French-English False Cognates - Faux amis

One of the great things about learning French or English is that many words have the same roots in the Romance languages and English. However, there are also a great many faux amis, or false cognates, which look similar but are in fact very different. This is one of the biggest pitfalls for students of French. There are also semi-false cognates: words that can only sometimes be translated by the similar word in the other language.

I regularly add new false cognates to this alphabetical list, with explanations of what each word means and how it can be correctly translated into the other language. Because some of the words are identical in the two languages, the French word appears in purple and the English in green.
 

Newest faux amis

Are vs Are

Are refers to an area of one hundred square meters.
Are is a conjugation of "to be" (être): we are (nous sommes), you are (vous êtes), they are (ils sont).

Fronde vs Frond

Fronde is a sling, slingshot, or catapult; a revolt; or a frond.
Frond = une fronde or une feuille.

Gommer vs Gum

Gommer means to erase, rub out, take away, or exfoliate. It can mean to gum as in to put gum on.
Gum as a verb means gommer only in the sense of putting gum on, but the more typical French verb for that meaning is coller.

Porche vs Porch

Porche can be a porch or just an entrance.
Porch = un porche, un véranda, une marquise.

Traîner vs Trainer/Train

Traîner means to pull or drag, or to lag behind.
Trainer is un entraîneur in reference to a person. Trainers, to UK English speakers, are des tennis or des baskets. To train = former, instruire, entraîner.

 

Essential faux amis
The most common and useful false cognates

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Disclaimer: The words that I have chosen to discuss are not explained in every possible context. There may be occasions where the French and English mean the same thing. I have chosen word pairs that are usually not related by anything other than spelling. For complete definitions and more extensive examples, please consult a French dictionary.