WORDS THAT LOOK LIKE ENGLISH BUT THEIR MEANING IS DIFFERENT ( FAUX AMIS )

ENGLISH   ⬤

FRENCH   ⬤

As I mention in my previous article that there are plenty of words in French that are either absolutely similar to English words or approximately same and we can identify their meaning.

However in French there are some words that look alike but actually their meaning is different. Such words are called faux amis (false friends). i have seen many students making mistake with some words.

1. Sensible 

Even it looks same but its meaning is different. In French sensible is equivalent too sensitive.

Example:

Mes dents sont Sensible. 

My teeth are sensitive.

Il est Sensible. Il pleure pour un rien en ce moment. 

he is sensitive. He crying for no reason at the moment. 

Sensibles meaning is reasonable in French.

Example:

mon fils est raisonnable, it ne fait rien le fou.

my son is Sensible. He does not make any thing wild.

2. Terrible - enormous 

il faut réviser terriblement avant l'examen. 

It is necessary to revise enormous before the exams.

Terrible  - horrible 

we cannot say 

❌  le temps était terrible.

we would say 

✔️ le temps était horrible pour toute la journée alors je n'ai pas pu aller au bureau. 

weather was terrible for whole day so I couldn't go to office. 

3. Excité is not always excited. it is a vulgar word in some contexts.

we can not say

Elle est éxcitée. it sounds vulgar.

 

but we can say

Elle est éxcitée à propos de son voyage à États-Unis. 

she is very excited about her trip to America. 

Here second part of the sentence tells about the sense of the éxcité.

4. Préservatif is is also another vulgar word. We can use conservateur or conservatrice rather than préservatif. 

5. Attend conjugated form of attendre

Which mean is to wait

In french we use ASSISTER to say attend.

Example:

Elle attend son ami.

She is waiting for his friend.

j'ai assisté le mariage de mon frère. 

I attended the wedding of my brother.

6. Pass / passer

In English pass is to clear the exam but in French the meaning of pass is to write the exam.

 We say 

Reussir l'exemen to pass the exam.

Example:

J'ai passé l'examen mais j'ai échoué.

I appeared for the exam but I filled.

7.  Personne 

We use personnes as an adverb and as a noun

But how to check if noun or adverb if there is an article placed before personne it means it is a noun but if there is no article it is adverb

 Example:

il n'y a personne 

There is nobody.

If person is used as an adverb its meaning is no one.

But if person is used as a noun its meaning is person.

il y a une personne. 

There is a person.

Here personne 's meaning is person. 

if personne is used as adverb it is faux ami but if it is used as noun its meaning is same as english.

8. Actuellement 

It is currently  not actually.

En fait is used for actually. 

Example:

En fait c'était une blague

Actually it was a joke. 

Example:

Actuellement je travaille comme une professeur.

Nowadays I am working as a teacher. 

9. Librarie is book shop not library. 

Example:

 j'ai acheté un livre de la librarie.

Library is bibliothèque in french.

1o. Éventuellement is not eventually in french. Its meaning is possibly, may or might.

Example: 

je crains d'être éventuellement en retard.

i'm afraid i might be late.

11. Location

Meaning of Location is renting.

Example:

Pour ceux qui ne peuvent pas acheter, la location peut être un bon moyen 

For those who can't buy, renting can be a good way