cognados
/koɡnados/from spelling rules
The English phrase "cognates" is translated to Spanish as cognados.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form cognados changes to the feminine singular cognada to agree with a feminine singular noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/koɡnados/
Did you know?
- The word cognado comes from the Latin cognatus, which literally means 'born together'. In a linguistic sense, these words are viewed as siblings from the same ancestral root.
- While cognados are helpful, Spanish also has falsos amigos, or 'false friends'. These are words that look like English cognates but have entirely different meanings, such as embarazada, which means 'pregnant' and not 'embarrassed'.
- Because the word cognado is derived from Latin, it belongs to a family of words that includes the English 'kin', showing how deeply these 'relatives' are embedded in both languages.
Examples in context
- UniversidadUniversity
- Estas palabras son cognados en inglés y español.These words are cognates in English and Spanish.
- Es fácil aprender si buscas los cognados.It is easy to learn if you look for cognates.
- Muchos cognados ayudan a entender el texto.Many cognates help to understand the text.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are studying for a language exam.
- AlejandroEsta palabra es muy difícil de recordar.This word is very hard to remember.
- LucíaBusca si existen cognados para ayudarte, Alejandro.Look to see if there are cognates to help you, Alejandro.
- AlejandroTienes razón, se parece mucho al inglés.You're right, it looks a lot like English.
- Lucía¡Exacto! Los cognados facilitan mucho el estudio.Exactly! Cognates make studying much easier.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
