A "carpeta" is not a rug or a carpet (false cognates)
This post might save you from an embarrassing situation if you were to say, for example, "Compré una carpeta azul por $1000". While trying to say "I bought a blue rug (carpet) for $1000" what you actually said was "I bought a blue folder for $1000" which might induce the listener into thinking that you were either very rich or very foolish or both. Here's the solution:
(Spanish) carpeta = (English) folder (portfolio)
(English) carpet, rug = (Spanish) alfombra - (also "tapete" in some Spanish-speaking countries)
Here are some examples of each:
Spanish
1. Pagamos mil dólares por esta alfombra.
2. Mi tía tenía alfombras por toda la casa.
3. Las alfombras persas son famosas por su alta calidad.
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4. He dejado mi carpeta con los papeles importantes en casa.
5. Tenía el documento en una carpeta pero no la encuentro.
6. Hay 10 ficheros en esta carpeta. (ordenadores / computadoras)
English
1. We paid a thousand dollars for this rug.
2. My aunt had rugs all over the house.
3. Persian rugs are famous for their high quality.
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4. I left my folder with the important papers at home.
5. I had the document in a folder but I can't find it.
6. There are 10 files in this folder. (computers)
As you can see in the last example, "carpeta" is the word used for "folder" in computer speak. In case you're interested, there's a page with computer terminology in Spanish on the main website.
Brad
