Treacherous Language:
The Deceit of False Friends

Learning a new language can be riddled with various hurtles and potentially confusing new steps or ideas. Depending on the language you are learning, these difficulties could have to do with verb conjugations or, potentially, difficult vocabulary words. One of the most universal stumbling blocks for new students learning a language similar to their own is the idea of "False Friends". Let's take a quick look at exactly what these are and what can be done to avoid asking somebody for a folder (carpeta) in Spanish when you actually need a carpet (alfombra).

What is a false friend?

A "false friend", and the related "false cognate", is a word pairing that appear as though they may mean the same thing, but do not. These are easily confused by beginning language students as they try to associate words from their native language to a new word they are learning. While many words do translate more or less directly, students must be constantly aware of potential false friends and learn the correct definition of those words in order to avoid those not-so-obvious language traps.

What are some examples?

Spanish false friends (falsos amigos):

• Asistir: to attend or be present. For the verb "to assist" use ayudar.

• Éxito: a success. For "an exit", use una salida

• Rudo: rough, coarse. To say somebody is "rude", use maleducado or grosero.

• Sano: healthy. To say "sane", use en su juicio (in his right mind).

• Vicioso: depraved or debauched. For "vicious" use fiero or feroz

French false friends (faux amis):

• Actuel: present. For "actual", say reél.

• Fait: fact. To say "fate" use sort

• Location: rent, hire. The English "location" is endroit in French.

• Noise: quarrel. For "noise", use bruit.

• Pays: country. To "pay" somebody, use the verb payer.

How can confusing false friends be avoided?

Three words: study, study, study. Perhaps the best way to get get a grasp of the details of a language is to immerse yourself in it. If you're learning French, learn French in France. Besides giving you a great excuse to travel and see foreign countries, attending a French school France will leave you with a firm grasp of the true definitions of false friends and will help you avoid potentially embarrassing language mistakes. After all you don't want to accidentally ask to travail(work) instead of travel (voyager)!