You’re in a supermarket and you wonder if the delicious cakes you’re looking at contain preservatives.
So you muster your courage, smile and ask the seller “excusez-moi, monsieur, est-ce que ces gâteaux contiennent des préservatifs ?”.
He bursts out laughing and you realise “préservatif” doesn’t mean what you think it means.
That’s an easy mistake, lots of words look the same in French and in English.
That similarity can help you as an English speaker, but words like “préservatifs” can also mislead you.
Welcome to the wonderful world of faux amis (false friends)
Préservatif
Be careful when asking whether food contains preservatives: in French, préservatifs means “condoms”.
Because when you ask for food without preservatives, you are actually asking for food without condoms.
The French word for “preservative” is “conservateur”.
Bras
If you hear a French person mention the word “bras”, don’t think you just met a pervert, because in French “bras” means “arm” not “bra”.
Blessé
The French word blessé looks a lot like “blessed”, but its meaning is radically different. It is the past participle of blesser and can also be an adjective or noun meaning “injured” or “wounded”.
Pain
“Pain” looks like an English word you know, but it actually means “bread”. The French word for “pain” is “douleur”.
Introduire
For an everyday introduction between people, use présenter: Je vous présente Marie. Introduire can mean “to insert” or “to bring in”; it also has formal senses involving admitting someone to a place, group, or another person’s presence.
Journée
You already know that “bonjour” literally means “good day”.
What you may not know is that there are two ways to say “day” in French: “jour” and “journée”.
Even though “journée” and “journey” have the same origin, these two words have a completely different meaning nowadays.
Point
In French, un point has many meanings, including a dot, a precise place, a point in a score, or a point under discussion. For a goal scored in football, use un but; for an aim or objective, use un but or un objectif.
Habit
In English a habit is something you regularly do, but in French “un habit” is simply an item of clothing.
Librairie
In French “une librairie” is a book shop and not a library. A library is “une bibliothèque”.
By the way, if you go to Paris make sure you visit the wonderful Shakespeare & Company book shop near Notre Dame.
Coin
“Un coin” means a corner and not a “coin”. If you want to talk about coins, use the word “monnaie” or “pièce” instead.
Pièce
Pièce can mean a coin, a room, a document, a play, or a piece or part of something. Context tells you which meaning is intended.
Monnaie
Talking about monnaie… In French it can mean currency, coinage, small change, or the change returned after a purchase. Argent is the usual general word for money.
Car
“Car” is a formal way to say “because” in French. If you want to translate the English word “car”, say “voiture” instead.
Location
If you get lost and want to ask where a building is located, don’t use the word “location”, because it means “rental”.
You can however use the word “emplacement”.
Actuellement
Some familiar French adverbs have similar-looking English equivalents:
- Naturellement naturally
- Accidentellement accidentally
- Exceptionnellement exceptionally
- etc
But “actuellement” doesn’t mean “actually”, it means “currently”.
Éventuellement
In standard French, including the usage recommended in Canada, éventuellement means “possibly” or “if the occasion arises”, not “eventually”. For “eventually”, use a phrase such as finalement, à terme, or tôt ou tard, depending on context.
Pub
Pub can be an informal shortening of publicité (advertisement), and it can also mean a British-style drinking establishment. Use the context to tell the senses apart.
Once again, context is king.
Déception
“Une déception” means a disappointment and not “a deception”. If you want to say “deception”, use the word “tromperie” instead.
Rester
“Rester” looks like the English verb “to rest”, but it actually means “to stay”. “To rest” is “se reposer”.
Attendre
Attendre means “to wait for”. To attend an event, use assister à: assister à un concert (to attend a concert).
Douche
No “douche” isn’t a way to insult someone in French. It simply means “shower”.
Grand
Grand can mean “tall” for a person, but it also commonly means “big”, “large”, “grown-up”, or “great”, depending on the noun and context.
Joli
In French “joli” means “pretty” and not “jolly”.
If you want to say “jolly”, use the word “joyeux” instead.
Bouton
“Bouton” does mean “button”, but it also means “pimple”, so make sure the meaning is as clear as your skin when you use it.
Sale
If you see that something is “sale”, it doesn’t mean it’s on sale, but rather that it’s dirty.
For a seasonal sale with reduced prices, use les soldes. The general word for a sale or selling is vente.
Envie
Avoir envie de is a common French expression meaning “to feel like” or “to want” something. The noun envie can also mean desire or envy. “Jealous” is jaloux or jalouse, while “envy” can be l’envie or la jalousie, depending on context.
Are you a victim of faux-amis?
Have you ever been caught out by a faux ami? Try making an example sentence with the French meaning to help you distinguish it from the English word.