False friends are words in two languages that look or sound similar but have completely different meanings.

They’re incredibly common when learning a Romance language like Catalan.

Using the wrong word can lead to some very confusing or funny conversations.

I’ll show you the most common Catalan false friends so you can avoid these awkward mistakes.

Embarassada (not embarrassed)

This is a classic trap for English speakers learning Catalan.

The word embarassada looks exactly like the English word “embarrassed”.

However, it actually means “pregnant” in Catalan.

If you want to say you’re embarrassed, you should use avergonyit (masculine) or avergonyida (feminine).

Constipat (not constipated)

Telling someone you’re constipat might get you a bowl of hot soup instead of stomach medicine.

In Catalan, estar constipat means to have a common cold.

It has absolutely nothing to do with your digestion.

You can also use the word refredat to say you have a cold in all Catalan-speaking regions.

If you’re actually constipated, the medical term in Catalan is restret.

Llarg (not large)

The Catalan word llarg looks just like “large”.

It translates directly to “long” in English.

When you want to describe something as large or big in size, you need to use the word gran.

Èxit (not exit)

You’ll see the word èxit everywhere in Catalan media and business.

It doesn’t mean “exit” or “way out”.

Èxit translates directly to “success” in English.

If you’re looking for the physical exit to a building in Catalonia, you need to look for the word sortida.

In the Valencian region, you’ll often see the word eixida used for exit instead.

Actualment (not actually)

This false friend will mess up your sentence structures if you aren’t careful.

Actualment means “currently” or “nowadays” in Catalan.

It’s used to talk about things happening in the present time.

To say “actually” or “in fact”, you should use the phrase de fet.

Sensible (not sensible)

The word sensible exists in both English and Catalan, but the meanings are entirely different.

In Catalan, sensible means “sensitive” (both emotionally and physically).

It doesn’t mean someone is rational or full of common sense.

To call someone sensible in Catalan, you’d use assenyat or raonable.

Bomber (not bomber)

This one can cause unnecessary confusion if misunderstood.

A bomber in Catalan is a firefighter.

They’re the people who put out fires, not people who cause explosions.

Summary table of Catalan false friends

Here’s a quick reference chart to help you remember these tricky words.