advertisement and Spanish advertencia

ad-VÉR-tis-ment

In English

ad / commercial

In Spanish

advertencia

aviso de un peligro

Spanish "advertencia" means: warning

Why they get mixed up 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.

If you want to say...

advertisementanuncio o publicidad
warningadvertencia
advertisingpublicidad

Examples

I saw the advertisement on TV.
Vi el anuncio en la tele.
They paid for a full-page advertisement.
Pagaron por un anuncio de página completa.
The advertisement appeared in every newspaper.
El anuncio apareció en todos los periódicos.
Ads and advertisements pay for many websites.
Los anuncios pagan muchos sitios web.

Common mistakes in Spanish

Incorrect: ~~La advertencia en la revista era de un nuevo perfume.~~

Correct: El anuncio en la revista era de un nuevo perfume.

Advertencia means warning. An advertisement is un anuncio.

Incorrect: ~~Vi una advertencia de zapatos en la televisión.~~

Correct: Vi un anuncio de zapatos en la televisión.

Use anuncio or publicidad for ads, and advertencia only for warnings.

Phrases you will hear

a TV advertisementun anuncio de televisión
place an adponer un anuncio
an online adun anuncio en internet
a job advertisementun anuncio de empleo
a warning signuna señal de advertencia
an advertising agencyuna agencia de publicidad

In a conversation

A:
Did you see the new advertisement for that phone?
¿Viste el nuevo anuncio de ese teléfono?
B:
Yes, it was on TV all week.
Sí, salió en la tele toda la semana.
A:
There was also a warning at the end.
También había una advertencia al final.
B:
That's the small print. Nobody reads it.
Son las letras chicas. Nadie las lee.

Test yourself

"A car advertisement" is...

To remember it

Advertisement = ad/commercial. Spanish "advertencia" (warning) = warning.

Frequently asked questions

What does Spanish "advertencia" mean?

Spanish "advertencia" means "warning". It looks like the English "advertisement", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "advertisement" means "ad / commercial".

Does English "advertisement" mean the same as Spanish "advertencia"?

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.