Alphabetical French-English False Cognates A Words

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 have different meanings.  This is one of the biggest pitfalls for students of French. There are also semi-false cognates, or words that can only sometimes be translated by the similar word in the other language. This alphabetical list includes hundreds of  French-English  semi-false cognates, with explanations of what each word means and how it can be correctly  translated  into the other language. To avoid confusion due to the fact that some of  the words are identical in the two languages, the French word is followed by (F) and the English word is followed by (E). Abandon (F) vs Abandon (E) Abandon  (F) is a noun that means  abandonment,  desertion,  neglect, or  giving up. It can also mean  abandon, especially with a verb: danser avec abandon   to dance with abandon.  Abandonner   to abandon.Abandon  (E)   abandon. Habiletà © (F) vs Ability (E) Habiletà ©Ã‚  (F) refers to a  skill,  cleverness, a  talent, or a  skillful move.Ability  (E) is a similar but weaker term, translatable by une  aptitude, une  capacità ©, or une  compà ©tence. Abus (F) vs Abuse (E) Abus  (F) can mean  abuse,  excess, or  injustice.Abuse  (E)   abus, while verbal abuse is des  injures  or  insultes. Abuser (F) vs Abuse (E) Abuser  (F) means to  exploit,  abuse,  take advantage of,  deceive, or  mislead. Sabuser means  to be mistaken  or  to delude oneself.Abuse  (E) can be translated by  abuser,  injurier,  insulter, or  maltraiter. Accà ©der (F) vs Accede (E) Accà ©der  (F) means to  reach,  attain,  get to,  access.Accede  (E) has three different meanings. (1) to agree/accept:  agrà ©er,  accepter. (2) to take on a new position:  entrer en possession/fonction. (3) to join:  adhà ©rer,  se joindre. Accidentà ©(F) vs Accidental (E) Accidentà ©Ã‚  (F) can be an adjective:  hilly,  undulating, or  damaged;  or a noun:  casualty,  injured person. Accidenter means to  injure  or  damage.Accidental  (E) means  accidentel  (bad) or  fortuit  (good). Achà ¨vement (F) vs Achievement (E) Achà ¨vement  (F) refers to the  completion  or  culmination  of something.Achievement  (E) has a more positive sense of attaining something that was sought after:  exploit,  rà ©ussite,  accomplissement. Achever (F) vs Achieve (E) Achever  (F) usually means to  finish,  end,  complete,  reach. It can also be more figurative:  to finish off,  destroy,  kill.Achieve  (E)   accomplir,  rà ©aliser,  atteindre. Acompte (F) vs Account (E) Acompte  (F) refers to a  deposit,  down payment, or  installment.Account  (E) un  compte. Action (F) vs Action (E) Action  (F) can mean  action  as well as  act  or a  share of stock.Action  (E)   action  or  effet. Actuellement (F) vs Actually (E) Actuellement  (F) means  at the present time, and should be translated as  currently  or  right now. Je travaille actuellement   I am currently working. A related word is actuel, which means  present  or  current: le problà ¨me actuel the  current/present problem.Actually  (E) means in fact and should be translated as  en fait  or  Ãƒ   vrai dire. Actually, I dont know him -  En fait, je ne le connais pas. Actual means real or true, and depending on the context can be translated as  rà ©el,  và ©ritable,  positif, or  concret: The actual value   la  valeur rà ©elle. Adepte (F) vs Adept (E) Adepte  (F) is a noun:  follower  or  enthusiast.Adept  (E) is an adjective:  compà ©tent  or  expert. Addition (F) vs Addition (E) Addition  (F) can refer to  addition, a  sum, or a restaurant  check  or  bill.Addition  (E) une  addition, une  augmentation, or un  surcroà ®t. Ado (F) vs Ado (E) Ado  (F) is an  apocope  of adolescent—teen  or  teenager.Ado  (E) is a somewhat rare word that is equivalent to  agitation  or  bruit  (figuratively) Adresse (F) vs Address (E) Adresse  (F) can refer to a  mailing,  email, or  spoken address  or to  deftness,  skill, or  dexterity.Address  (E) une  adresse  or un  discours. Affaire (F) vs Affair (E) Affaire  (F) can mean  business,  matter,  deal,  transaction, or  scandal.Affair  (E) is the equivalent of affaire only in the sense of an event or concern. A love affair is une  liaison, une  affaire damour, or une  aventure amoureuse. Affluence (F) vs Affluence (E) Affluence  (F) is a  crowd of people: Il y avait une affluence attendant à   la porte   There were crowds waiting at the door.Affluence  (E) indicates a lot of something (usually wealth): Theres an affluence of information here   Il y a une abondance dinformation ici. His affluence is obvious   Sa richesse est à ©vidente. Agenda (F) vs Agenda (E) Agenda  (F) refers to a  datebook.Agenda  (E) means lordre du jour  or le  programme. Agonie (F) vs Agony (E) Agonie  (F) refers to  death pangs  or  mortal agony.Agony  (E) means severe physical or mental pain, but not necessarily just this side of death:  angoisse,  supplice. Agrà ©able (F) vs Agreeable (E) Agrà ©able  (F) means  pleasant  or  nice  when describing a thing, such as the weather or situation. Its not used to describe people other than in the construction  Ãƒ ªtre agrà ©able de  sa  personne   to be pleasant-looking/personable.Agreeable  (E) does not normally mean  agrà ©able, but rather in agreement, which doesnt have an exact equivalent in French. Im agreeable to doing it   Je le ferai volontiers. If thats agreeable/acceptable   Sil ny a pas dinconvà ©nient,  Si cela vous convient. Agrà ©ment (F) vs Agreement (E) Agrà ©ment  (F) refers to  charm,  attractiveness, or  pleasantness.Agreement  (E)   accord  or  harmonie. Aimer (F) vs Aim (E) Aimer  (F) means  to like  or  to love.Aim  (E) can be a noun:  but,  visà ©es;  or a verb:  braquer,  pointer,  viser. Allà ©e (F) vs Alley (E) Allà ©e  (F) is a generic term for any sort of road or path:  lane,  path,  avenue,  driveway, etc. It can also refer to an  aisle.Alley  (E) une  ruelle. Allure (F) vs Allure (E) Allure  (F) normally refers to  speed  or  pace:  Rouler  Ãƒ  Ã‚  toute  allure   to drive at full speed. It can also refer to an  appearance  or  look. Allures  refers  to  behavior  or  ways.Allure  (E) indicates  charm  or  attrait. Altà ©rer (F) vs Alter (E) Altà ©rer  (F) can mean  alter, but it nearly always has a negative connotation:  distort,  falsify,  tamper with,  spoil,  debase.Alter  (E)   changer,  modifier,  transformer, etc. Amateur (F) vs Amateur (E) Amateur  (F) is a semi-false cognate. It can mean  amateur  in the sense of non-professional, but it can also mean a  lover  of something: un amateur  dart   an  art lover.Amateur  (E) refers to someone who dabbles in a trade or activity: an amateur photographer: un  amateur de  photographie. Amitià © (F) vs Amity (E) Amitià ©Ã‚  (F) is the generic French word for  friendship.Amity  (E) is used more specifically to mean peaceful relations between nations   concorde  or  bons  rapports. Ancien (F) vs Ancient (E) Ancien  (F) can mean  old  in the sense of not young as well as in the sense of  former: mon  ancien  professeur   my old (former) teacher, mon  professeur  ancien   my old (aged) teacher. Learn more about  adjectives.Ancient  (E) means  antique  or  trà ¨s vieux. Animation(F) vs Animation (E) Animation  (F) is much more general in French than in English. In addition to  animation, life, liveliness, it can also refer to cultural or sports  activities  as well as  leadership.Animation  (E) means  animation  or  vivacità ©. Antique (F) vs Antique (E) Antique  (F) as an adjective  means  antique  or  ancient. As a noun, it refers to  antiquity  or  classical art/style.Antique  (E) means the same an adjective, but as a noun it refers to  une antiquità ©,  un objet dart ancien, or  un meuble ancien. Apologie (F) vs Apology (E) Apologie  (F) has three different meanings. The original meaning of  defense  or  plea  is related to the judiciary meaning of  vindication  or  justification. The current and most common meaning is  praise.Apology  (E) les  excuses. Appareil (F) vs Apparel (E) Appareil  (F) is an  apparatus,  device, or  appliance.Apparel  (E) is an out-dated term for clothing:  habillement. Are (F) vs Are (E) Are  (F) refers to an  area of one hundred square meters.Are  (E) is a conjugation of to be (à ªtre): we are (nous  sommes), you are (vous  Ãƒ ªtes), they are (ils  sont). Argument (F) vs Argument (E) Argument  (F) is a semi-false cognate. It means  argument  in the sense of a mathematical or philosophical argument. Also: argument  massue   sledgehammer blow;  argument  publicitaire   advertising claim; argument de  vente   selling point.Argument  (E) is une  discussion, une  conversation, un  dà ©bat, or une  dispute. Arriver (F) vs Arrive (E) Arriver  (F) can mean to  arrive  or to  happen, while arriver à   verb means to  succeed in  doing or to  manage to  do something.Arrive  (E) is translated by  arriver. Arroser (F) vs Arose (E) Arroser  (F) means to  water  or  spray.Arose  (E) is the past participle of arise:  survenir,  se prà ©senter,  sà ©lever. Assistance (F) vs Assistance (E) Assistance  (F) is a semi-false cognate. Its primary meaning is  audience.Assistance  (E) indicates  help  or  aid. Assister (F) vs Assist (E) Assister  (F) is nearly always followed by  Ãƒ  Ã‚  and means to  attend  something: Jai assistà © à   la confà ©rence I  attended (went to)  the conference.Assist  (E) means to help or aid someone or something: I assisted the woman into the building   Jai  aidà ©Ã‚  la dame à  Ã‚  entrer  dans  limmeuble. Assumer (F) vs Assume (E) Assumer  (F) only means to  assume  in the sense of taking on responsibility or assuming control. It also means to  hold a job  or  fulfill a role.Assume  (E) is a semi-false cognate. In addition to  assumer, it can also mean  supposer  or  prà ©sumer. Assurance (F) vs Assurance (E) Assurance  (F) refers to  self-confidence  or  insurance  in addition to  assurance.Assurance  (E) means  assurance  or  conviction. Attendre (F) vs Attend (E) Attendre  (F) à   means to  wait for: Nous avons attendu pendant deux heures   We waited for two hours.Attend  (E) is translated by  assister  (see above): I attended the conference   Jai assistà © à   la confà ©rence. Audience (F) vs Audience (E) Audience  (F) is a  semi-false cognate. In addition to the meaning of the English word, it can signify: Votre audience, sil vous plaà ®t   Your attention, please. Ce projet a une large audience -  This project has a lot of attention.  Donner audience  Ãƒ   quelquun   To meet with / listen to someone. Une audience publique   A public meeting.Audience  (E) is a group of spectators or listeners. Avertissement (F) vs Advertisement (E) Avertissement  (F) is a  warning  or  caution, from the verb  avertir   to  warn.Advertisement  (E) is une  publicità ©, une  rà ©clame, or un  spot publicitaire.