17 false cognates in French to look out for

Learn French with Lingoda

How it works

What are cognates?

A few examples of cognates are:

• English: hospital ---> Spanish: hospital
• English: problem ---> French: problème
• English: brother ---> German: Bruder

Cognates can be of various types:

• True cognates: Words that look and mean the same thing across languages ('actor' works for both English and Spanish)
• Borrowed cognates: Words adopted from one language into another ('restaurant' is a French term that was absorbed by English and is now part of its vocabulary)
• False cognates: The topic of our article and specifically, words that look similar but have different meanings (embarazada in Spanish means "pregnant," not "embarrassed").

While false cognates in French or any other language feel tricky, true and borrowed cognates add real value to language learning.

• They facilitate comprehension. Be it oral or written, they can help you deduce meanings of unfamiliar content and words.
• If you understand faster what a word means, you'll also retain it quicker and expand your vocabulary leveraging your pre-existing knowledge of a familiar language.
• They reduce the cognitive load. Similar words with similar meanings equal reduced effort in memorizing new words.

Understanding false cognates in French ('faux amis')

We briefly mentioned that false cognates are words in two languages that look similar but have different meanings. The reason for that is because, despite appearances, two faux amis don't actually have the same etymological origin in the context of their current meaning.

How did these linguistic coincidences occur?

1. Over time, words that originally shared a common root or meaning have diverged in usage or interpretation in their respective languages.
2. In the case of false cognates in French, English borrowed many words from the language spoken across the channel. As these borrowed words were integrated into English, they sometimes acquired new meanings distinct from their original French sense.
3. Some false cognates are purely coincidental and in reality, they don't share a common linguistic origin at all.
4. Social and cultural contexts often shape how words are used, leading to different connotations.

Common French-English false cognates

1. Attendre/attend

The French verb attendre looks like the English “attend.” In French, it means “to wait” or “to expect.” This one can be a bit confusing because “attend” has a number of different meanings in English, but the most common ones (e.g. “to be present at” or “to deal with”) don’t mean quite the same thing as in French.

So, why is it important to know this faux ami between English and French? Because the French often use this verb to describe women who are pregnant and expecting a baby (attendre un enfant)!  

2. Blessé/blessed

French is a secular country, so you might be surprised to hear the word blessé used fairly often. In actual fact, this French word means “hurt.” “Blessed” in the religious sense would be translated as béni. 

3. Bouton/button

Bouton is an interesting French false cognate because one of its meanings is indeed “button” — as is the case in English. But this word also has another meaning: “spots.” So don’t be too confused the next time you hear your friend complaining about boutons on her face.

4. Bras/bra 

If you’re at a gym in France and the fitness instructor asks you to raise your bras, don’t panic! This is simply the French word for “arms.” The French word for an actual bra is soutien-gorge, which is good to know if you love all things French fashion.

Learn French with Lingoda

How it works

5. Chat/chat

Many people in France love to have a chat with friends over drinks. They just tend not to call it that. To describe an exchange of casual chatter, you should use the word bavarder instead. The French word chat is a false friend with its English counterpart because it actually means “cat.”

6. Chips/chips

For any snack lovers out there, this is important: Chips in French are actually potato chips! The French word for chips, as in “French fries,” is frites. This will come in handy the next time you’re ordering food in a restaurant or from a street vendor.

7. Collège/college 

This French false cognate can definitely cause some confusion among language learners. In the United States, a college is a four-year educational institution you attend after finishing high school. In France, collège is the school you attend from the ages of 11 to 15, roughly. After that, students attend lycée until graduating at 18. 

8. Embrasser/embrace

This faux ami in French and English could cause quite a stir. Embrasser is the French verb for “kiss” — quite a different way to show affection in some parts of the world than a friendly hug! 

9. Journée/journey

Journée is probably one of the first words you’ll learn as a beginner in French.It means “day.” This is a great example of a French false cognate because it doesn’t have the same meaning as the English word “journey,” though you might say that the earth takes a journey around the sun every day. To describe a trip of this kind in French, you’re better off calling it a voyage. 

10. Libraire/library

This faux ami in French and English is an important one for book lovers. Since it’s especially confusing for some, here’s a small table to clarify things.

Librairie	Bookstore
Bibliothèque	Library

11. Pain/pain

If you’re in the unfortunate situation of having to visit a doctor in France, make sure you understand this false friend in French and English. Pain in French means “bread,” whereas the word for “something that hurts” is douleur. 

12. Passer/pass

When your French friend uses the phrase passer un examen, don’t start jumping for joy and congratulating them. The verb passer means “to sit” or “to take” rather than “to pass an exam.”  Hopefully, your friend will do well — but they don’t have their results just yet.

13. Préservatif/preservative 

This French false cognate is a favorite among French language learners because it can easily cause many hilarious misunderstandings. While the English word refers to a substance or chemical added to food to increase its shelf life, the French word préservatif is a condom! 

14. Rater/rate

After your friend a passé un examen (see above), you might be confused if they tell you later that they a raté un examen. This does not mean that they rated or graded an exam. Rater is a French verb that means “to fail.” In other contexts, it also means “to miss” (e.g. rater le bus).

Learn French with Lingoda

How it works

15. Sensible/sensible 

Our last false friend in French is sensible. This French word most closely translates to “sensitive” in English. If you want to describe someone who’s reasonable or has a good head on their shoulders, use raisonnable. 

16. Caméra/camera

While both of these nouns refer to a tool to create memories and capture a moment, caméra in French is a video camera, to shoot home movies or record your holiday adventures. A camera, in English, is only used to take photos either digitally or, if you love developing your own film, analogically.

17. Grave/grave

A spooky false cognate in French is that involving on one hand a grave (in English, they place where you bury a person) and someone who has a seemingly grave appearance (meaning 'serious' or 'heavy' in French). See the examples:

• Ses blessures sont très graves. (He's got some serious/heavy injuries.)
• Il avait l'air grave et soucieux. (Il avait l'air grave et soucieux.)

"Grave !" is also used in conversational French to agree with someone:

Tu veux aller au cinéma ce soir ? Mais grave ! (Do you want to go to the cinema tonight? Totally!)

Tips for navigating false cognates in French

You'll always risk coming across false cognates, especially the more you dive into the French language. To avoid mistakes when it comes to using them, here are a few tips:

1. Memorize the most common false cognates in French, like actuellement ≠ "actually" or librairie ≠ "library".
2. Engage in active practice of these false friends. With Lingoda's French courses, you'll have at your disposal native-level teachers, available to give you feedback and explain live the context of use of French expressions and tricky vocabulary.
3. Learn idiomatic expressions like 'passer un examen' ("to take an exam," not "to pass an exam") to use these French false cognates in the right context.

FAQS

What is the difference between true cognates and false cognates?

True cognates are words that look and mean the same thing across languages (actor both in English and Spanish) and false cognates are words that look similar but have different meanings (embarazada in Spanish means "pregnant," not "embarrassed").

What are some common French-English false cognates to be aware of?

In addition to what we listed, beware of actuellement (currently) ≠ actually, introduire (to insert) ≠ to introduce, la location (rental/hire) ≠ location, la main (the hand) ≠ main and rester (to remain, to stay) ≠ to rest.

Do other languages have false cognates with French?

Yes, many languages have false cognates with French. Some examples are:

• Spanish - salir in Spanish means "to leave," but salir in French means "to dirty or soil."
• Italian - camera in Italian means "room," while in French, caméra refers to a "camera."
• Portuguese - pasta in Portuguese means "folder" or "briefcase," but in French, pâte refers to "dough" or "paste."

Clear as mud 

As you can see, French false cognates can be quite confusing. We hope this article has clarified a few of the most common ones and helped you to understand that everything is not always what it seems. But even if you do use the incorrect word every once in a while, don’t worry — it’s always sure to give a native French speaker a good laugh! 

Learn French with Lingoda

How it works