Spanish Cognates
Cognates are words from two languages that are similar because they share a common origin.
As English borrows many words from Latin there are many Spanish-English cognates, thousands in fact.
Spanish cognates give Spanish learners an instant vocabulary they can use straight away.
Many Spanish-English cognates only change their ending in the Spanish form, and follow set rules - meaning you can learn thousands of new Spanish words
just by learning a few simple rules.
There are exceptions to these rules, and some words have slight differences in spelling, but in most cases you can apply the rules with confidence.
Spanish Cognate Rule 1
Words that end in –ous change to –oso
Spanish words that end in -oso tend to be adjectives. In English we can often change a noun into its
corresponding adjective by adding -ous e.g advantage/advantageous, harmony/harmonious, space/spacious.
You can often also do this in Spanish with -oso e.g peligro (danger)/peligroso (dangerous), lujo (luxury)/lujoso (luxurious).
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Curious |
Curioso |
| Delicious |
Delicioso |
| Glorious |
Glorioso |
| Mysterious |
Misterioso |
| Numerous |
Numeroso |
| Precious |
Precioso |
| Religious |
Religioso |
| Tedious |
Tedioso |
Spanish Cognate Rule 2
Words that end in –al are usually the same in English
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Hospital |
Hospital |
| Medical |
Medical |
| Animal |
Animal |
| Casual |
Casual |
| Digital |
Digital |
| Final |
Final |
| Ideal |
Ideal |
| Tropical |
Tropical |
Spanish Cognate Rule 3
Words that end in –ct change to –cto
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Act |
Acto |
| Exact |
Exacto |
| Correct |
Correcto |
| Insect |
Insecto |
| Dialect |
Dialecto |
| Perfect |
Perfecto |
| Product |
Producto |
| Conflict |
Conflicto |
Spanish Cognate Rule 4
Words that end in –ance change to –ancia
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Ambulance |
Ambulancia |
| France |
Francia |
| Distance |
Distancia |
| Substance |
Substancia |
| Tolerance |
Tolerancia |
| Elegance |
Elegancia |
| Importance |
Importancia |
| Abundance |
Abundancia |
Spanish Cognate Rule 5
Words that end in –ic change to –ico
These words are usually adjectives and have the stress (and therefore an accent) on the last syllable before the -ico
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Alcoholic |
Alcohólico |
| Basic |
Básico |
| Fantastic |
Fantástico |
| Generic |
Genérico |
| Medic |
Médico |
| Organic |
Orgánico |
| Panic |
Pánico |
| Romantic |
Romántico |
Spanish Cognate Rule 6
Words that end in –ar are usually the same in English
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Familiar |
Familiar |
| Lunar |
Lunar |
| Muscular |
Muscular |
| Regular |
Regular |
| Solar |
Solar |
| Vulgar |
Vulgar |
| Similar |
Similar |
| Popular |
Popular |
Spanish Cognate Rule 7
Words that end in –ary change to –ario
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Canary |
Canario |
| Diary |
Diario |
| Glossary |
Glossario |
| Estuary |
Estuario |
| Primary |
Primario |
| Salary |
Salario |
| Vocabulary |
Vocabulario |
| Temporary |
Temporario |
Spanish Cognate Rule 8
Words that end in –ant change to –ante
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Abundant |
Abundante |
| Distant |
Distante |
| Elegant |
Elegante |
| Important |
Importante |
| Mutant |
Mutante |
| Vacant |
Vacante |
| Tolerant |
Tolerante |
| Instant |
Instante |
Spanish Cognate Rule 9
Words that end in –ble are usually the same in English
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Audible |
Audible |
| Cabble |
Cabble |
| Terrible |
Terrible |
| Destructible |
Destructible |
| Horrible |
Horrible |
| Flexible |
Flexible |
| Impossible |
Imposible |
| Visible |
Visible |
Spanish Cognate Rule 10
Words that end in –ence change to –encia
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Coincidence |
Coincidencia |
| Competence |
Competencia |
| Difference |
Diferencia |
| Excellence |
Excelencia |
| Frequence |
Frecuencia |
| Intelligence |
Inteligencia |
| Presence |
Presencia |
| Violence |
Violencia |
Spanish Cognate Rule 11
Words that end in –id change to –ido
Note: many words following this rule have an accent on the first noun.
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Acid |
Ácido |
| Fluid |
Fluido |
| Rapid |
Rápido |
| Solid |
Sólido |
| Valid |
Válido |
| Stupid |
Estúpido |
| Liquid |
Líquido |
| Vivid |
Vívido |
Spanish Cognate Rule 12
Words that end in –ment change to –mento
Examples
| English |
Spanish |
| Argument |
Argumento |
| Cement |
Cemento |
| Department |
Departmento |
| Document |
Documento |
| Element |
Elemento |
| Ligament |
Ligamento |
| Moment |
Momento |
| Pigment |
Pigmento |