was wotd|2007|May|4
English
wikipedia

Pronunciation
a|RP IPA|/�f�ls �fr�nd/ or /�f��ls �fr�nd/
a|US IPA|/�f��ls �fr�nd/
audio|en-us-false friend.ogg|Audio (US)

Noun
en-noun|sg=false friend

1. idiom A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language. Mistranslating such words carelessly can cause serious problems.

Usage notes
Examples:

• The French nous demandons means "we ask", but sounds like "we demand", which can turn negotiation into confrontation.
• The Spanish word embarazada means "pregnant", not "embarrassed" — "Estoy embarazada" means "I am pregnant", not "I am embarrassed".
• The German word will (want) is not a future tense marker — "Ich will gehen" means "I want to go", not "I will go".
• The Italian word triviale (vulgar) is written almost like trivial, but the two words share only a common Latin root (trivium in Latin means crossroad) and no longer any meaning; "Questo e' triviale" means "This is in bad taste", not "This is obvious".

Finnish: väärä ystävä, petollinen ystävä
French: faux-ami m
German: falscher Freund m
trans-mid
Portuguese: falsos cognatos m|p
Russian: ложн�й д��г m
Swedish: falska vänner
Spanish: falsos amigos m|p
trans-bottom

See also
cognate
false cognate

fr:false friend
id:false friend

• 2007-11-10 08:45 - AutoFormat - gender -{{m}} {{p}} +{{m|p}}

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