The original meaning of false friend is someone who appears to be a friend, but is actually an enemy. The phrase "false friend" is an old phrase. It is found in William Shakespeare's Richard III, act III scene i.
In it, Richard III tells Prince Edward:
- Those uncles which you want were dangerous;
- Your grace attended to their sugar'd words,
- But look'd not on the poison of their hearts :
- God keep you from them, and from such false friends!
- God keep me from false friends! but they were none.
From the etymological point of view, false friends can be created in several ways:
- Cognates:
- If Language A borrowed a word from Language B, then in Language B the word shifted in meaning, a native speaker of language A will face a false friend when learning language B.
- False cognates:
- In certain cases, false friends were created separately in the two languages
- some false friends are simply homonyms with no relation between them whatsoever. They happened due to sheer coincidence.
- e.g., the Latin is, the Chinese you, and the German Rat.
- Pseudo-anglicisms:
- Pseudo-anglicisms are artificially-created constructions of words with elements borrowed from English but the morphemes of which do not actually exist in English.
- e.g., German: "Twen" for anyone in their "twenties" or the age itself, or "fesch" for smart, natty, chic, attractive or dashing which originated in the English "fashionable".
- e.g., German: "Twen" for anyone in their "twenties" or the age itself, or "fesch" for smart, natty, chic, attractive or dashing which originated in the English "fashionable".
- Pseudo-anglicisms are artificially-created constructions of words with elements borrowed from English but the morphemes of which do not actually exist in English.
| Non-English word | Which resembles English | But actually means |
|---|---|---|
| accuser (French) | accuse | acknowledge (accuser réception = acknowledge receipt), although it can also mean "accuse" in other cases |
| actual (Spanish) actueel (Dutch) actuel (French) aktuell (German) attuale(Italian) | actual | current |
| After (German) | after | anus |
| also (German) | also | thus |
| ask (Swedish) | ask | small box; ash (tree) |
| attendere (Italian) attendre (French) | attend | to wait for; to expect |
| bald (German) | bald | soon |
| beg (Manx) | big | little |
| bekommen (German) | become | obtain, get (compare English "come by") |
| beraten (German) | berate | give advice, discuss |
| bilione (Italian) biljon (Swedish) Billion (German) billion (French) and (Norwegian) billón (Spanish) | billion | American 'trillion' (1012 or million million). The American English billion is in fact a false friend in German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish and means "Milliarde" (109 or thousand million) Formerly did not apply to British English or where English was taught as a foreign language, but this is changing - see billion. |
| bloc (Spanish) Block (German) block (Swedish) | block | note pad |
| bond (French) | bond | leap, bound |
| bras (French) | bra(ssiere)s | arm (the body part) |
| brav (German) | brave | well-behaved |
| brutaal (Dutch) | brutal | bold |
| canto (Latin, Italian or Spanish) | canto | I sing |
| casino (Italian) | casino | brothel |
| check (Swedish) | check | bank cheque |
| compromiso (Spanish) | compromise | promise |
| constipado (Spanish) | constipated | (a) cold |
| corne (French) corno (Italian) | corn | horn |
| culte (French) | cult | worship (as in lieu de culte = house of worship) |
| demander (French) | to demand | to ask or request |
| die (German) | (to) die | the (feminine and plural article; example: the wife (die Ehefrau), the houses (die Häuser)) |
| dick (German) | dick (slang for the penis or a detective) also in idiom (every) Tom Dick and Harry | fat, thick |
| dag (דג) (Hebrew) | dog | fish |
| Dom (German) | dome | cathedral |
| egg (Swedish) | egg | edge of a cutting tool, such as knife edge |
| ego (Latin) | ego | I |
| empirer (French) | empire | to become worse |
| engagerad (Swedish) | engaged | considered or involved in something |
| embarazada (Spanish) | embarrassed | pregnant |
| entrée (French) | entrée | entrance, or appetizer |
|
etichetta (Italian) etiket (Dutch) Etikett (German) etiqueta (Spanish) étiquette (French) | etiquette | label (can also mean etiquette in French or Spanish, but is mostly used as label) |
| eventualmente (Spanish and Italian)
eventueel (Dutch) eventuell (German and Swedish) éventuellement (French) | eventually | maybe, perhaps |
| éxito (Spanish) | exit | success |
| fabbrica (Italian)
fábrica (Spanish) fabriek (Dutch) Fabrik (German) fabrik (Swedish) fabrika (Serbian) fabrique (French) | fabric | factory (compare 'fabricate') Possible origin due to large Victorian factories producing woven fabric. |
| facilidad (Spanish) | facility | ease |
| Fahrt (German) Vaart (Dutch) | fart | German: urney; speed; trip, excursion, voyage Dutch: similar, but only used for ships |
| far (Swedish) | far | father |
| fart (Swedish) | fart | speed |
| fast (German) | fast | nearly, almost |
| fast (Swedish) | fast | firm, steady (compare "steadfast") |
| fat (Swedish) | fat | (dinner) plate |
| fat (發) (Cantonese) | fat | prosperity |
| fattoria (Italian) | factory | farm |
| flint (Swedish) | flint | bald head |
| foresto (Esperanto) | forest | absence |
| fort (French) forte (Italian) | fort | strong (but can also mean fort) |
| Gift (German) Gif (Dutch) | gift | poison |
| gift (Swedish) | gift | married, poison |
| glass (Swedish) | glass | icecream |
| Glut (German) | glut | heat; glow; embers |
| greippi (Finnish) | grape | grapefruit |
| gren (Swedish) | green | branch |
| groin (French) | groin | snout |
| Gymnasium (German and Swedish) | gym(nasium) | high(er) school, grammar school (see Secondary education) |
| Handy (German) | handy | mobile phone, cell phone ("Handy" is not really German, it is artificial (pseudo-English) from English and German "hand", but most Germans think that the word is English). It's a Pseudo-anglicism. |
| he (היא) (Hebrew) | he | she |
| Hose (German) | hose | (pair of) trousers/pants |
| i (Latin) | I | go! (imperative) |
| is (Norwegian) | is | icecream |
| is (Latin) | is | you go |
| is (Swedish | is | ice |
| Island (Swedish and German) Islande (French) | island | Iceland |
| it (Latin) | it | he/she/it goes |
| caution (French) Kaution (German) | caution | deposit, bail |
| kid (Swedish) | kid | fawn |
| killa (Swedish) | kill | tickle, scratch |
| Kind (German) | kind | child |
| Kinn (German) | kin | chin |
| kontroll (Swedish) kontrollieren (German) | control | check, examine |
| korn (Swedish) | corn | barley |
| kraft (Swedish) | craft | power, strenght |
| last (Swedish) | last | load (transport) |
| lime (French) | lime | file (the tool) |
| Limo (German) | limo | lemonade |
| limpa (Swedish) | limp | loaf (bread), carton of cigarette packages |
| List (German) list (Swedish) | list | cunning, artfulness, ruse |
| lump (Swedish) | lump | discarded fabric |
| main (French) | main | hand |
| mama (Georgian) | mother | father |
| me (Finnish) | me | we |
| me (麼) (Mandarin) | me | interrogative marker |
| merci (French) | mercy | thank you |
| miting (Serbian) | meeting | political demonstration |
| Mode (German) mode (Swedish) | mode | fashion, haute couture |
| Mörder (German) | murder | murderer |
| nai (ναι) (Greek) | nay, no | yes |
| novell (Swedish) | novel | short story |
| on (Serbian) | on | he |
| once (Spanish) | once | eleven |
| or (French) | or | gold, now |
| ours (French) | ours | a bear |
| pathétique (French) | pathetic | emotional |
| pétulant (French) | petulant | playful |
| pomme (French) | Pommie, Pom (see Alternate words for British) | apple |
| pregnant (Swedish) prägnant (German) | pregnant | short but informative; remarkable, prominent |
| préservatif (French) (1) | preservative | condom |
| Prospekt (German) | prospect | brochure, leaflet |
| prospekt (Swedish) | prospect | document or brochure detailing an offer (usually from a travel agent) |
| prospekt (Russian) | prospect | avenue |
| Prozess (German) process (Swedish) | process | trial (at court)/(in Swedish mainly used to denote process but also means trial) |
| queue (French) | queue | tail |
| Rat (German) | rat | advice; council; councilor (U.S.), councillor (Br.) |
| rest (Swedish) | rest | remainder |
| restar (Spanish) | (to) rest | to subtract |
| rester (French) restare (Italian) | (to) rest | to stay; to remain |
| roman (Swedish) | Roman | novel |
| saikou (Japanese) | psycho | the best |
| sale (French) | sale | dirty |
| sale (Italian) | sale | salt |
| sale (Spanish) | sale | goes out |
| salivit (Latin) | salivate | he/she/it jumped |
| secte (French) | sect | cult |
| Sekt (German) | sect | champagne, sparkling wine |
| sensibel (German) sensibile (Italian) sensible (French and Spanish) | sensible | sensitive |
| she (舌) (Mandarin) | she | tongue |
| Smoking (German) smoking (Swedish and Spanish) | smoking | dinner jacket (Br.), tuxedo (U.S.); but not smoking jacket |
| son (Spanish) | son | (they) are |
| soy (Spanish) | soya, soybean | (I) am |
| stark (German and Swedish) | stark | strong |
| stor (Swedish) | store | big, large |
| stout (Dutch) | stout | naughty |
| strafen (German) | strafe | punish |
| sum (Latin) | sum | I am |
| simpatico(Italian) simpático (Spanish) sympathique (French) sympathisch (German) sympatisk (Swedish) | sympathetic | likeable, friendly |
| teknologi (Swedish) | technology | technology as a discipline |
| to (Serbian) | to (in writing) | that |
| tu (Serbian) | to (in reading) | there |
| t'oi (台) (Hakka) | toy | tower |
| Unterstand (German) | (to) understand | shelter; dugout; bunker |
| vi (Serbian) | we (in reading) | you |
| wanken (German) | (to) wank | to sway; to succumb; to fall |
| Webseite (German) | web site | web page |
| wer (German) | where | who |
| will (German) vill (Swedish) | will | want |
| vink (Swedish) | wink | hint, wave (salutation) |
| winken (German) | wink | to wave |
| wo (German) | who, woe | where |
| vrist (Swedish) | wrist | ankle |
| you (有) (Mandarin) | you | to have
|
- The words Präservativ (German), prezerwatywa (Polish) are derived from the French préservatif (which means both "preservative" and "condom", though "conservateur" is more used for "preservative") and all false friends of the word name. This is an example of how in one language, a word can acquire an additional meaning which is not shared by other languages.
Even compilers of bilingual dictionaries are sometimes fooled by false friends, particularly when they are cognates. For example, the Spanish desgracia can on rare occasions mean "disgrace", but it usually means "misfortune". The best defense for the language student is to use a monolingual dictionary in the target language as a final authority.
See also: Pseudo-Anglicism
