Discussion: [VG] Faux amis / false friends

A

Anne345

Senior Member
France
List thread / Liste : click


A quoi sert de créer une liste pour ce qui existe déjà ? Je vous donne juste une "short-list" ...

A to abuse / abuser ( to abuse = insulter / abuser = to take advantage)


C caution / caution ( caution = prudence / caution = guarantee)


D to deceive / décevoir ( to deceive = tromper / décevoir = to disappoint)


E expertise / expertise ( expertise = compétence / expertise = expert's report)


Note de la modératrice : tous les emprunts, excédant un paragraphe, d'autres sources que les dictionnaires de WR seront supprimés, quel que soit leur intérêt, pour des raisons légales.
Je vous rappelle ici la règle numéro 14 du forum :
No web pages or copyrighted or plagiarized content may be inserted into WordReference posts. Minor fair use excerpts from dictionaries such as a definition/translation or two is permitted. Other quotes of less than one paragraph (4 sentences) are permitted as well. All other forms of inserted content from press releases, newsletters, web pages, or any other copyrighted content placed into messages will be removed without exception. A link to the content is acceptable and appropriate.
Click to expand...


Mise à jour OK :tick:
 
    • Kelly B

    Kelly B

    Curmodgeratrice
    USA English
    suppress/supprimer (suppress = étouffer / supprimer = eliminate)

    mise à jour ok :tick:
     
    Agnès E.

    Agnès E.

    Senior Member
    France
    France, French
    Very true, Emma. :thumbsup:
    This is the reason why I added the mention Only the false friend senses are mentioned at the top of each list.
     
    xav

    xav

    Senior Member
    Paris
    France
    phrase (sentence) vs phrase (expression)
    senior (old) vs senior (confirmé)

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    xav

    xav

    Senior Member
    Paris
    France
    luxurious (luxueux) / luxurieux (lustful)
    chat (causette, tchatche) / chat (cat)

    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    french4beth

    french4beth

    Senior Member
    Connecticut
    US-English
    curator (library or museum) / conservateur (bibliothèque ou musée)
    executive / exécutif (réservé au vocabulaire politique : relatif à la mise en œuvre, à l'exécution des lois)
    franchise / franchise (part d'un dommage assuméee par l'assuré(e))
    mutual / mutuelle (association à but non lucratif)
    preservative (anything that preserves) / preservatif (agent de contraception)

    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    ganieda

    ganieda

    Senior Member
    it depends
    french
    je pense aussi à library vs librairie
    et à sensible qui ne veut pas dire sensible mais sensé c'est bien ça ?

    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    P

    Papalote

    Senior Member
    Quebec, Canada
    Spanish, English, French
    Éventuellement = hypothétiquement, le cas échéant, peut-être, possiblement, s’il y a lieu, si besoin (est), si l’occasion se présente, si nécessaire, si possible.
    Eventually = ultimement, en définitive, en dernière analyse, en fin de compte, finalement.




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    Fredafraid

    Fredafraid

    Senior Member
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates
    France - French
    Don't you think "we" should look for a manner to save all these words in order to find them again very rapidly / easily ? A kind of list... Otherwise it will never end and we couldn't have a quick look on them :

    accommodate Vs accommoder ==> loger Vs prepare / focus

    assume Vs assumer ==> supposer Vs take (on)

    cave Vs cave ==> grotte Vs cellar

    chip Vs chips ==> puce (info) Vs crisps

    comprehensive Vs compréhensif ==> complet Vs understanding

    consistent Vs consistant ==> cohérent / logique Vs substantial / thick

    deceive Vs décevoir ==> tromper Vs disappoint

    distract Vs distrait ==> divertir Vs absent-minded

    fabric Vs fabrique ==> tissu Vs factory

    reticent Vs réticent ==> peu communicatif Vs hesitant

    rude Vs rude ==> impoli / grossier Vs harsh / rough

    vacant Vs vacances ==> libre Vs holidays / vacation

    god Vs gode ... OK OK, just kidding :eek: :eek: :p :rolleyes: :confused:



    ;) to be continued.... :D


    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    Kelly B

    Kelly B

    Curmodgeratrice
    USA English
    obfuscate/offusquer obfuscate = to make something less clear (obscurcir); offusquer = to offend

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    Aupick

    Aupick

    Senior Member
    Strasbourg, France
    UK, English
    agony/agonie (agony = extreme pain/agonie = throes of death)
    to agonize/agoniser (to agonize = to suffer anguish or agony/to die, to be dying)

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    Fredafraid

    Fredafraid

    Senior Member
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates
    France - French
    gross/grosse ==> brute, grossier, cru/big (female gender)

    rare in English could define the cooking of a piece of meat,
    in French it's only used to express the rarity/scarcity of something

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    elroy

    elroy

    Moderator: EHL, Arabic, Hebrew, German(-Spanish)
    Chicago, IL
    US English, Palestinian Arabic bilingual
    Agnès E. said:
    Thank you, Elroy. :)
    Nevertheless, may I remind you that this sub-forum is not devoted to discussing the language, but suggesting words or phrases according to a given theme. It is a bit special, I know, we all have to get used to it. ;)


    I am going to open a new thread in the French-English forum to discuss about the meanings of mention, as your... comment ;) is very interesting.
    Thank you for your understanding.
    Click to expand...

    I understand, but the only reason I mentioned it is that it's a false friend! :) I was, in fact, adding to the list.

    To make it more official:

    mention [FR]: comment
    mention [EN]: mentionner


    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    xav

    xav

    Senior Member
    Paris
    France
    consist in = consister à / consister en (ou dans) = consist of.

    C'est un peu limite, mais il y a un réel problème avec les constructions, faussement parallèles.
     
    xav

    xav

    Senior Member
    Paris
    France
    rest = pause, suite / reste = remainder, residue
    to rest = résider, se reposer / rester = stay

    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    xav

    xav

    Senior Member
    Paris
    France
    bonjour, Agnès !

    defile = tacher (without ^) / défiler = parade, unwind


    Mise à jour OK :tick:

    ... et encore un, dont je m'étonne qu'il nous ait échappé jusqu'ici :

    global = mondial / global = comprehensive

    mise à jour ok :tick:
     
    N

    Negg

    Senior Member
    French
    to be concerned (eng) => etre inquiet, etre préocupé
    concerner (fr) => to reffer, relate


    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    Aupick

    Aupick

    Senior Member
    Strasbourg, France
    UK, English
    Voici les faux amis que j'ai recueillis récemment.

    special/spécial (special = particulier, exceptionnel / spécial = peculiar, odd)
    normal(ly)/normal(ement) (normally = d'habitude / normalement = all going well, as a rule)
    exceptional(ly)/exceptionnel(lement) (exceptional = very good / exceptionnel = as an exception, as a one off)
    speed/speed (speed (n.) = vitesse / speed (adj., familier) = wired)
    fastidious/fastidieux (fastidious (describes a person) = exigeant / fastidieux (décrit un travail) = tedious)
    punctual/ponctuel (punctual = qui arrive à l'heure / ponctuel = 1) punctual; 2) intermittant, isolated
    tomato puree/purée de tomates (tomato puree = concentré de tomates / purée de tomates = tomato sauce (?))
    powdered sugar/sucre en poudre (powdered sugar (US) = sucre-glace / sucre en poudre = (granulated) sugar)

    (Does ponctual/punctual count as a false friend? I tend to hear the second meaning a lot more than the first (but then I live in the Midi :p ).)

    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    Amityville

    Amityville

    Senior Member
    France
    English UK
    A similar one sprang to mind, reading Aupick's list.
    éventuellement/eventually (éventuellement= possibly, potentially / eventually=finally)

    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    Thomas1

    Thomas1

    Senior Member
    polszczyzna warszawska
    attendre vs. attend
    attendre -> to wait ;
    attend -> aller à, assister à

    advertissement vs. advertisment
    advertissement -> warning, caution;
    advertisement-> rèclam, publicité

    biais vs. bias
    biais->way, means;
    bias->tendency, prejudice
    biais=bias only in reference to fabric

    bigot vs. bigot
    bigot->zealously religious;
    bigot->fanatic, prejudiced

    blesser vs. bless
    blesser-> to wound, injure, offend;
    bless->bénir

    bras vs. bras
    bras->arm;
    bras->plural of bra, French soutien-gorge

    chair vs. chair
    chair->flesh (as a noun) and flesh-colored (as an adjective);
    chair-> chaise, fauteuil

    Christian vs. Christian
    Christian -> masc. French name (don’t know the translation)
    Christian -> chrétien/-ienne (both an adjective and a noun)

    college vs. college
    collège-> highschool;
    college->université

    con vs. con
    con->f*cking (as an adjective) and c*nt (as a noun);
    cun->escroquerie, taulard

    crayon vs. crayon
    crayon-> pencil;
    crayon-> craie grasse, crayon de couleur

    déception vs. deception
    déception->disappointment;
    deception->tromperie, duperie

    entrée vs. entrée
    here I’m not sure since various sources have different definitions ; French entrée means entrance, entry, starter; I think the difference may be in American and British meaning of this word, AE entrée is a main course and British has the same meaning as French, please confirm this or otherwise :)

    football vs. football
    same as above, though the difference is rather clear:
    football->football BE, soccer AE;
    AE football-> le football américain

    formidable vs. formidable
    formidable->great, very good
    formidable-> redoubtable

    gratuité vs. gratuity
    gratuité-> anything for free la gratuité de l’éducation – free education
    gratuity-> pourboire

    gros vs. gross
    gros->big ,fat heavy ; serious ;
    gross->grosse (n); brut; vulgaire (adj)

    inconvénient vs. inconvinient
    inconvénient->is a noun (drawback, disadvantage);
    inconvienient-> an adjective (inoportune, hard to reach)

    raisin vs. raisin
    raisin-> grape
    raisin-> raisin sec

    robe vs. robe
    robe-> dress, gown
    robe-> peignoir

    sale vs. sale
    sale->dirty (adj)
    sale->vente (n)

    Sorry if I doubled someone’s entry.

    Mise à jour OK :tick:
     
    E

    edwingill

    Senior Member
    England English
    affluence (anglais) = opulence, richesse
    affluence (fr.) = crowd
    affluent (ang) = riche
    affluent (fr.) =tributary
     
    S

    shenley

    Member
    France
    England living in France
    The beach sandals called in BE "(a pair of) thongs" (Fr "lanière") are usually called "tongs" in French commercial catalogues.
    Tongs (Fr) = beach sandals
    Tongs (BE) = pinces (pour attraper bûches ou charbon dans le feu)
     
    Z

    zanshin

    Member
    Bretagne
    English France
    KittyCatty said:
    J'ai seulement 1: rude(fr)/rude(eng)
    rude (fr) = rough/ rude (eng) = impoli
    Click to expand...


    Actually the real meaning of rude in English IS rough, hence the use to describe rough (rude) language, and is still used to describe rough/rude things e.g. a rude hovel etc. Though in general usage you are also of course correct.
     
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