'CONSTIPADO' IN ENGLISH

Good morning.

I had originally said that yesterday was going to be the last day we talked about being ill in English. However, the other day we received the following comment from one of our Daily Vitamin users:

No confundir "Estoy constipado" con "I am constipated", jejejeje (Mireia Vancells)

A couple of days later, we received this comment from Sebastián:

As you live in Spain, maybe you know the BIG problem the Spaniards have with the word "CONSTIPATION" in English. This is  ... they have a cold, ... but say "I am constipated" .... which in fact is (as I'm sure you know) "estreñido."

I thought it would be worth sharing this comment with all of you, since this false friend can cause some serious miscommunication problems.

SPANISH --> ESTREÑIDO
ENGLISH --> CONSTIPATED

SPANISH --> CONSTIPADO
ENGLISH --> CONGESTED (STUFFED-UP NOSE)

Generally, you may comment, in public with friends and colleagues, about having a cold, being congested or having a stuffed-up nose. However, it's not very common to inform people that you are constipated (estreñido).

Enjoy the rest of your day, and be sure to eat lots of fibre. ;-)

Regards,