HOW many times have you gone completely blank when searching for a word in French?
There are many words that can trip up someone learning French as they look or sound like English words and there is also the temptation; if in doubt say it with a French accent.
I have friends who have committed howlers when it comes to getting things wrong and I will admit I too have made errors, so I now keep a little book featuring some of the words that are known as ‘faux amis’.
One word that I have seen confuse unsuspecting British drivers is on a signpost to a place of historical interest near my home, which is accessed by a hill. The signpost says Interdit aux cars.
I have seen British cars stop abruptly and search for a parking place in the hilly village. But a car in France is a coach and a motorcar is une voiture.
I will share my list with you and I am sure there are people who will want to add to it. The words are just not words that can confuse when read but those that can confuse when heard.
The first word is the English with its French translation, followed by the French and its English translation:
Actually: En fait, à vrai dire, vraiment
Actuellement: At present, now, nowadays, at the moment, in this day and age.
Agenda: Ordre du jour
Un agenda: A diary
Amend: Modifier
Une amende: A fine, a penalty
Attend (something): Assister à
Attendre: To wait
To assist (someone): Aider
A car: Une voiture
Un car: Coach or bus (car can also mean because or for)
To chat: Bavarder
Un chat: A cat
Comprehensive: Complète
Compréhensif: Understanding
Courier: Coursier (from courser – to chase)
Courrier: Mail, post , letters
To delay: Retarder
Un délai: Extension, time limit or waiting period
To demand: Exiger de
Demander: To ask
A desk: Un bureau (in an office)
Un pupitre (in a school)
La réception (in a hotel)
Le comptoir (at an airport)
Effectively: Efficacement
Effectivement: Indeed
Engine: Moteur
Engin: A device
Evenutual: Finalement
Éventuel: Possible
Eventually: Finalement
Éventuellement: Possibly
Evidently (as in obviously): De toute évidence, manifestement, visiblement
Evidedemment: Naturally, of course
Forcibly: De/par la force
Forcément: Obviously as in inevitably, not necessarily
Gentle: Doux, Douce
Gentil: Nice, kind
To harass: Harceler
Un haras: A stud farm
Justly: Justement, avec justesse
Justement: As a matter of fact, funnily enough. (Said alone – exactly! precisely!)
Lecture: Conférence
Lecture: Reading
Library: Bibliothéque
Librarie: Bookshop
Location: Endroit
Location: Rental
Malicious: Malveillante
Malicieux: Mischievious
A mare (female horse): Une jument
Une mare: A pond
Mess: Désordre
Une messe: A church mass
Mice: Des souris
Maïs (pronounced mice): Maize, corn
Occasion: Occasion (for an event – événement)
Occasion: On occasions, sometimes, (also second hand bargain)
Pain: La douleur, la souffrance
Du pain: Some bread
Une peine (pronounced pain): Sorrow, sadness, effort, punishment
Parking: Stationnement
Parking: Car Park
To pass an exam: Réussir un examen,
Passer un examen: To sit an exam
Petrol: Essence
Pétrole: Oil
A preservative: Un conservateur
Un préservatif: A condom (also as an adjective preventive, protective)
Resume: Reprendre
Résumer: Summarize
To see: Voir
Si: If, yes
Sensible: Raisonnable
Sensible: Sensitive
On stage: Sur scene
Un stage: Work experience, training course
To support: Soutenir
Supporter: To stand
Sympathetic: Compatissant
Sympathique: Nice or kind
A verger: Un bedeau
Un verger: An orchard
What are some of your own favourite ‘faux amis’ and if you have a tale to tell of being caught out then please leave a comment below.
Comments
15 responses to “False friends, not people but words”
The one I still have to think twice about is ‘magasin’ as I am forever mixing it up between a shop and a magazine!
Oh dear, this makes me cringe. I made the “preservatives” gaffe at my daughter’s nursery. Safe-sex raisins anyone?
Here are some more:
http://redwhiteandbleu.blogspot.com/2008/09/lost-in-translation.html
I am going to print this off – thank you! The safe-sex raisins made me laugh!
Reading through it I realised that I called my horse, Olga, a ‘pond’ the other day.
if you type “faux amis” into French Yahoo, you ll get dozens of lists, and be surprised by the many unsuspected false friends!
In the 60’s i worked at the classified desk at the Paris Herald Tribune. It often amused me to have to explain to French advertisers that “Importante Société recherche employée…” is not “Important society researches employee..” but “Large company seeks…”
Those ‘faux amis’ can work both ways, OUCH!
The French use beau-père for both father in law and step father as they use belle mère for mother in law and step mother, how they do like to confuse!
I did tell our neighbour only last week that we would be making a garden where he parks his car ‘éventuellement’. I had this lurking feeling it didn’t mean ‘eventually’ but ploughed on regardless. Never mind – not too hideously embarrassing – he will have got the message that he can’t expect to park in front of our barn for ever. This is a really useful list of the sorts of words we use frequently. I’m pleased to say I knew most of them, but a few new ones for the spreadsheet (yes, I too keep a list 🙂
Should you decide to marry a French person, he or she will be told that you, as a foreigner, need to provide a “certificat de célibat”. It does not mean that you your embassy has to vouch for your chastity, only that you are unmarried (“celibataire”). I learned this the hard way:-)
http://www.mairie4-en-ligne.paris.fr/mairie4enligne/jsp/site/Portal.jsp?page_id=194
I used to live in France and I remember a party when some delightful English guests arrived calling out LES ANGLAIS SONT ARRIVES! (In French, this means something totally different: it’s that time of the month for ladies… More interesting would be to discover where the expression came from!). Needless to say our friends were mortified and never forgot!
I too gave the advice to an Englishman always to try the English word with an accentuated French accent,,! Result? He decided that his favourite meal of sausages was orderable in France by the use of “sausaache” with the waiter!
I noticed on the comments above the mention of “magasin” – in fact somebody who works in the store section of a company is called a “magasinier(e)” implying that they work in the magasin, but they’re not sales people!
Another interesting “baff” is to talk about “Lettres Anglais” – If you don’t mean the colloquial French for a “French letter”(condom) then talk about a “lettre EN Anglais!” Funnily enough, the Germans call a condom a “Pariser” – wonder why?
Don’t forget the most famous one – “Je vais vous tuer” (“I am going to kill you”) instead of “tutoyer” (meaning “I am going to use the personal – tu – instead of vous”). Leads to all sorts of problems and amusement..!
But the French tend to be so pleased to hear you at least TRYING, that they “overlook” the errors – generally!
A common Brit gaffe in wine areas is:
grape: un raisin
une grappe: a bunch (e.g. of grapes)
but in the Lot & Garonne our staple industry gives rise to:
prune: un pruneau
une prune: a plum.
and the whole of the l’Hexagone knows that “un pet” is not a favourite animal!
What a rich furrow we plough! A friend recently caused consternation when she referred to an Austrian as an “autruche” (ostrich) rather than the more usual “Autrichien”. My own recent attempt at conversation with a young waiter met with bemused looks until my wife spotted my gender howler. We had just come from a walk on the beach with our greyhound and stopped off for a drink. The waiter was giving the dog a stroke and was surprised to hear me explain that “il n’aime pas le maire”. Of course, it was “la mer” that the dog wasn’t keen on. Tant pis.
Some great stories here, many thanks all.
Craig
Hello there !
An answer to Carol : the french expression “Les Anglais sont arrivés” refers to the bright, blood-red color of the uniform worn by English soldiers during the 19th century.
Hi Pierre-André, now that is interesting! Many thanks, Craig