English-French False Friends | Beware the Tricky Translation!

What are the false cognates in English and French?

“Jean-François a de jolis bras!” Did you understand that sentence? No, it doesn’t mean that Jean-François has nice bras… Because “un bras” actually means “an arm” in France (and “une arme” is “a weapon” 🤯). Yes, the language of the holy baguette is tricky. 😜

Sometimes the translation isn’t what you think it is! And it can really mislead conversations. Want to discover the main English-French false friends? Here we go!

Examples of false friends in French

Btw, what is a false friend? Also known as a faux ami, it’s a word in a foreign language that looks like a word in your own language, but has a different meaning.

10 common English-French false friends 

Actuellement vs actually

If I had to name just one French false cognate, this would be it! It’s the one I hear most often from my students. Time to set the record straight: 

• Actuellement translates to “currently”. 

• If you mean “actually”, you should say en fait.

Caractère vs character

Le caractère refers to personality in Francophone countries, whereas “a character” in English can also mean a fictional person in a movie or book for example. So, don’t get confused when talking about someone’s "caractère" - you’re not describing a movie star! 😉

Magasin vs magazine

Beware of the pronunciation here:

• le magasin = the store 

• le magazine = the same thing as in English 

In the first case, you pronounce it “magazɛ̃” 👛, and in the second, it’s “magaZEEN”.

Faire les courses vs take courses

Here too, the pronunciation changes the meaning of the phrases:

• prendre des cours = to take lessons

• faire les courses = to do groceries 

In the first case, you pronounce it “couR”, and in the second case “courSS”. 🛒

Attendre vs to attend

This one can be confusing for English speakers: 

• attendre = to wait

“Elle attend une lettre de sa correspondante française.”

• assister à = to attend

“Elle assiste à une conférence sur l’intelligence artificielle.”

Rester vs to rest

“Cette fête est trop géniale ! Je vais rester jusqu’à 2 heures du matin !” 

Does this sentence confuse you? If you think rester means "to take a nap", you’ve been fooled by the false friend! In fact, rester means "to stay," not "to rest." In this example, the person is going to stay at the party until 2 a.m. (hopefully not for napping 😂). So, next time you feel like having a nap, use se reposer instead! Remember:

• rester = to stay

• se reposer = to rest

Passer vs to pass

You passed your exams in France… but did you really? 😉 Be careful with the nuances:

• passer un examen = to take an exam

• réussir un examen = to pass an exam

“Il avait peur de passer l’examen de français, mais il a réussi.”

Collège vs college 

Le collège in France is the school you go to between ages 11 and 15. The equivalent in Australia would be middle school. So don’t be surprised if you hear “Ma fille a 11 ans et elle entre au collège!” It does not mean French children are geniuses. 😂

Crier vs to cry

• crier = to shout, scream

• pleurer = to cry

“Il crie souvent, mais il ne pleure jamais.”

Assister à vs to assist

• assister à = to attend

• aider quelqu’un = to assist someone

“Il a aidé sa sœur à faire ses devoirs.”

Special cases

Depending on your country of origin, certain words can be misleading:

• une entrée = a starter

• le plat principal = the main dish

• des chips = packaged chips

• des frites = an actual serving of hot chips, also known as French fries (even though they’re actually Belgian 🍟😅)

Funny false friends in French

Préservatif vs preservative

Watch out for this one! 

• un préservatif = a condom 

• un conservateur = a preservative

Take a look at the cute story of this woman, who tried to order preservative-free wine in a Parisian restaurant… I’ll let you guess how it all turned out!

Le bras vs the bra

Remember the story of Jean-François and his nice “bras”? Let’s clear that up: 

• le bras = the arm

• le soutien-gorge = the bra

So, next time you compliment someone’s arms in French, be careful not to give them the wrong idea!

Une affaire vs an affair

“Antoine a beaucoup d’affaires à la maison! Sa femme n’est pas contente.”

I can already hear you judging Antoine, but I swear it’s not what you think! No, Antoine is not having multiple affairs at home… 😂 He’s just very messy, because he has a lot of stuff! 

• les affaires = the stuff

• une liaison / une tromperie = an affair

Une blanquette vs a blanket

Imagine, you’re at a cozy apéro in France, and it’s a bit chilly... so you ask for a blanket. Well, be careful, because before you know it, you might end up with a veal stew in front of you instead! 

• une blanquette = a stew made with light meat such as veal

• une couverture, un plaid = a blanket

Awkward consequences of English-French false friends

Avoid faux ami slip-ups in conversation

Making mistakes with false cognates can sometimes lead to awkward (yet hilarious) moments! Remember the story of Jean-François and his beautiful “bras”? Or the woman trying to order wine without “préservatif”? While these mistakes can be cute and funny at first, they can quickly become frustrating!

But be patient with yourself - it’s totally normal to mix up words when learning a foreign language! And if you’re looking to level up, it’s important to be aware of these tricky words at some point. Practicing French regularly in real-life situations can help you spot those faux amis early on.

➡️ By the way, if you're in Melbourne, you’re welcome to join our French conversation group here in Carlton and have some fun while learning. 🙂

Beware of false cognates during a French exam

It’s very important to spot French false cognates early on while preparing for an exam. For example, correctly using words like these will definitely impress your teacher:

• en fait = actually (very useful to express your opinion)

“En fait, je pense que Bordeaux est plus intéressante que Paris.” 

“En fait, je ne suis pas d’accord…”

• actuellement, en ce moment = currently

“Actuellement, j’étudie le français à l’école.”

“C’est le Printemps actuellement en France!”

I insist on these two because actuellement is so often misused… It’s a classic! And it’s the kind of details that show you’ve mastered the subtleties of the language. They can sometimes make the difference.

➡️ Don’t hesitate to book a lesson with one of our tutors to help you prepare for an exam like the VCE or DELF! 🏋️

Have you ever made a mistake because of a faux-ami? If so, how did you handle it? The list of faux amis is huuuuge, so here’s a little challenge for you: 

Add a false friend to the article by dropping a comment! So it will help spread awareness among the courageous French learners community. 😉

Camille Alayrangues