FALSE FRIENDS

 
     Sometimes an English word has the same, or similar, spelling and/or sound as a word in another language but it has a different meaning. This can be a problem for learners because they may misunderstand the English word. For example, in English a library is somewhere you can borrow (not buy) a book but in Spanish a libreria is somewhere you can buy (not borrow) a book (a bookshop in English). We call both the English and Spanish words false friends or false cognates.

     Sometimes an English word has the same, or similar, spelling and/or sound as a word in another language and it has the same meaning. (The two words often come from the same word in a different language.) These words are called cognates and are, in a way, the opposite of false friends. Examples of cognates in some languages are hospital, television and police. Can you think of any false friends and cognates that occur between English and other languages?😥