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!




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