‘Faux amis’ or ‘false friends’ are pairs of words or phrases that sound similar or identical in two languages, but have different meanings.
similar or identical, but with different meanings. False friends often cause problems in language learning, for students, teachers and even
translators. Due to their undeniably funny nature, these phrases are often used in comedies and various gags and puns.
Definition of the Word ‘False Friends’
When learning a foreign language, we often come across words or phrases that sound similar or identical to those in our mother tongue. These words usually have a completely different meaning than in our mother tongue. We call such words and expressions ‘false friends’.
Is it worthwhile to get to know ‘false friends’ and learn them? Absolutely! They enrich our vocabulary and allow us to take our language skills to a higher level. Unfortunately, they can rarely be learned from available textbooks. Rather, we get to know them through conversations in everyday situations or by reading language blogs dedicated to various language curiosities.
Faux amis: origin of the term
The term ‘false friends’ was first introduced by Maxime Koessler and Jules Derocquigny.
It appeared in their 1928 book entitled Les Faux Amis, ou les Trahisons du Vocabulaire Anglais (which translates as False Friends, or Traps in the English Vocabulary).
The term also appears in this book in its full form, namely faux amis du traducteur (false friends of the translator). However, it is its abbreviated version that has gained popularity and become the official term used in linguistics.
Get to Know ‘False Friends’ – Examples
‘False friend’ is a broad category of words that, in sound or spelling, remind us of expressions in Polish, and we intuitively attribute this Polish meaning to them. The real meaning? Most often it is completely different!
Learn about the most interesting ‘faux amis’ between French and Polish, their true meaning and the translation of a word that resembles a French word.
Actuel – współczesny (“false friend”: d’aujourd’hui – aktualny)
Agitation – poruszenie (“false friend”: propagande politique – agitacja)
Aliments – żywność (“false friend”: pension alimentaire – alimenty)
Appartament – mieszkanie (“false friend”: suite – apartament)
Aventure – przygoda (“false friend”: dispute – awantura)
Blanquette – potrawka, serwowana w białym sosie (“false friend”: formulaire – blankiet)
Boudin – kaszanka (“false friend”: pouding – budyń)
Bronzé – opalony (“false friend”: marron – brązowy)
Cadence – rytm, tempo (“false friend”: mandat – kadencja)
Carrousel – parada konna (“false friend”: manège – karuzela)
Chalet – schronisko, szałas (“false friend”: toilettes – szalety)
Collation – przekąska (“false friend”: diner – kolacja)
Collègue – kolega z pracy (“false friend”: camarade, ami – kolega)
Couillon – głupiec (“false friend”: bûcheur – kujon)
Divan – wersalka (“false friend”: tapis – dywan)
Dôme – kopuła (“false friend”: maison – dom)
Façon – sposób (“false friend”: coupe – fason, krój)
Factice – sztuczny (“false friend”: réel – faktyczny)
Flaque – kałuża (“false friend”: tripes – flaki)
Folie – szaleństwo – (“false friend”: film plastique – folia)
Jour – dzień (“false friend”: soupe à la farine de seigle – żur, żurek)
Lustre – żyrandol (“false friend”: miroir – lustro)
Parasol – parasol plażowy, przeciwsłoneczny (“false friend”: parapluie – parasol przeciw deszczowy)
Pension – renta (“false friend”: salaire – pensja)
Pièce – sztuka (“false friend”: chien – pies)
Rayon – promień (“false friend”: secteur – rejon)
Recette – przepis (“false friend”: ordonnance – recepta)
Récréation – przerwa w szkole (“false friend”: loisirs – rekreacja)
Régal – przysmak (“false friend”: étagère – regał, półka)
Régisseur – zarządca (“false friend”: metteur en scène – reżyser)
Rouge – czerwony (“false friend”: rose – różowy)
Sensation – odczucie (“false friend”: sensationnel – sensacja)
Serre – szklarnia (“false friend”: fromage – ser)
Soda – lemoniada (“false friend”: soude – soda)
Tata – ciocia (“false friend”: papa – tata)
Tort – szkoda, błąd (“false friend”: gâteau fourré – tort)
Chants – pieśni, śpiewy (“false friend”: chants de marin – szanty)
Chaussée – jezdnia (“false friend”: route – szosa)
Talon – pieta (“false friend”: coupon – talon)
Terrasse – taras (“false friend”: maintenant – teraz)
Troupa – gromada, trupa, (“false friend”: cadaver – trup)
How to Avoid False Friends?
According to various sources, false friends is a group of up to several hundred words that look and sound similar in French and Polish. In everyday language, we usually use several of them (at higher levels of proficiency, even dozens). Experts stress that the only way to tame false friends is to systematically learn entire sentences with the given expression and… to be suspicious of every French word that we automatically associate with a Polish word.
I invite you to visit this website and read the article to learn more about the ‘False friends’ in Polish-French.
If you want to learn Polish language, I invite you to visit our website and get more information.
