This always makes me laugh... and has done since I started studying Spanish aged 13 ( more or less )... A friend of mine ( Irish) who lives here and speaks incredible Spanish ! Is suffering from a bad cold ( Constipación in Spanish ) .... Yeah !! English speakers , especially , will have got my meaning ! I remember a business teacher here in Madrid ( from London ) saying that when she had a cold and was in class , one of her pupils asked if she had "constipación" .. She was shocked ( didn´t know the word ) but was , like , constipation ? How can you tell ... feeling her butt jajajajaja... it´s just a cold , really !

That's funny, Steve. When I was in high school in the US, I was late for Spanish class one day. I told my teacher, "Lo siento, estoy embarazada". (For those who don't know, it means, "I'm pregnant", not embarrased.) I love teaching about false cognates.

Hahahahahahaha ...

Good anecdote, teachertraveler8. I rather imagine the Latin origins of those two words, "embarrassed" and "embarazada", are probably very similar or the same.

I'm sure Spaniards have the same stories when visiting the USA/England when trying on blue jeans, telling the clerk, "Do you have cowboys in a size 6?" (explanation: "Cowboys" are the direct English translation for blue jeans in Spanish, which is "vaqueros".)

Another funny one is the Spanish word "Preservativos" which means "birth control" in English. So when English speakers ask, "Tiene preservativos la mermelada?" thinking it means, "Does the jam have preservatives in it?" is not what the clerk hears at all, hearing instead, "Is there birth control in the jam?"

Saludos, MadridMan

A few years ago , I was in the beautiful seaside town of Bandol ( in the South of France , Côte D'azur ) My mum and I were having lunch by the sea and she wanted an entrée that was light and opted for paté . HOWEVER , even though my French is better than my Spanish , I failed to realise that she´d ordered Pâte ( without the accent on the "e" ) and a huge bowl of Pâte ( pasta ) was delivered to our table .. Just one little accent . The problem is also , that in French , if you use capital letters then you don´t have to use the accents . ( Pedmar , that´s true right ? )
I 100% recommend the town of Bandol .. Beautiful beaches ( one of which is in a cove and has no strong currents .. so fantastic for kids ) . The restaurants are outstanding . Mainly French tourists .. even better !! And the French government gave them their own Appellation Controlée for the wonderful rosé wine they produce . Nothing better on a hot summers day with great bread , cheese and olives .

Oh and "do you have cowboys in a size 6 ( or whatever) ? " sounds like a couple of bars I know .....

By the way, it isn't "constipación", at least in Spain. We say "constipado" (yes, it's a noun and an adjective).

OK .. got it ! Jejejejeje

ok so got in late but its right the last poster its "constipado" similar words can have a whole world of different meaning, and lets not talk about Spanish as globally.
In one of my business trips a few years back when to Santiago de Chile,need to make a speech to a bunch of computer salesman there. I was meaning to said, they can send somebody to order the part as the word "MANDAR" as "ENVIAR" in a colloquial way. At the end of my speech the accountant in the office who was a woman, came to me and said the word MANDAR means taken the girl out for a spin ::) here in Chile hehehehe that was in 1994 and I never forget to make the same speech again.

and yes having to do with the machines, when we use a capital letter we dont use the accents, althought I have seem some places that do use it,do not know how, I cant with my keyboard.

and another French confusing word Steve is neck cou or behind cul both are pronounce with the only different the strong vowel is on the U of cul, but they can mean awful different words. HOpefully in Spanish we have less of those instances.

and BAndol is nice, but I am more into Bordeaux;been a wine collector for years and work for SOPEXA food and wine from France in Florida USA.

And just came back from Madrid 24 jan sorry could not make it public as was on a pilgrimage to Madrid, call the Real Madrid, saw the game vs Malaga with a bunch of wild Spanish friends from all over Spain at Fondo Norte.
we had a great mariscada before the game at Ribeira do Miño, Santa Brigida 1,metro Tribunal, great Galician seafood and wash it down with Ribeira white wines.

Now when folks in Madridman get together for a spin ::)

Yes, if you're in South America, you'd better don't say "coger" (catch, pick up)... he,he,he,

yes, I just asked our Paraguayan exchange student and he confirmed that.

Hahahaha PADM .. I live with un Peruano , but I know that My Argentinian friends have told me about that problem ! Actually a friend from the USA ( speaks Spanish ) was in Argentina and took his friend´s kids to an amusement park . The kids were away , playing in the water and he was enjoying a drink with their parents . He said ( in castellano ) I´m going to "coger" the children . Jajajajajajajaja . That is the moment he learn´t the difference !

Speaking of "coger", when I was living in Argentina I often put my foot in my mouth with that word. My friends/colleagues got used to it, coming out of my mouth with a Spanish accent. They hear it all the time in movies, and from Spanish tv shows, so they are not unaware of its use in Spain. But, the first time they heard it from me, they were certainly startled. I never could get used to not using that word though. I would often say that I was going to "coger un taxi"...I think it is different than "tomar un taxi", which is what they would often say.

I gave a impromptu exposition of the differences of our Spanish language to a group of French in Paris who was learning the language. I put an excel spreadsheet with column from left to right. The first was what was the word in French, then chose Spain plus five other LA countries, Cuba,Argentina,Colombia,Costa Rica,and Mexico. Needless to tell you they were startled and confused, like do I need to learn the language again???
Yes I know from doing business in LA for several years and traveling there often, what one considers Spanish is indeed a rich and diverse language, more so than many others if not all.

PADM - I have quite a few Latin American (mostly Mexican) friends and co-workers here in Minnesota, and I STILL can't get out of the habit of using coger. They love to tease me when I ask them if they want me to pick them up on the way to a movie, or a party...