Twelve Spanish words look like English words and mean something else. Only four of them are food words — the table is the situation, not the topic. This lesson names the tempting guess, gives the safer repair, and hands you one model sentence for each: sopa, vaso, tuna, pie, asistir a, éxito, actualmente, pretender, embarazada, excitado, constipado and sensible. Several repairs change by region, so the regional split is marked where it matters.
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| sopa | soup · not soap | SOH-pah |
| vaso / copa | drinking glass · not vase | BAH-soh / KOH-pah |
| tuna / higo chumbo | prickly pear · not tuna fish | TOO-nah |
| pie | foot · not pie | pyeh |
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| asistir a | attend here · help is ayudar | ah-sees-TEER |
| éxito | success · not exit | EHK-see-toh |
| actualmente | currently · not actually | ahk-twahl-MEN-teh |
| pretender | intend or try · not pretend | preh-ten-DEHR |
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| embarazada | pregnant in usual modern use | ehm-bah-rah-SAH-dah |
| excitado | excited is possible; context can turn sexual | ehk-see-TAH-doh |
| constipado | having a cold, especially in Spain | kohn-stee-PAH-doh |
| sensible | sensitive · not sensible | sehn-SEE-bleh |
Every word comes with one model sentence — the repair you can actually say at the table.
| Spanish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Quiero una sopa de verduras. | I’d like vegetable soup. | 1 · sopa |
| ¿Me trae un vaso de agua? | Could you bring me a glass of water? | 2 · vaso |
| El agua de tuna está fría. | The prickly-pear drink is cold. | 3 · tuna |
| Me duele el pie. | My foot hurts. | 4 · pie |
| Voy a asistir a la cena. | I’m going to attend the dinner. | 5 · asistir a |
| La cena es un éxito. | The dinner is a success. | 6 · éxito |
| Actualmente vivo cerca. | I currently live nearby. | 7 · actualmente |
| Pretendo cocinar mañana. | I intend to cook tomorrow. | 8 · pretender |
| Me da vergüenza pedir otra vez. | I feel embarrassed asking again. | 9 · embarazada |
| Estoy emocionada por la cena. | I’m excited about dinner. | 10 · excitado |
| Estoy resfriada, así que ceno en casa. | I have a cold, so I’m eating at home. | 11 · constipado |
| Mi amiga es muy sensible. | My friend is very sensitive. | 12 · sensible |
| The Spanish word | The English word you meant |
|---|---|
| sopa → soup | soap → jabón |
| vaso → tumbler · copa → stemmed glass | vase → florero / jarrón |
| tuna / higo chumbo → prickly pear | tuna fish → atún |
| pie → foot | dessert → tarta / pastel / Mexican pay |
| asistir a → attend | help → ayudar |
| éxito → success | exit → salida |
| The Spanish word | The English word you meant |
|---|---|
| actualmente → currently | actually → en realidad |
| pretender → intend | pretend → fingir |
| embarazada → pregnant | embarrassed → me da vergüenza / avergonzado |
| excitado → context-sensitive | anticipation → emocionado / tengo muchas ganas de… |
| constipado → a cold in Spain | broad LatAm default → resfriado · constipated → estreñido |
| sensible → sensitive | sensible → sensato |
The habit is the lesson: Pause for context. Choose the repair. For more everyday Spanish to take to the table, our free 103-phrase guide Survive Your Trip runs from the airport to the emergency room: the free guide.