In my classroom, I frequently encounter the confusion between the Spanish word «resumir» and the English word «resume.» It’s a classic case of what we call a «false friend» in language learning. While they sound alike, their meanings are entirely different.
In English, «resume» means to pick up something again or continue after a break or interruption. For instance, we might say,
«The metro services will resume in October after a three-month maintenance period,»
«We’re planning to resume our English classes with Brown and White Idiomas after the summer break.»
«The two countries finally resumed talks after negotiations had broken down due to the war.»
This usage indicates the restarting of an activity.
On the other hand, «resumir» in Spanish means to summarize or give a brief overview of something. You can use it when condensing the key points of a meeting, summarizing a book, outlining scientific research, or simplifying instructions or procedures.
So, while «resume» in English refers to picking up where you left off, «resumir» in Spanish refers to summarizing information. It’s important for students to grasp these distinctions for effective communication in both languages.
Remember :resumir would be “ summarize” in English and the word “ resume” would translate into Spanish as “reanudar” o “retomar”