True friends or cognates sound and look similar in two different languages and have the same meaning, while false friends or false cognates are words that often sound and look alike but have different meanings. To make things a little bit easier for you, we thought it would be helpful to compile a list of the most common false friends in a business context between the English and the French language. *Please note – some of the words on this list have one definition which is a true friend and a definition which is a false friend. In these cases we are only focusing on the translation for the false friend.
If you would like into this topic, why don’t you listen to the Les Bons Mots podcast, season 2, episode 2: True Friends, False Friends? Britta and Kimberly explain why there are so many true and false friends between French and English. They look at how not only vocabulary but also prepositions and tenses can be false friends. You can find the episode on YouTube or on your podcatcher of choice.
The list
To minimize confusion, the English words are written in bold, while the French words are italicized.
- actually (adverb) is translated as en fait while actuellement is translated as currently.
e.g. This is actually the same printer I have at home.
e.g. I’m currently working on the website project.
- to assist (verb) is translated as aider while assister is translated as to attend.
e.g. Let me assist you with the surgery.
e.g. Has he attended any meetings?
- to attend (verb) is translated as assister while attendre is translated as to wait.
e.g. I’m attending the conference.
e.g. I’m waiting for my client.
- advertisement (noun) is translated as publicité while avertissement is translated as warning.
e.g. Did you see the advertisement for the new BMW on TV yesterday?
e.g. There’s a warning sign on that door. We shouldn’t open it.
- to command (verb) is translated as ordonner/exiger while commander is translated as to order.
e.g. Military leaders commanded the soldiers to leave Afghanistan.
e.g. I’d like to order a chicken burger, please.
- delay (noun) is translated as retard while délai is translated as turnaround time (or processing time).
e.g. There’s a delay on our flight.
e.g. The turnaround time is longer than usual because the supplies are
backordered.
- envy (noun) is translated as jalousie while envie is translated as desire or wish.
e.g. I watched him with envy as he gave his presentation so effortlessly.
e.g. I have a desire to travel the world.
- eventually (adverb) is translated as finalement while éventuellement is translated as possibly.
e.g. He will eventually leave the office and go home.
e.g. He will possibly stay for another two hours.
- finally (adverb) is translated as enfin while finalement is translated as eventually.
e.g. After a long drive, they finally arrived at the conference.
e.g. After a long discussion, he eventually agreed to the new conditions.
- formation (noun) is translated as création while formation is translated as training.
e.g. The formation of the new government took weeks.
e.g. The training for the new program went really well.
- gratuity (noun) is translated as pourboire while gratuité is translated as being free of charge.
e.g. Is gratuity included or do we have to leave a tip?
e.g. The rollercoaster is free of charge.
- library (noun) is translated as bibliothèque while librairie is translated as bookstore.
e.g. They are studying in the library.
e.g. I have to order new dictionaries from the bookstore.
- money (noun) is translated as argent while monnaie is translated as currency or change.
e.g. That computer costs a lot of money.
e.g. Our currency is Canadian Dollars.
e.g. Do you have change for the parking meter?
- to realise (verb) is translated as comprendre while realiser is translated as to achieve.
e.g. I realised that I made a mistake.
e.g. He achieved his sales objective.
- rent(-ability) (noun) is translated as loyer while rentabilité is translated as profitability.
e.g. The rent for our commercial properties went up.
e.g. The profitability of this endeavour is doubtful.
- to report (verb) is translated as faire un rapport while rapporter is translated as to postpone.
e.g. We have to report back to our supervisor.
e.g. The meeting has to be postponed until next week.
- to rest (verb) is translated as se reposer while rester is translated as to stay.
e.g. I need to rest after a long day in the office.
e.g. Feel free to stay in my office while I get us a coffee.
Do you know any other false friends? Or do you have a funny story about a mix up because of a false friend? Please let us know on social media or write to us at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca .