False friend
False friends are pairs of words in two languages that look or sound similar but differ in meaning.
Such words can cause difficulty for students learning a foreign language because the students are likely to misidentify the words based on knowledge of their native language. Comedy sometimes includes puns on false friends, which are considered particularly amusing if one of the two words is obscene.
From the etymological point of view, false friends can be created in several ways:
Since false friends are common problem for language learners, teachers sometimes compile lists of false friends as an aid for their students.
Even compilers of bilingual dictionaries are sometimes fooled by false friends, particularly when they are cognates. For example, the Spanish desgracia can on rare occasions mean "disgrace", but it usually means "misfortune". The best defense for the language student is to use a monolingual dictionary in the target language as a final authority.
See also Pseudo-Anglicism
The phrase "false friend" also means simply someone who appears to
be a friend, but is actually an enemy.
The phrase "false friend" is an old phrase.
It is found in William Shakespeare's Richard III,
act III scene i.
In it, Richard III tells Prince Edward:
Non-English word
Which resembles English
But actually means
accuser (French)
accuse
acknowledge (accuser réception = acknowledge receipt), although it can also mean "accuse" in other cases
actuel (French) and its cognates.
actual (Spanish) and
aktuell (German) actual
current
also (German)
also
thus
ask (Swedish)
ask
small box; ash (tree)
attendre (French)
attend
to wait for; to expect
bald (German)
bald
soon
beg (Manx)
big
little
bekommen (German)
become
obtain, get (compare English "come by")
beraten (German)
berate
give advice, discuss
Billion (German)
bilione (Italian
biljon (Swedish)billion
trillion (1012 or million millions. The English billion is in fact a false friend in German, Italian and Swedish and means "Milliarde" (109 or thousand millions)
block (Swedish)
Block (German)block
note pad
bond (French)
bond
leap, bound
brav (German)
brave
well-behaved
canto (Latin)
canto
I sing
casino (Italian)
casino
brothel
compromiso (Spanish)
compromise
promise
culte (French)
cult
worship (as in lieu de culte = house of worship)
demander (French)
to demand
to ask or request
die (German)
(to) die
the (female and plural too; example: the wife (die Ehefrau), the houses (die Häuser))
Dag (Hebrew)
dog
fish
Dom (German)
dome
cathedral
Douche (German)
douche
shower
egg (Swedish)
egg
edge of a cutting tool, such as knife edge
ego (Latin)
ego
I
engagerad (Swedish)
engaged
considered or involved in something
embarazada (Spanish)
embarrassed
pregnant
eventuell (German and Swedish)
eventually
maybe, perhaps
Fabrik (German)
fabrik (Swedish)fabric
factory
fack (Swedish)
fuck
trade union; branch; compartment
Fakt (German)
fucked
fact
Fahrt (German)
fart
journey; speed; trip, excursion, voyage
fart (Swedish)
fart
speed
fast (German)
fast
nearly, almost
fast (Swedish)
fast
firm, steady (compare "steadfast")
fat (發) (Cantonese)
fat
prosperity
flint (Swedish)
flint
bald head
foresto (Esperanto)
forest
absence
fort (French)
fort
strong
Futt (German)
foot
vulgar slang for vagina
Gift (German and Swedish)
gift[?]
poison
glass (Swedish)
glass
icecream
Glut (German)
glut
heat; glow; embers
greippi (Finnish)
grape
grapefruit
gren (Swedish)
green
branch
groin (French)
groin
snout
Gymnasium (German and Swedish)
gym(nasium)
high(er) school, grammar school
Handy (German)
handy
mobile phone, cell phone ("Handy" is not really German, it is artificial (pseudo-English) from English and German "hand", but most Germans think that the word is English). It's a Pseudo-anglicism.
he (היא) (Hebrew)
he
she
Hose (German)
hose
(pair of) trousers/pants
i (Latin)
I
go! (imperative)
is (Norwegian)
is
icecream
is (Latin)
is
you go
is (Swedish)
is
ice
it (Latin)
it
he/she/it goes
Kant
cunt
name of a famous German philosopher
Kaution (German)
caution
deposit, bail
Kind (German)
kind
child
Kinn (German)
kin
chin
kontrollieren (German)
kontroll (Swedish)control
check, examine
korn (Swedish)
corn
barley
List (German)
list
cunning; artfulness; ruse
main (French)
main
hand
mama (Georgian)
mother
father
me (麼) (Mandarin)
me
interrogative marker
merci (French)
mercy[?]
thank you
Mode (German)
mode
fashion, haute couture[?]
molestar (Spanish)
molest
bother, annoy
Mörder (German)
murder
murderer
once (Spanish)
once
eleven
or (French)
or
gold
ours (French)
ours
a bear
pathétique (French)
pathetic
emotional
pétulant (French)
petulant
playful
préservatif (French) (1)
preservative
condom
Prospekt (German)
prospect
brochure, leaflet
prospekt (Russian)
prospect
avenue
Rat (German)
rat
advice; council; councilor (U.S), councillor (Br.)
rester (French)
(to) rest
to stay; to remain
saikou (Japanese)
psycho
the best
sale (French)
sale
dirty
salivit (Latin)
salivate
he/she/it jumped
Sekt (German)
sect
champagne, sparkling wine
sensibel (German)
sensible (French)sensible
sensitive
she (舌) (Mandarin)
she
tongue
Smoking (German and Swedish)
smoking
dinner jacket (Br.), tuxedo (US.); but not smoking jacket
stark (German and Swedish)
stark
strong
strafen (German
strafe
punish
sum (Latin)
sum
I am
sympathisch (German)
sympatisk (Swedish)sympathetic
likeable, friendly
teknologi (Swedish)
technology
technology as a discipline
t'oi (台) (Hakka)
toy
tower
Unterstand (German)
understand
shelter; dugout; bunker
wanken (German)
wank
to sway
will (German)
vill (Swedish)will
want
winken (German)
wink
to wave
vrist (Swedish)
wrist
ankle
you (有) (Mandarin)
you
to have
External Links
Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
Your grace attended to their sugar'd words,
But look'd not on the poison of their hearts :
God keep you from them, and from such false friends!
To which Prince Edward replies:
God keep me from false friends! but they were none.