10 Common False Friends (French-English)

French and English share a whole lot in common!

They are both Indo-European languages, both have a great deal of Latin and Greek loanwords, not to mention English has borrowed quite a bit of vocabulary from Norman French.

However, it's important to know that some words, although nearly identical in spelling, have developed different meanings in both languages.

Verbs

attendre - to wait
ex: J'attends le métro.

assister - to attend, to be at
ex: Vas-tu assister au concert?

commander - to order
ex: On veut commander de la pizza.

demander - to ask
ex: Puis-je vous demander l'heure?

Nouns

affaires (n.f) - belongings (1), business (2)
ex1: Ne touche pas à mes affaires!
ex2: Elle est partie en voyage d'affaires.

bras (n.m.) - arm
ex: Ton bras est très long.

déception (n.f.) - disappointment
ex: Quelle déception!

envie (n.f.) - desire, wish
ex: J'ai envie de danser.

coin (n.m.) - corner
ex: Je t'attends au coin de la rue.

librairie - bookstore (US), bookshop (UK)
ex: Il travaille dans une librairie.
Bibliothèque (n.f.) = library

I hope you find this list to be helpful!


Merci et à bientôt!




9 juillet 2020
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Antoine Laflamme

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Parle:
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Langue maternelle
,
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C1
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Espagnol
C1
,
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B2
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Amharique
Having grown up in a multilingual environment, multilingualism has always been a part of my everyday life, and I've embraced this fully! On top of my native French and English, I'm fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Danish and can get by in quite a few other languages. I am passionate about language and teaching and know what it's like to be both a learner and a teacher. This gives me valuable insight and means I am patient and understanding of the many challenges that come with learning a new language. I'm also well-travelled and enjoy learning about new cultures. I enjoy helping people, be it with languages, tourist information or finding the right language book! Having studied Geography, Hispanic Studies and Translation at university, as well as having self-studied Linguistics means that I am knowledgeable about a variety of topics related to language and culture. 
Flag
Français
globe
Canada
time
562
Parle:
Français
Langue maternelle
,
Anglais
Langue maternelle
,
Portugais
C1
,
Espagnol
C1
,
Danois
B2
,
Italien
B2
,
Amharique
Having grown up in a multilingual environment, multilingualism has always been a part of my everyday life, and I've embraced this fully! On top of my native French and English, I'm fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Danish and can get by in quite a few other languages. I am passionate about language and teaching and know what it's like to be both a learner and a teacher. This gives me valuable insight and means I am patient and understanding of the many challenges that come with learning a new language. I'm also well-travelled and enjoy learning about new cultures. I enjoy helping people, be it with languages, tourist information or finding the right language book! Having studied Geography, Hispanic Studies and Translation at university, as well as having self-studied Linguistics means that I am knowledgeable about a variety of topics related to language and culture. 
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