What it's NOT
advertisement does NOT translate to advertencia.
To say "advertencia" in English, use warning.
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False cognate · False friend
advertisement
Does NOT mean advertencia
It means ad / commercial
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
What it IS
advertisement means ad / commercial.
Why it's confused
The Latin root "advertere" meant to direct attention toward something. Spanish "advertir" kept that as warning or alerting someone. English took the commercial path and settled on advertising.
How it's pronounced
advertisementad-VÉR-tis-ment
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Examples of correct use
English
I saw the advertisement on TV.
Spanish
Vi el anuncio en la tele.
English
They paid for a full-page advertisement.
Spanish
Pagaron por un anuncio de página completa.
A trick to remember it
Advertisement = ad/commercial. Spanish "advertencia" (warning) = warning.
Mini quiz
"A car advertisement" is...
Frequently asked questions
What does "advertisement" mean in English?
"Advertisement" means "ad / commercial". It looks a lot like "advertencia", which is exactly why it gets confused, but they don't mean the same thing.
How do you say "advertencia" in English?
To say "advertencia" in English, use "warning". If you use "advertisement" instead, you would actually be saying "ad / commercial".
Do "advertisement" and "advertencia" mean the same thing?
The Latin root "advertere" meant to direct attention toward something. Spanish "advertir" kept that as warning or alerting someone. English took the commercial path and settled on advertising.
Other confusing false friends
More confusing false friends
Library, embarrassed, actually... the full list of words that look the same but mean something different.
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