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
Agréable vs Agreeable
Agréable means pleasant or nice when describing a thing, such as the weather or situation. It's not used to describe people other than in the construction être agréable de sa personne - to be pleasant-looking/personable.
Agreeable does not normally mean agréable, but rather "in agreement," which doesn't have an exact equivalent in French. "I'm agreeable to doing it" - Je le ferai volontiers, "If that's agreeable/acceptable" - S'il n'y a pas d'inconvénient, Si cela vous convient.
Cave vs Cave
Cave = cellar, basement, vault.
Cave = une caverne, une grotte.
Date vs Date
Date is the same as date only in terms of calendar dates.
Date can also refer to the fruit (une datte) or un rendez-vous.
Infect vs Infect
Infect is an adjective: revolting, obnoxious, squalid, vile, horrible.
Infect is a verb: infecter, contaminer.
Versatile vs Versatile
Versatile means fickle, changeable, or inconsistent.
Versatile means aux talents variés or souple.
Essential
faux amis
The most common and useful false cognates
Archives:
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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.
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