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Do you remember hearing the word “cognate” when learning a foreign language in high school or college?
Cambridge Dictionary describes a cognate as “a word that has the same origin as another word, or is related in some way to another word.”
Cognates usually look alike and have the same meaning.
For example, “the Italian word “mangiare” (= to eat) is cognate with the French word “manger” (=to eat). These two words are cognates.
Cognates in Learning Spanish
Our family has been living in Spain for four months now, and all of us are learning Spanish. Thankfully, because French and Spanish are both Latin languages, there are a lot of cognates between the two languages.
Since we already know French, we are able to see and recognize cognates in Spanish and understand a lot more than someone who doesn’t know French or another Latin-based language.
David’s high school Spanish teacher, for example, told us that David is learning Spanish very quickly—and even has the highest grade in the class. (I’m a proud Mama!) This may seem surprising, since all of the other students have been living in Spain for years. However, David is able to “cheat” with all the cognates between French and Spanish.
That all sounds great, huh, when it comes to learning a foreign language?
Beware of False Cognates!
However, we must beware of “false cognates” or “faux amis.”
Not all words mean the same thing—especially when you are an English speaker learning French!
False cognates are words that look identical in two languages, but their meanings are different.
They are like twins—they look identical, but they are very different inside!
In French, we call them “faux amis,” literally translated “false friends.”
Believe me, they are not always friendly!
As I described in “Beware! The Danger of Direct Translation,” these “faux amis” can get you into a lot of trouble.
“These words can easily trick you into getting the wrong end of the stick, or to saying something senseless or embarrassing that you hadn’t intended at all.”
Fluent U—French Language and Culture Blog
False Cognates in French
Fluent U lists “20 Common French False Friends to Watch Out For”:
—Ancien/Ancient (former / ancient, old)
—Attendre/Attend (to wait / to attend)
—Bras/Bras (arm / bras)
—Brasserie/Brassiere (brewery, pub / bra)
—Blessé/Blessed (wounded, injured / blessed)
—Bouton/Button (pimple / button)
—Monnaie/Money (coins, change / money (coins and bills)
—Déception/Deception (disappointment / deception)
—Envie/Envy (desire / envy)
—Grand/Grand (big / great)
—Grappe/Grape (bunch / grape)
—Joli/Jolly (pretty / jolly)
—Journée/Journey (day / journey)
—Librairie/Library (bookstore / library)
—Location/Location (rental / location)
—Coin/Coin (corner / coin)
—Passer/Pass (to take—ex. a test / to pass)
—Prune/Prune (plum / prune)
—Raisin/Raisin (grape / raisin)
—Préservatif/Preservative (condom / preservative)
Boy! I sure wish that I would have had this list in my high school French class. It could have spared me from the BIG, EMBARRASSING BLOOPER that I made when I had lunch with my French family a few years later.
I will never forget that préservatif and preservative are FALSE COGNATES . . . and FALSE FRIENDS!
Whatever foreign language you are learning, make sure you study the false cognates. Unless, like me, you don’t mind making lots of hilarious language bloopers!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
Do you know any “faux-amis” (“false friends”) in other languages? When and where have you accidentally used them? How did you know that you had made a mistake? What did you do when you realized?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
