Important Announcement
17 March, 2020 at 1:39 PM
ELC is proud to provide virtual options for new and existing students to continue their English learning without disruption as we follow recommendations from health experts to practice social distancing to combat the spread of COVID-19. Utilizing Readmore... updated and innovative online teaching methods, ELC invites English language learners from around the world to join us for our online classes, which continue to be taught by our most experienced and veteran teachers. In addition to our online courses, our School Directors will be available in person, to provide drop-in hours and any additional support that may be needed for local students.
If you have any questions about ELC, current courses, or are a new student looking for options to enhance your English skills while typical daily activities are disrupted, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Special offers are currently available for new students!
The health and safety of our students, staff, and host families are our first priority and we look forward to moving our community online temporarily while prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 takes place.
Important Announcement
17 March, 2020 at 1:39 PM
ELC is proud to provide virtual options for new and existing students to continue their English learning without disruption as we follow recommendations from health experts to practice social distancing to combat the spread of COVID-19. Utilizing updated and innovative online teaching methods, ELC invites English language learners from around the world to join us for our online classes, which continue to be taught by our most experienced and veteran teachers. In addition to our online courses, our School Directors will be available in person, to provide drop-in hours and any additional support that may be needed for local students.
If you have any questions about ELC, current courses, or are a new student looking for options to enhance your English skills while typical daily activities are disrupted, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Special offers are currently available for new students!
The health and safety of our students, staff, and host families are our first priority and we look forward to moving our community online temporarily while prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 takes place.
After forgetting what time his exam was, the frustrated student told his Spanish teacher, “Estoy embarazada” (which means “I am embarrassed”… right?) The Spanish teacher looked him up and down and said, “If you are, then you would be a medical miracle!”
What did the Spanish student actually say? In Spanish, embarazada does not mean “embarrassed” — it means “pregnant!”
This Spanish student fell prey to the same language tricks that many English learners do. Languages, particularly Romance languages (French, Italian, and Spanish) have a lot of words that appear to be very similar in English. They might sound the same and/or look the same. Students mistake these seemingly similar words to have the same meaning, but they don’t always!
This becomes a big problem when students over-rely on their translators. They may not get the exact meaning between the languages, or they may get even more confused. Using a student dictionary in English (such as www.learnersdictionary.com) will allow you to have a simplified definition and examples in context.
Here are some examples of other false cognates:
English words that look like French words…
[entrée] English: main course // French: appetizer
[college] English: university // French: middle school or high school
[eventually] English: finally // French: possibly (éventuellement)
English words that look like Italian words…
[bald] English: without hair // Italian: brave (baldo)
[camera] English: a device for photos // Italian: a room
[misery] English: extreme sadness // Italian: poverty (miseria)
English words that look like Spanish words…
[assist] English: to help // Spanish: to attend (asistir)
[college] English: university // Spanish: high school (colegio)
[large] English: big // Spanish: long (largo)
