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:
- Cognates:
- If Language A borrowed a word from Language B, then in Language B the word shifted in meaning, a native speaker of language A will face a false friend when learning language B.
- False cognates:
- In certain cases, false friends were created separately in the two languages
- some false friends are simply homonyms with no relation between them whatsoever. They happened due to sheer coincidence.
- e.g., the Latin is, the Chinese you, and the German Rat.
- Pseudo-anglicisms:
- Pseudo-angliscisms are artificially-created constructions of words with elements borrowed from English but the morphemes of which do not actually exist in English.
- e.g., German: "Twen" for anyone in their "twenties" or the age itself, or "fesch" for smart, natty, chic, attractive or dashing which originated in the English "fashionable".
- Pseudo-angliscisms are artificially-created constructions of words with elements borrowed from English but the morphemes of which do not actually exist in English.
| 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) |
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 |
| 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 |
- The words Präservativ (German), prezerwatywa (Polish) are derived from the French préservatif (which means both "preservative" and "condom") and all false friends of the word name. This is an example of how in one language, a word can acquire an additional meaning which is not shared by other languages.
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
External Links
- German/English false friends
- Spanish/English false friends
- French/English false friends
- Japanese/English false friends
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:
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.