What it's NOT
educated does NOT translate to educado (con modales).
To say "educado (con modales)" in English, use polite / well-mannered.
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False cognate · False friend
educated
Does NOT mean educado (con modales)
It means schooled / well-read
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
What it IS
educated means schooled / well-read.
Why it's confused
Spanish "educado" describes someone with good manners and social courtesy. English "educated" means having formal schooling or academic instruction. Spanish "educado" in the sense of manners is "polite" or "well-mannered" in English.
How it's pronounced
educatedÉ-diu-kei-ted
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Examples of correct use
English
She's a highly educated woman.
Spanish
Es una mujer con muchos estudios.
English
He gave an educated guess.
Spanish
Hizo una suposición fundamentada.
A trick to remember it
Educated = schooled/well-read. Well-mannered (Spanish "educado") = polite.
Mini quiz
"An educated person" is someone who is...
Frequently asked questions
What does "educated" mean in English?
"Educated" means "schooled / well-read". It looks a lot like "educado", which is exactly why it gets confused, but they don't mean the same thing.
How do you say "educado" in English?
To say "educado" in English, use "polite / well-mannered". If you use "educated" instead, you would actually be saying "schooled / well-read".
Do "educated" and "educado" mean the same thing?
Spanish "educado" describes someone with good manners and social courtesy. English "educated" means having formal schooling or academic instruction. Spanish "educado" in the sense of manners is "polite" or "well-mannered" in English.
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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