{"id":21924,"date":"2015-04-20T14:50:15","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T12:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=21924"},"modified":"2017-10-23T14:58:17","modified_gmt":"2017-10-23T12:58:17","slug":"5-faux-amis-to-watch-out-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/5-faux-amis-to-watch-out-for\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Faux Amis to Watch Out For"},"content":{"rendered":"

Les faux amis<\/em>, or false friends, are words or phrases that look the same or very similar in one language, but differ greatly in meaning. These are also known, more technically, as false cognates.<\/p>\n

Les faux amis can be tricky for many levels of French learners and are made even trickier by the fact that English and French share so many\u00a0roots (and words). Many of these roots and words in English and French share similar meanings, so it can certainly be difficult to recognize the cases where they do not, in fact, mean the same thing. For example,\u00a0une librarie\u00a0<\/em>is a bookstore and not, in fact, a library (which would be une biblioth\u00e8que<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Here are five\u00a0common\u00a0faux amis<\/em>\u00a0(in all the examples below, the French word comes first, followed by the English word):<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Actuellement\/<\/em>actually<\/p>\n

This is, perhaps, the most common\u00a0faux ami<\/em>.\u00a0Actuellement<\/em> means “currently,” and the adjective\u00a0actuel\u00a0<\/em>means “current”. If you want to say “actually,” you could use\u00a0en fait\u00a0<\/em>instead.<\/p>\n

2. Pr\u00e9tendre<\/em>\/pretend<\/p>\n

In fact,\u00a0pret\u00e9ndre\u00a0<\/em>CAN mean “pretend,” but this is not its common meaning. Rather,\u00a0pret\u00e9ndre\u00a0<\/em>means to claim or assert something. For example, il pr\u00e9tend jouer au piano<\/em> means “he claims to play piano.” If you want to say “pretend” in French, use\u00a0faire semblant\u00a0<\/em>instead.<\/p>\n

3. Attendre<\/em>\/attend<\/p>\n

In French,\u00a0attendre\u00a0<\/em>means to “wait,” although it unfortunately sounds very much like the English word “attend.” If you would like to say that you are attending a conference, for example, you would use the verb\u00a0assister.\u00a0<\/em>For example: Elle assiste \u00e0 une conference aujourd’hui.<\/em><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Monnaie<\/em>\/money<\/p>\n

In French,\u00a0monnaie\u00a0<\/em>refers strictly to change or loose coins. It does not mean the more general concept of money. Rather, “money” in French would be\u00a0l’argent.<\/em><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Demander<\/em>\/demand<\/p>\n

Demander\u00a0<\/em>is the common verb used for “to ask.” It does not mean “demand,” which carries more force with it. If you want to say “demand” in French, use the verb\u00a0exiger<\/em>. You can also use it as an adjective: Elle est tr\u00e8s exigeante<\/em> means “she is very demanding.”<\/p>\n

Can you think of any other\u00a0faux amis?<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Les faux amis, or false friends, are words or phrases that look the same or very similar in one language, but differ greatly in meaning. These are also known, more technically, as false cognates. Les faux amis can be tricky for many levels of French learners and are made even trickier by the fact that…<\/p>\n

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