Les Faux Amis — French-English false friends | Vocabulary
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The classic French false friends (faux amis) — words that look English but mean something else entirely. False friends — words that don’t mean what you think. This French false friends that don t mean what you think vocabulary list gives you 16 essential words — from actuellement (currently (NOT actually = en fait)) to l’habit (clothing (habit = l’habitude)) — each with audio and its English translation. Use it to build the French words you need to talk about false friends that don t mean what you think, then test yourself with the games below.
Les Faux Amis
False friends — words that don’t mean what you think
The classic traps
🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « Les Faux Amis » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to survive false friends
- French and English share thousands of words — most ARE identical in meaning. These are the famous exceptions.
- The most dangerous ones are the everyday ones: actuellement, attendre, rester, passer un examen.
- The funniest trap: le préservatif — never ask for “des préservatifs” in your food. The word you want is conservateur.
- When a French word looks English but the sentence feels odd — suspect a faux ami and check.
🔊 Useful phrases
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
« library » en français ? (not librairie!)
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la bibliothèque
to take an exam = ___ un examen (not “to pass”!)
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passer
« J’ai de la chance » veut dire… (translate)
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I’m lucky
🎬 Video lesson
25 False Friends Between French and English🎮 Practise this with games
🎯 More practice — vocabulary recall — both directions
How do you say « currently »? (recall)
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actuellement
What does « la librairie » mean? (recall)
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bookshop
How do you say « sensitive »? (recall)
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sensible
What does « la journée » mean? (recall)
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the day
How do you say « to injure »? (recall)
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blesser
What does « éventuellement » mean? (recall)
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possibly
How do you say « rental »? (recall)
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la location
What does « prétendre » mean? (recall)
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to claim
Go further: this chart is one small piece — get the full picture in our guide 7 common French mistakes English speakers make.
French false friends — FAQ
How do you say common false friends that don t mean what you think words in French?
For example: currently (NOT actually = en fait) is « actuellement », to wait (to attend = assister à) is « attendre », bookshop (library = la bibliothèque) is « la librairie ». The full list above has 16 French false friends that don t mean what you think words, each with audio so you can hear the pronunciation.
What are the most useful French false friends that don t mean what you think words to learn first?
Start with the basics: actuellement (currently (NOT actually = en fait)), attendre (to wait (to attend = assister à)), la librairie (bookshop (library = la bibliothèque)), rester (to stay (to rest = se reposer)), sensible (sensitive (sensible = raisonnable)), la monnaie (change/coins (money = l’argent)). Master these core French words before moving on to the rest of the list.
How can I memorise French false friends that don t mean what you think vocabulary?
Learn the words in small themed groups, say each one out loud with the audio, and use it in a short sentence about your own life. Spaced repetition is what makes new vocabulary stick — see our guide to learning French vocabulary that sticks.
🎮 Practise this lesson
Games built from this exact page — turn what you just read into play: