Table of Contents
English-French Faux Amis (False Cognates)
False friends or faux amis are words in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to words in one’s own language. For example, the word “actually” means “really” in English. In French, actuellement has a different meaning; it means “at present.”
List English-French False Friends
This is a list of English-French False Friends (Faux amis):
| English Word | French Equivalent |
|---|---|
| to abuse | insulter (and not abuser, which means “to take advantage of”) |
| to accommodate | loger (and not accommoder, which means “to prepare”) |
| to achieve | réaliser (and not achever, which means “to complete”) |
| actually | en fait (and not actuellement, which means “at present”) |
| caution | prudence (and not caution, which means “guarantee”) |
| character | personnage (and not caractère, which means “nature”) |
| to charge | faire payer (and not charger, which means “to load”) |
| check | contrôle (and not chèque, which means “cheque”) |
| close | proche, serré (and not clos, which means “closed”) |
| commodity | marchandise (and not commodité, which means “convenience”) |
| comprehensive | complet (and not compréhensif, which means “understanding”) |
| conductor | contrôleur (and not conducteur, which means “driver”) |
| confection | friandise (and not confection, which means “ready-made clothes”) |
| consistent | cohérent (and not consistant, which means “solid, thick”) |
| contemplate | envisager (one of its meanings, and not contempler, which means “to gaze at”) |
| countenance | expression (visage) (and not contenance, which means “capacity”) |
| to deceive | tromper (and not décevoir, which means “to disappoint”) |
| delay | retard (and not délai, which means “time limit”) |
| to dispose | se débarrasser (and not disposer, which means “to arrange”) |
| dispute | conflit (and not dispute, which means “quarrel, argument”) |
| engaged | occupé (and not engagé, which means “committed”) |
| estate | domaine (and not état, which means “state, condition”) |
| eventually | finalement (and not éventuellement, which means “possibly”) |
| expertise | compétence (and not expertise, which means “expert’s report”) |
| extra | supplémentaire (and not extra, which means “first-rate”) |
| fortunate | chanceux (and not fortuné, which means “wealthy, well-off”) |
| gentle | aimable, doux (and not gentil, which means “nice, kind”) |
| grand | grandiose (and not grand, which means “tall, big”) |
| grapes | raisin (and not grappe, which means “bunch of grapes”) |
| habit | habitude (and not habit, which means “dress, clothes”) |
| hazard | danger (and not hasard, which means “chance”) |
| inconvenient | inopportun (and not inconvenant, which means “improper”) |
| indulge | laisser aller (and not indulgence, which means “leniency”) |
| invaluable | inestimable (and not non valable, which means “invalid, not valid”) |
| lecture | conférence (and not lecture, which means “reading”) |
| location | emplacement (and not location, which means “renting, lease”) |
| mechanic | mécanicien (and not mécanique, which means “engineering”) |
| medicine | médicament (and not médecin, which means “doctor”) |
| mercy | miséricorde (and not merci, which means “thanks”) |
| notice | avis, préavis (and not notice, which means “note, instructions”) |
| partition | séparation (and not partition, which means “(musical) score”) |
| petrol | essence (and not pétrole, which means “oil, petroleum”) |
| photograph | photographie (and not photographe, which means “photographer”) |
| phrase | expression (and not phrase, which means “sentence”) |
| to prevent | empêcher (and not prévenir, which means “to warn”) |
| proper | adéquat (and not propre, which means “clean, decent”) |
| to recover | se rétablir (and not recouvrir, which means “to cover”) |
| to regard | considérer (and not regarder, which means “to look at”) |
| relieve | soulager (and not relever, which means “to raise”) |
| to resume | recommencer (and not résumer, which means “to sum up”) |
| route | itinéraire (and not route, which means “road”) |
| rude | grossier (and not rude, which means “rough, hard”) |
| sensible | raisonnable (and not sensible, which means “sensitive”) |
| socket | douille (and not socquette, which means “sock”) |
| store | grand magasin (and not store, which means “blind, shade”) |
| suit | costume (and not suite, which means “rest”) |
| to supply | fournir (and not supplier, which means “to implore”) |
| to survey | examiner (and not surveiller, which means “to supervise”) |
| sympathetic | compatissant (and not sympathique, which means “nice, friendly”) |
| wagon | chariot (and not wagon, which means “carriage, car”) |
Examples in Sentences of English-French False Friends
Let’s look at a few examples of these false friends in context:
- Actually: “I actually finished the project yesterday.”
En fait: “En fait, j’ai terminé le projet hier.” - Lecture: “I attended a fascinating lecture on ancient history.”
Conférence: “J’ai assisté à une conférence fascinante sur l’histoire ancienne.” - Eventually: “She will eventually understand the concept.”
Finalement: “Elle comprendra finalement le concept.” - Sympathetic: “He was very sympathetic to her situation.”
Compatissant: “Il était très compatissant à sa situation.” - Pretend: “The child likes to pretend to be a superhero.”
Faire semblant: “L’enfant aime faire semblant d’être un super-héros.” - Coin: “He found a coin on the street.”
Pièce: “Il a trouvé une pièce dans la rue.” - Deceive: “He tried to deceive his parents about his grades.”
Tromper: “Il a essayé de tromper ses parents au sujet de ses notes.” - Hazard: “Wet floors are a hazard.”
Danger: “Les sols mouillés sont un danger.” - Library: “I borrowed the book from the library.”
Bibliothèque: “J’ai emprunté le livre à la bibliothèque.” - Assist: “Can you assist me with this task?”
Aider: “Pouvez-vous m’aider avec cette tâche?”
Conclusion
Being aware of false friends is essential for mastering French and avoiding embarrassing mistakes. Practice using these words correctly and pay close attention to their meanings to improve your fluency.
References and Further Reading
Related Pages: