- Habitual: The word often does mean "habitual" and it is a common translation for the English word. But it can refer to something that is normal, typical or customary.
- Hindú: Hindú can refer to a Hindu, but it can also refer to someone from India regardless of the person's religion. Someone from India can also be called an indio, a word also used to refer to indigenous people of North and South America. An American Indian is also often called an indígena (a word both masculine and feminine).
- Historia: This word is obviously related to the English word "history," but it is also similar to "story." It can mean either one.
- Honesto: It can mean "honest." But honesto and its negative form, deshonesto, more often have sexual overtones, meaning "chaste" and "lewd" or "slutty," respectively. Better words for "honest" are honrado and sincero.
- Intentar: Like the English cognate, it can mean to plan or want to do something. But it also is frequently used to indicate more than a mental state, referring to an actual attempt. It thus is often a good translation for "to try."
- Intoxicado, intoxicar: These words refer to almost any kind of poisoning. To refer specifically to the symptoms of alcohol poisoning, use borracho or any number of slang terms.
- Introducir: This verb can be translated as, among other things, "to introduce" in the sense of "to bring in," "to begin," "to put" or "to place." For example, se introduce la ley en 1998, the law was introduced (put in effect) in 1998. But it's not the verb to use to introduce someone. For that purpose, use presentar.
- Marcar: While it usually means "to mark" in some way, it also can mean "to dial" a telephone, "to score" in a game, and "to notice." Marca is most often "brand" (with origins similar to the English "trademark"), while marco can be a "window frame" or "picture frame."
- Misería: In Spanish, the word more often carries the connotation of extreme poverty than does the English "misery."
- Notorio: Like the English "notorious," it means "well-known," but in Spanish it usually doesn't have the negative connotation.
- Opaco: It can mean "opaque," but it can also mean "dark" or "gloomy."
- Oración: Like the English "oration," an oración can refer to a speech. But it also can refer to a prayer or a sentence (in the grammatical sense).
- Oscuro: It can mean "obscure," but it more often means "dark."
- Parientes: All of one's relatives are parientes in Spanish, not just parents. To refer to parents specifically, use padres.
- Petición: In English, "petition" as a noun most often means a list of names or a legal demand of some sort. Petición (among other words) can be used as a Spanish translation in such cases, but most often petición refers to almost any kind of request.
- Probar: It can mean "to probe" or "to test." But it is frequently used to mean "to taste" or "to try on" clothes.
- Pimienta, pimiento: Although the English words "pimento" and "pimiento" come from the Spanish words pimienta and pimiento, they aren't all interchangeable. Depending on region and speaker, the English terms can refer to allspice (malageta in Spanish) or a type of sweet garden pepper known as pimiento morrón. Standing alone, both pimiento and pimienta are general words meaning "pepper." More specifically, pimienta usually refers to a black or white pepper, while pimiento refers to a red or green pepper. Unless the context is clear, Spanish usually uses these words as part of a phrase such as pimiento de Padróna (a type of small green pepper) or pimienta negra (black pepper).
- Profundo: It can have some of the meanings of the English "profound." But it more often meens "deep."
- Preservativo: You might find yourself embarrassed if you go to a store and ask for one of these, because you could end up with a condom (sometimes referred to as a condón in Spanish). If you want a preservative, ask for a conservante (although the word preservativo is also used at times).
- Propaganda: The Spanish word can have the negative implications of the English word, but it often doesn't, simply meaning "advertising."
- Punto: "Point" often works as a translation of this word, but it also has a variety of other meanings such as "dot," a type of stitch, "belt hole," "cog," "opportunity," and "taxi stand."
Almost, But Not Quite
By Gerald Erichsen, About.com Guide
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