Ch 45 · Lesson 17Spanish · Chapter 45 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
False friends, part 2: the verbs
The verb traps: (bother, not molest), (put up with, not support), (remember, not record), (intend, not pretend), (serve, not attend).
The short version
.
Why?Hide
: I can't stand the noise. To support someone is ( ), and to support them with money is . is remember (to record is ), and is intend (to pretend is ).
The second set of false friends is mostly verbs, which makes them harder to catch: the sentence comes out grammatical and means something else.
.- I don't want to be a bother..- I can't stand the noise.
False friends at a glance
| Spanish | Means | You wanted |
|---|---|---|
| to bother | to molest: abusar |
| to put up with | to support: |
| to remember | to record: |
| to intend | to pretend: |
| to serve | to attend: |
| to argue | to discuss: |
| school | college: |
| relative | parents: |
| countryside | camp: |
| funny | gracious: |
| school subject | signature: |
| lately | ultimately: |
| not at all | absolutely: |
Molestar: the one that sounds like a crime
is to bother or disturb. It is an everyday, polite verb:
.- I don't want to be a bother.¿ ?- Do you mind if I open the window?.- Stop bothering your sister.
It also works like , with the thing that bothers after the verb and the person bothered as the indirect object:
.- The noise bothers me.
Soportar, recordar, pretender, atender
Each of these is a real verb with a different job. Here is what each one does, and what you say instead:
| Verb | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
. | I can't stand the noise. | |
. | I support you in your decision. | |
. | He/she supports the family. | |
¿ ? | Do you remember his/her name? | |
. | I'm going to record the concert. | |
¿ ? | What are you after with that? | |
. | He pretended to be ill. | |
. | The waitress looked after us. | |
| a | . | I went to the wedding. |
also means to remind, with the person as the indirect object:
.- Let me remind you that the meeting is at three.
can mean discuss, but in everyday talk it usually means argue:
.- We argued about money..- We need to discuss this.
Going further: Colegio, pariente, campo: the nouns and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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