What it's NOT
genial does NOT translate to genial (increíble).
To say "genial (increíble)" in English, use great / awesome.
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False cognate · False friend
genial
Does NOT mean genial (increíble)
It means friendly / warm-hearted
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
What it IS
genial means friendly / warm-hearted.
Why it's confused
Spanish "genial" means excellent, brilliant, or very talented. English "genial" means friendly, warm, or good-natured. What's a compliment about talent in Spanish is a compliment about character in English.
How it's pronounced
genialYÍ-nial
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Examples of correct use
English
He's a genial host.
Spanish
Es un anfitrión cordial.
English
She gave a genial smile.
Spanish
Dio una sonrisa amable.
A trick to remember it
Genial (English) = friendly/warm-hearted. Amazing (Spanish "genial") = great/awesome.
Mini quiz
"A genial person" is someone who is...
Frequently asked questions
What does "genial" mean in English?
"Genial" means "friendly / warm-hearted". It looks a lot like "genial", which is exactly why it gets confused, but they don't mean the same thing.
How do you say "genial" in English?
To say "genial" in English, use "great / awesome". If you use "genial" instead, you would actually be saying "friendly / warm-hearted".
Do "genial" and "genial" mean the same thing?
Spanish "genial" means excellent, brilliant, or very talented. English "genial" means friendly, warm, or good-natured. What's a compliment about talent in Spanish is a compliment about character 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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