Common French False Friends That Look Like English Words

When learning a foreign language, it’s easy to fall into the trap of familiarity.
A word that looks familiar, sounds similar to English, or one you’ve even heard in the news might make you think,
“Oh, this must mean the same thing as in English!” —
but more often than not, that’s not the case.

In this article, we’ll introduce some French words that look or sound like English but have very different meanings, often causing confusion.

　

1. Smoking

Meaning: tuxedo

Common misunderstanding: “Smoking allowed?” (Is smoking permitted?)

In France, smoking doesn’t refer to cigarettes but to the formal tuxedo worn at weddings or award ceremonies.
Il porte un smoking. → “He’s wearing a tuxedo.”
This term comes from the English “smoking jacket,” but it’s rarely used in modern English.

　

2. Actual

Meaning: current, present

Common misunderstanding: “The actual president” → “The real president”?

In English, actual means “real” or “factual,”
but in French (actuel) and Italian (attuale), it simply means “current.”
Il presidente attuale means “the current president,” not “the real president.”

　

3. Sensible

Meaning: sensitive, emotional

Common misunderstanding: “He’s a sensible person.” → “He’s practical or smart”?

In English, sensible means “practical” or “reasonable,”
but in French, sensible means “sensitive” or “emotionally aware.”
For example, une peau sensible means “sensitive skin,” not “practical skin.”

　

4. Chef

Meaning: boss, leader

Common misunderstanding: “Mon chef est exigeant.” → “My chef (cook) is demanding”?

In French, chef means a leader or supervisor.
Unlike English, it is not limited to cooks.

　

5. Location

Meaning: rental, leasing

Common misunderstanding: “location d’une voiture” → “location” as in “place” or “location”?

In French, location means renting or leasing, not a place or position.
Location de vacances means “vacation rental,” not “vacation location.”
Beware of mistranslating this word based on English assumptions.

　　

6. Librairie

Meaning: bookstore

Common misunderstanding: Confused with English library (a place to borrow books)

Librairie means a shop where books are sold — a bookstore.
Saying you “borrowed books at the librairie” would sound odd in French.

　　

7. Lecture

Meaning: reading

Common misunderstanding: “Lecture” as in a speech or talk?

J’aime la lecture. → “I enjoy reading.”
In French, a speech or talk is called a conférence.

　

8. Collège

Meaning: middle school (American middle school)

Common misunderstanding: Confused with English college (university)

Mon fils est au collège. → “My son is in middle school.”
Though spelled and pronounced similarly, collège and college differ significantly in meaning.

　

9. Blessé

Meaning: injured, wounded

Common misunderstanding: Confused with English blessed (fortunate)

Il est blessé. → “He is injured.”
While blessed has a positive connotation in English, blessé in French refers to injury or harm.

　

In this article, we explored French words that look like English but have very different meanings.
Next time, we’ll look at similar confusing words in German.

　

　

Langlobe #FrenchFalseFriends #FalseFriends #LanguageLearning #FrenchVocabulary #EnglishVsFrench #LanguageTips #語学学習 #英語学習 #フランス語 #語彙力アップ