Partial False Friends Essay

Partial false friends are words in two languages that share some meaning and differ in others. This type of words is common in false friends and is one of those causing more problems and confusion to learners of English For example the word "demonstration" not only means “demostración”, also means “manifestación”.

Within the partial false friends three subtypes are found: calques / semantic loans, little-used words and nonexistent meanings.

Calques / semantic loans

In A History of the Spanish Language Through Texts, Pountain (2002:294) defines sematic calque as:

“A semantic calque occurs when a native word changes or, more usually, adds to its meaning in parallel with a cognate foreign word; for example, Sp. estrella takes on the meaning of 'film star' in

For example “ratón”, its real meaning is “mamífero roedor”, however due to the influence of the English word "mouse", now it is also applied as a small handheld device connected to a computer, whose function is to move the cursor on the screen to give orders.

Unusual words This category contains the words that are not frequently used even if they have the same meaning in English and Spanish, since we find equivalent words in Spanish that are more used. The English word "summary" can be translated into Spanish as “sumario”, however the word “resumen” is preferred.

On many occasions both English learners and students of translation can choose the closest equivalent to an English word. However, the meanings that appear in bilingual dictionaries are not always the most appropriate, because of the cultural differences or to its use in society. The primary meaning in English may not be the best choice in Spanish, for example:

Convention Convención

In Cambridge Dictionary

1. A large formal meeting of people who do a particular job or have a similar interest, or a large meeting for a