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In it, Richard III tells Prince Edward:
From the etymological point of view, false friends can be created in several ways:
| Non-English word | Which resembles English | But actually means
|
|---|---|---|
| abbé (French) | abbey | priest or abbot
|
| accuser (French) | accuse | acknowledge (accuser réception = acknowledge receipt), although it can also mean "accuse" in other cases
|
| actual (Spanish) actueel (Dutch) aktuala (Esperanto) actuel (French) aktuell (German) attuale(Italian) | actual | current
|
| adepte (French) | adept (proficient) | follower
|
| administré (French) | administered | citizen
|
| ado (French) | ado (fuss) | short for adolescent
|
| affluent (French) | affluent (wealthy) | tributary (of a river)
|
| After (German) | after | anus
|
| agencé (French) | agency | laid out or arranged
|
| agent (French) | agent | officer, police officer, agent
|
| ail (French) | ail (sicken) | garlic
|
| aimer (French) | to aim | to love or to like
|
| aire (French) | air | area (mathematics)
|
| alerte (French) | alert | agile, alert
|
| also (German) | also | thus
|
| allure (French) | allure (the power to attract) | speed, bearing
|
| alto (French) | alto (singer) | viola, alto (singer)
|
| ananas (French) | bananas | pineapple
|
| ânon (French) | anon (short for anonymous) | baby donkey
|
| apologie (French) | apology | praise, vindication
|
| appoint (French) | appoint | (extra) contribution or help
|
| arc (French) | arc, ark | bow (weapon), arc
|
| arme (French) | arm (body part) | weapon
|
| ask (Swedish) | ask | small box; ash (tree)
|
| assortie (French) | assorted | matched, matching
|
| assister (French) | assist | attend
|
| atendi (Esperanto) attendere (Italian) 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
|
| bilione (Italian) biljon (Swedish) Billion (German) billion (French) and (Norwegian) billón (Spanish) | billion | American 'trillion' (1012 or million million). The American English billion is in fact a false friend in German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish and means "Milliarde" (109 or thousand million) Formerly did not apply to British English or where English was taught as a foreign language, but this is changing - see billion.
|
| bloc (Spanish) Block (German) block (Swedish) | block | note pad
|
| bond (French) | bond | leap, bound
|
| bras (French) | bra(ssiere)s | arm (the body part)
|
| brav (German) | brave | well-behaved
|
| brushing (French) | to brush | a blow-dry (hairdresser's)
|
| brutaal (Dutch) | brutal | bold
|
| canto (Latin, Italian or Spanish) | canto | I sing
|
| car (French) | car | bus or coach, because
|
| casino (Italian) | casino | brothel
|
| chair (French) | chair | flesh
|
| chat (French) | chat (conversation) | cat
|
| check (Swedish) | check | bank cheque
|
| compromiso (Spanish) | compromise | promise
|
| constipado (Spanish) | constipated | (a) cold
|
| corne (French) corno (Italian) | corn | horn
|
| crayon (French) | crayon | pencil (a wax crayon is crayon de cire)
|
| 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 (feminine and plural article; example: the wife (die Ehefrau), the houses (die Häuser))
|
| dick (German) | dick (slang for the penis or a detective) also short for Richard, e.g. in idiom (every) Tom Dick and Harry | fat, thick
|
| dag (דג) (Hebrew) | dog | fish
|
| Dom (German) | dome | cathedral
|
| egg (Swedish) | egg | edge of a cutting tool, such as knife edge
|
| ego (Latin) | ego | I
|
| empirer (French) | empire | to become worse
|
| engagerad (Swedish) | engaged | considered or involved in something
|
| embarazada (Spanish) | embarrassed | pregnant
|
| entrée (French) | entrée | entrance, or appetizer
|
|
etichetta (Italian) etiket (Dutch) Etikett (German) etiqueta (Spanish) étiquette (French) | etiquette | label (can also mean etiquette in French or Spanish, but is mostly used as label)
|
| eventualmente (Spanish and Italian)
eventueel (Dutch) eventuell (German and Swedish) éventuellement (French) | eventually | maybe, perhaps, possibly
|
| éxito (Spanish) | exit | success
|
| fabbrica (Italian)
fábrica (Spanish) fabriek (Dutch) Fabrik (German) fabrik (Swedish) fabrika (Serbian) fabrique (French) | fabric | factory (compare 'fabricate') Possible origin due to large Victorian factories producing woven fabric.
|
| facilidad (Spanish) | facility | ease
|
| Fahrt (German) Vaart (Dutch) | fart | German: journey; speed; trip, excursion, voyage Dutch: similar, but only used for ships
|
| far (Swedish) | far | father
|
| fart (Swedish) | fart | speed
|
| fast (German) | fast | nearly, almost
|
| fast (Swedish) | fast | firm, steady (compare "steadfast")
|
| fat (Swedish) | fat | (dinner) plate
|
| fat (發) (Cantonese) | fat | prosperity
|
| fattoria (Italian) | factory | farm
|
| flint (Swedish) | flint | bald head
|
| foresto (Esperanto) | forest | absence
|
| fort (French) forte (Italian) | fort | strong (but can also mean fort)
|
| Gift (German) Gif (Dutch) | gift | poison
|
| gift (Swedish) | gift | married, poison
|
| glass (Swedish) | glass | icecream
|
| Glut (German) | glut | heat; glow; embers
|
| greippi (Finnish) | grape | grapefruit
|
| gren (Swedish) | green | branch
|
| grippe (French) | grip (hold) or gripe (complaint) | influenza
|
| groin (French) | groin | snout
|
| Gymnasium (German and Swedish) | gym(nasium) | high(er) school, grammar school (see Secondary education)
|
| 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
|
| Island (Swedish and German) Islande (French) | island | Iceland
|
| it (Latin) | it | he/she/it goes
|
| caution (French) Kaution (German) | caution | deposit, bail
|
| kid (Swedish) | kid | fawn
|
| killa (Swedish) | kill | tickle, scratch
|
| Kind (German) | kind | child
|
| Kinn (German) | kin | chin
|
| kontroll (Swedish) kontrollieren (German) | control | check, examine
|
| korn (Swedish) | corn | barley
|
| kraft (Swedish) | craft | power, strength
|
| last (Swedish) | last | load (transport)
|
| lime (French) | lime | file (the tool)
|
| Limo (German) | limo | lemonade
|
| limpa (Swedish) | limp | loaf (bread), carton of cigarette packages
|
| List (German) list (Swedish) | list | cunning, artfulness, ruse
|
| lump (Swedish) | lump | discarded fabric
|
| main (French) | main | hand
|
| mama (Georgian) | mother | father
|
| me (Finnish) | me | we
|
| me (麼) (Mandarin) | me | interrogative marker
|
| merci (French) | mercy | thank you
|
| mille (French) | million, mile | thousand, mile
|
| miséricorde (French) | misery | mercy, forgiveness
|
| miting (Serbian) | meeting | political demonstration
|
| Mode (German) mode (Swedish) | mode | fashion, haute couture
|
| Mörder (German) | murder | murderer
|
| nai (ναι) (Greek) | nay, no | yes
|
| novell (Swedish) | novel | short story
|
| on (Serbian) | on | he
|
| once (Spanish) | once
| eleven |
| or (French) | or | gold, now (introducing second proposition of a syllogism)
|
| ours (French) | ours | a bear
|
| pathétique (French) | pathetic | emotional
|
| pétulant (French) | petulant | playful
|
| pomme (French) | Pommie, Pom (see Alternate words for British) | apple
|
| pregnant (Swedish) prägnant (German) | pregnant | short but informative; remarkable, prominent
|
| préservatif (French) (1) | preservative | condom
|
| Prospekt (German) | prospect | brochure, leaflet
|
| prospekt (Swedish) | prospect | prospectus, document or brochure detailing an offer (usually from a travel agent)
|
| prospekt (Russian) | prospect | avenue
|
| Prozess (German) process (Swedish) | process | trial (at court)/(in Swedish mainly used to denote process but also means trial)
|
| queue (French) | queue | tail
|
| Rat (German) | rat | advice; council; councilor (U.S.), councillor (Br.)
|
| rest (Swedish) reste (French) | rest | remainder
|
| restar (Spanish) | (to) rest | to subtract
|
| rester (French) restare (Italian) | (to) rest | to stay; to remain
|
| roman (French and Swedish) | Roman | novel
|
| saikou (Japanese) | psycho | the best
|
| sale (French) | sale | dirty
|
| sale (Italian) | sale | salt
|
| sale (Spanish) | sale | goes out
|
| salivit (Latin) | salivate | he/she/it jumped
|
| secte (French) | sect | cult
|
| Sekt (German) | sect | champagne, sparkling wine
|
| sensibel (German) sensibile (Italian) sensible (French and Spanish) | sensible | sensitive
|
| she (舌) (Mandarin) | she | tongue
|
| Smoking (German) smoking (Swedish and Spanish) | smoking | dinner jacket (Br.), tuxedo (U.S.); but not smoking jacket
|
| son (Spanish) | son | (they) are
|
| son (French) | son | sound; bran; his/her (masculine thing possessed)
|
| soy (Spanish) | soya, soybean | (I) am
|
| stark (German and Swedish) | stark | strong
|
| stor (Swedish) | store | big, large
|
| stout (Dutch) | stout | naughty
|
| strafen (German) | strafe | punish
|
| sum (Latin) | sum | I am
|
| simpatico(Italian) simpático (Spanish) sympathique (French) sympathisch (German) sympatisk (Swedish) | sympathetic | likeable, friendly
|
| teknologi (Swedish) | technology | technology as a discipline
|
| to (Serbian) | to (in writing) | that
|
| tu (Serbian) | to (in reading) | there
|
| t'oi (台) (Hakka) | toy | tower
|
| Unterstand (German) | (to) understand | shelter; dugout; bunker
|
| vi (Serbian) | we (in reading) | you
|
| wanken (German) | (to) wank | to sway; to succumb; to fall
|
| Webseite (German) | web site | web page
|
| wer (German) | where | who
|
| will (German) vill (Swedish) | will | want
|
| vink (Swedish) | wink | hint, wave (salutation)
|
| winken (German) | wink | to wave
|
| wo (German) | who, woe | where
|
| vrist (Swedish) | wrist | ankle
|
| you (有) (Mandarin) | you | to have
|
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