colaboración

Colección

Combinación

Comunicación

Compensación

Composición

Concentración

Concepción

Condición

Conservación

Consideración

Constitución

Construcción

Decoración

Exposición

Ficción

Formación

Generalización

Investigación

Nación

Participación

Perección

Simplificación

Situación