Cognates

1. Cognates

2. How does a cognate help to learn Spanish? • Spanish is a language that evolved from Latin over the last two thousand years. • English, although it is not as closely related to Latin as Spanish, borrows thousands of words from Latin, many of them the same words that Spanish uses. • Both languages have borrowed many words from Classical Greek. This results in thousands of cognates between English and Spanish. • This helps to give us a leg up in learning Spanish vocabulary.

3. But Be Aware!! • While some of the words with a common origin in Latin have different meanings in the two languages. • These words are called false cognates. But relax… • Only about 10 % of these words are false cognates.

4. Spelling • As you learn Spanish cognates, notice that many of these words also have a slightly different spelling from English. • Words that end in -a, -o, or -e very often drop or change this last vowel in English. For example: • The Spanish word 'forma' simply drops the -a to become 'form' in English, but for 'positivo' we must change the -o to -e.

5. More about Spelling • The h sound is always silent in Spanish, and where it occurs in English words it often disappears in Spanish. • There is no th in Spanish, the h is usually dropped and it is spelled and pronounced as just a t. • Words that start with st or sp in English often have a Spanish cognate with an added e in front. For example 'estado' equals English 'state'.

6. Pronunciation of Cognates • Many words in English have nearly identical Spanish cognates. Only the pronunciation is different and, at most, a very little spelling change. Examples:autochocolatecónsulfamiliargashotelideamelónmillónplazaradioregularsimilarteléfonovilla

7. Spelling, Spelling, Spelling. • Spanish words that end in -a, -o or -e very often have an equivalent in English. Simply drop or change the last vowel. Examples: aireatleta (athlete)casocausacostocreativocreditodietadrama

8. Spelling Spanish-English • Many Spanish words that end in -ma are irregular in that they are masculine in gender, even though they end in the usually feminine -a. Examples: clima (climate)diagramaidioma (idiom,language)problemaprogramasistema (system)tema (theme)

9. Cognates: helpful words • There are many Spanish cognates that end in -cion. The equivalent English word ends in -tion. Note that all of these words have the stress on the final syllable. Also, all of these words are feminine in gender. Examples: abreviaciónsensaciónseparaciónsignificaciónsituaciónventilaciónviolación

10. Word endings • Words that end in -ary in English very often have a Spanish cognate that ends in -ario. • Examples: aniversariodiccionariodisciplinarioitinerarioliterarionecesarioordinariosalariovocabulario

11. Word endings • Words that in in -dad are quite common in Spanish. They usually correspond to an English word that ends in -ty. All of these words are feminine in gender. Examples: autoridad (authority)ciudad (city)comunidaddificultadenfermedad (infirmity, illness)formalidadvelocidad

12. More cognates words • English words that end in -ic usually have a Spanish cognate that simply add an -o. Examples: atlánticoautomáticodemocráticodidácticoescolásticorománticosarcástico

13. -ical • Like the previous category, English words that end in -icalhave a Spanish cognate that ends in -ico. Examples: clásicocómicoeléctricofísicohistéricometódicoperiódico (newspaper,periodical)políticoprácticosicológico (psychological)técnico

14. -ent • English words that end in -ent often have a cognate in Spanish that ends in -ente. These words are usually adjectives. Examples: agenteclientediferenteequivalenteindiferenteinteligentesuficiente

15. Keep an eye on… • Spanish words that end in - mente(as opposed to just -ente). They usually have an English cognate that ends in -ly. These are adverbs. Examples: correctamentedesafortunadamente (unfortunately)especialmenteexactamentefinalmentegeneralmentemoralmenterapidamente

16. -ment • Words that end in -ment in English have equivalents in Spanish that simply add an -o. These words are nouns. argumentomonumentosacramentosuplementotestamento

17. -al • Words that end in -al in both English and Spanish are often cognates. Examples; animalanualcapitalcentralcomercialespecialgeneralhospitalintelectual

18. -ence • English words that end in -ence or -ance often have a Spanish cognate that ends in -encia or -ancia. Examples: abundanciaausencia (absence)circunstanciaconcienciadiferencia

19. Words endings • -ant (or sometimes –ent )words in English sometimes end in -ante in Spanish. Examples: abundanteconstanteeleganteestudianteimportante

20. -ous • Some English words that end in -ous have a Spanish cognate that ends in -oso. Examples: ambiciosocuriosodeliciosofamosogloriosogracioso

21. -y • English words with the ending -y sometimes have an equivalent in Spanish with the ending -ia or -io. Examples: aristocraciacompañía (company)democraciaeficaciafamiliafarmacia (pharmacy)historia

22. -or • English words that end in -or often have a Spanish cognate that is identical. Examples: actorautor (author)colordirectordoctorhumor

23. -ist • English words that end in -ist often have a Spanish cognate. Examples: artistafloristamoralistapianistaturista

24. Why and How? • Cognates help to Spanish beginners feel more comfortable with this new language. • Establishes a link between English and Spanish. • Students are aware of the common origin of words. • Allows students to explore the language far beyond from school’s objectives.

25. Why and How? Activities for finding and using cognates • Look for cognates in their textbook. • Read magazines and newspapers in order to find cognates • Try to translate the main idea of a paragraph by identifying cognates that will help to understand its content.

26. References • "Cognates." Cognates. Slideshare, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. http://www.slideshare.net/ccastellanos/ cognates-2508461>.