FlexiLingoIn one line
These words look like English and mean something different — and because they look familiar, you never look them up.
This page matters more to you than to almost any other learner. English borrowed tens of thousands of words from French, so the overlap is enormous — which means both an enormous head start and an enormous number of traps. A Chinese or Arabic speaker meets
librairieand looks it up. You meet it, think "library", and read the whole paragraph wrong without ever knowing.
Nouns — the most dangerous
| French | means | not this | the correct word for that |
|---|---|---|---|
la librairie /li.bʁɛ.ʁi/ | bookshop | library | la bibliothèque /bi.bli.jɔ.tɛk/ |
la lecture /lɛk.tyʁ/ | reading | lecture | la conférence /la kɔ̃.fe.ʁɑ̃s/ |
la journée /la ʒuʁ.ne/ | a day, the daytime | journey | le voyage /vwa.jaʒ/ |
le médecin /med.sɛ̃/ | doctor | medicine | le médicament /me.di.ka.mɑ̃/ |
la médecine /me.də.sin/ | the science of medicine | a medicine | le médicament /me.di.ka.mɑ̃/ |
le collège /kɔ.lɛʒ/ | secondary school (11–15) | college | l'université /y.ni.vɛʁ.si.te/ |
la place /plas/ | a square, a seat, room | a place | l'endroit /lɑ̃d.ʁwa/ |
le pain /pɛ̃/ | bread | pain | la douleur /du.lœʁ/ |
la monnaie /mɔ.nɛ/ | change, coins | money | l'argent /aʁ.ʒɑ̃/ |
le crayon /lə kʁɛ.jɔ̃/ | pencil | crayon | le crayon de couleur /lə kʁɛ.jɔ̃ də ku.lœʁ/ |
la figure /la fi.ɡyʁ/ | face | figure, shape | la forme /fɔʁm/ |
l'occasion /lɔ.ka.zjɔ̃/ (f.) | opportunity; second-hand | occasion | l'événement /le.ven.mɑ̃/ |
le préservatif /lə pʁe.zɛʁ.va.tif/ | condom | preservative | le conservateur /lə kɔ̃.sɛʁ.va.tœʁ/ |
le raisin /ʁɛ.zɛ̃/ | grape | raisin | le raisin sec /lə ʁɛ.zɛ̃ sɛk/ |
la veste /vɛst/ | jacket | vest | le gilet /lə ʒi.lɛ/ le maillot de corps /lə ma.jo də kɔʁ/ |
le collier /lə kɔ.lje/ | necklace | collar | le col /lə kɔl/ |
la cave /kav/ | cellar | cave | la grotte /la ɡʁɔt/ |
l'agenda /la.ʒɛ̃.da/ (m.) | diary, planner | agenda | l'ordre du jour /lɔʁdʁ dy ʒuʁ/ |
le tissu /ti.sy/ | fabric | tissue | le mouchoir /lə mu.ʃwaʁ/ |
le stage /staʒ/ | internship, work placement | stage | la scène /sɛn/ |
le car /lə kaʁ/ | coach | car | la voiture /la vwa.tyʁ/ |
l'issue /li.sy/ (f.) | exit; outcome | issue | la question /kɛs.tjɔ̃/ |
le reste /lə ʁɛst/ | the remainder | rest, sleep | le repos /lə ʁə.po/ |
la pièce /la pjɛs/ | room; part; play; coin | piece | le morceau /lə mɔʁ.so/ |
la prune /la pʁyn/ | plum | prune | le pruneau /lə pʁy.no/ |
l'expérience /ɛks.pe.ʁjɑ̃s/ (f.) | experience and experiment | — | both |
la note /nɔt/ | a mark and a note | — | both |
le préservatifdeserves its own warning. It appears on food packaging in English as "no preservatives" and the French for that issans conservateurs. Reading a French label and translatingpréservatifas "preservative" produces a memorable misunderstanding.
Adjectives
| French | means | not this | the correct word for that |
|---|---|---|---|
actuel /ak.ty.ɛl/ | current, present-day | actual | réel /ʁe.ɛl/ véritable /ve.ʁi.tabl/ |
sensible /sɑ̃.sibl/ | sensitive | sensible | raisonnable /ʁɛ.zɔ.nabl/ |
large /laʁʒ/ | wide | large | grand /ɡʁɑ̃/ |
gentil /ʒɑ̃.ti/ | kind | genteel | distingué /dis.tɛ̃.ɡe/ |
joli /ʒo.li/ | pretty | jolly | joyeux /ʒwa.jø/ |
sympathique /sɛ̃.pa.tik/ | likeable, friendly | sympathetic | compatissant /kɔ̃.pa.ti.sɑ̃/ |
formidable /fɔʁ.mi.dabl/ | great, wonderful | formidable | redoutable /ʁə.du.tabl/ |
important /ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃/ | important and large in quantity | — | both |
terrible /tɛ.ʁibl/ | terrible — or brilliant | — | context decides |
terriblehas a positive meaning in young people's speech:C'est terrible !means "that's amazing". Tone tells you which — exactly as English "wicked" or "sick" can be praise.
sensibleis the classic.Il est très sensiblemeans he is easily upset, not that he has good judgement. The English "sensible" israisonnable.
Verbs
| French | means | not this | the correct word for that |
|---|---|---|---|
assister à /a.sis.te a/ | to attend | to assist | aider /ɛ.de/ |
attendre /a.tɑ̃dʁ/ | to wait for | to attend | assister à /a.sis.te a/ |
demander /də.mɑ̃.de/ | to ask | to demand | exiger /ɛɡ.zi.ʒe/ |
passer un examen /pa.se œ̃.n‿ɛɡ.za.mɛ̃/ | to sit an exam | to pass | réussir /ʁe.y.siʁ/ |
rester /ʁɛs.te/ | to stay | to rest | se reposer /sə ʁə.po.ze/ |
blesser /blɛ.se/ | to injure | to bless | bénir /be.niʁ/ |
crier /kʁi.e/ | to shout | to cry | pleurer /plœ.ʁe/ |
achever /aʃ.ve/ | to complete | to achieve | réaliser /ʁe.a.li.ze/ |
réaliser /ʁe.a.li.ze/ | to carry out, produce | to realise | se rendre compte /sə ʁɑ̃dʁ kɔ̃t/ |
supporter /sy.pɔʁ.te/ | to put up with | to support | soutenir /sut.niʁ/ |
prévenir /pʁev.niʁ/ | to warn, let know | to prevent | empêcher /ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃe/ |
quitter /ki.te/ | to leave | to quit (a job) | démissionner /de.mi.sjɔ.ne/ |
commander /kɔ.mɑ̃.de/ | to order (goods) | to command | ordonner /ɔʁ.dɔ.ne/ |
injurier /ɛ̃.ʒy.ʁje/ | to insult | to injure | blesser /blɛ.se/ |
arriver /a.ʁi.ve/ | to arrive and to happen | — | both |
réaliserandse rendre compteproduce the most errors.J'ai réalisé un projetmeans you carried out a project, not that you realised something.And
demanderis a quiet one: it is neutral in French.Je demande une explicationis a request, not a demand. To demand isexiger.
Adverbs — three that reverse a sentence
| French | means | not this |
|---|---|---|
actuellement /ak.tɥɛl.mɑ̃/ | currently | actually — en fait /ɑ̃ fɛt/ |
éventuellement /e.vɑ̃.tɥɛl.mɑ̃/ | possibly, if need be | eventually — finalement /fi.nal.mɑ̃/ |
finalement /fi.nal.mɑ̃/ | in the end | finally (in a list) — enfin /ɑ̃.fɛ̃/ |
The five that do real damage
These cause the most trouble in exams, because they invert the meaning:
| Word | The trap |
|---|---|
passer un examen | It means to sit an exam. A text saying il a passé l'examen does not say he passed. |
actuellement | It means currently. Actuellement, il travaille = he is working now, not "actually". |
éventuellement | It means possibly. Not "eventually". |
assister à | It means to be present at. Il a assisté à la réunion = he attended, not that he helped. |
la librairie | A bookshop. A text about a librairie is about buying, not borrowing. |
Where they are most dangerous
| Section | Why |
|---|---|
| reading | the whole sentence inverts and you never notice |
| listening | there is no chance to re-read |
| writing | the wrong word makes the sentence nonsense |
| speaking | the listener is confused and the exchange breaks down |
Reading is the worst — because
Vrai ou fauxquestions are designed around exactly these differences. An examiner writing a comprehension test knows which words English speakers will misread.
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Familiarity gives false confidence | A word that looks like English is more likely to be misunderstood, not less. |
| Some have both meanings | l'expérience is both experience and experiment. important is both important and large. |
la pièce has four meanings | Room, part, play, coin. Context alone decides. |
| Quebec differs on some | le char in Quebec means a car. |
Why these words came to look alike
a common root, two separate journeys
Most of these pairs really are related — English borrowed tens of thousands of French words after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
But after the borrowing, the two languages drifted apart:
| Word | Latin | French today | English today |
|---|---|---|---|
| actualis | "real, active" | current | actual = real |
| sensibilis | "perceptible" | sensitive | sensible = reasonable |
| libraria | "book-related" | bookshop | library = lending collection |
| assistere | "to stand beside" | to be present | assist = to help |
In each case, one of the two languages picked a different branch of the meaning.
And that explains why the meanings are usually related rather than random:
assister à— "to stand beside something" → French took "to be present", English took "to help"
The practical point: when you meet a word that looks like English and the sentence does not quite work, suspect a false friend. That should be your first guess, not your last.
And a useful habit: whenever you meet one, memorise it inside the sentence you found it in, not on its own. The sentence locks the meaning in place and stops the English one from creeping back.