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Thread: English false-friends for Romance speakers...

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    Default English false-friends for Romance speakers...

    What are all the English false friends that misguide romance speakers?
    I found these:

    SENSITIVE: similar to ITA/ESP. "sentitivo" and FR. "sensitif", that in English mean "medium". Sensitive in English means actually ITA. "sensibile", ESP "sensible", FR. "sensible".

    SENSIBLE: similar to ITA. "sensibile", ESP/FR "sensible", that in English mean "sensitive". Sensible in English means ITA "ragionevole", ESP. "razonable" and FR. "raissonable".

    ACTUALLY: similar to ITA "attualmente", ESP. "actualmente" and FR. "actuellement". In English it means ITA. "in realtà", ESP. "en realidad" , FR. "en fait".

    BRAVE: similar to ITA/ESP "bravo", meaning actually ITA. "coraggioso" and ESP. "valiente".

    CRUDE: similar to ITA/ESP "crudo", meaning instead ITA. "grezzo", ESP "basto".

    COCUMBER: similar to ITA "cocomero" but meaning instead "rock mellon" (cocomero meaning "water mellon").

    DENT: similar to ITA "dente", ESP "diente", FR. "dent", meaning instead ITA "incisione", ESP. "incisiòn", FR. "incision".

    FACTORY, sim. ITA "fattoria", meaning instead ITA "fabbrica".

    PARENT: sim. ITA "parente", meaning instead ITA "genitore" (parente means in Engl. "relative").

    Others?

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    INJURY: similar to ITA "ingiuria" (=insult/offence). In modern English it means ITA "ferita".

    LURID: sim. ITA "lurido" (=very dirty). In English it means ITA "scandaloso/spaventoso".

    LUNATIC sim. ITA "lunatico", ESP "lunàtico" (=moody). In English it means ITA "folle", ESP. "loco".

    PUPIL sim. to ITA "pupilla", FR. "pupile" and ESP "pupila". Pupil means the same only in medical English, otherwise it means "schoolboy/girl".

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    ACTUAL - means current in Romanian

    ADEPT - means follower in Romanian

    ADVERTISEMENT - similar to avertisment (warning)

    ARM - similar to armă (weapon)

    BALLOT - similar to balot (bale)

    BAN - means coin in Romanian

    BOX - means boxing in Romanian

    BUCKET - similar to buchet (bouquet)

    CAMERA - means room in Romanian

    CAR - means cart in Romanian

    CURVE - means whores in Romanian [from the Slavonic kurŭva]

    CRIME - means murders in Romanian

    EVENTUALLY - similar to eventual (possibly)

    EXCITED - similar to excitat (aroused)

    FABRIC - similar to fabrică (factory)

    FAR - means lighthouse in Romanian

    FUND - means bottom in Romanian

    LACK - similar to lac (lake)

    LIBRARY - similar to librărie (book-store)

    MAGAZINE - similar to magazin (shop)

    MARE - means big or sea in Romanian

    NERVOUS - similar to nervos (angry)

    NOVEL - similar to nuvelă (narrative)

    PREGNANT - means obvious in Romanian

    PRIZE - means outlets in Romanian

    PRESERVATIVE - similar to prezervativ (condom)

    PROSPECT - means leaflet in Romanian

    SCHOLAR - similar to școlar (pupil)

    SENSIBLE - similar to sensibil (sensitive)

    SEVER - means severe in Romanian

    STAMINA - means stamen in Romanian

    TABLE - similar to tablă (board) [from the Slavonic tabla]
    [SPOILER=La fîntînă la mocrină][YOUTUBE]ecSLcemo3dI[/YOUTUBE][/SPOILER]

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    My Countship is not of this world Comte Arnau's Avatar
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    Nice thread.

    Two notes:

    Quote Originally Posted by Veleda View Post
    COCUMBER: similar to ITA "cocomero" but meaning instead "rock mellon" (cocomero meaning "water mellon").
    In this case the weird one is Italian. French concombre, Catalan cogombre, Spanish cohombro and Portuguese cogombro mean the same or very similar to English cucumber.

    Quote Originally Posted by Veleda View Post
    PUPIL sim. to ITA "pupilla", FR. "pupile" and ESP "pupila". Pupil means the same only in medical English, otherwise it means "schoolboy/girl".
    In Romance languages it's not a school child, but it's a boy or girl under the protection of a tutor.
    < La Catalogne peut se passer de l'univers entier, et ses voisins ne peuvent se passer d'elle. > Voltaire

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    A few ones that are more partial and usually not so obvious:

    EDUCATED
    = culto, instruído (Portuguese); culto, instruido (Spanish); culte, instruït (Catalan); cultivé, instruit (French); colto, istruito (Italian)
    In Romance languages, educado (Por, Spa), educat (Cat), educato (Ita) mean polite, well-mannered

    CRIME
    often = delito (Por, Spa); delicte (Cat); délit (Fr); delitto (Ita)
    In Romance languages, crime (Por, Fr), crimen (Spa), crim (Cat), crimine (It) are usually for the serious crimes, implying murder

    EVIDENCE
    often = provas (Por); pruebas (Spa); proves (Cat); preuves (Fr); prove (It)
    In Romance languages, evidência (Por), evidencia (Spa), evidència (Cat), évidence (Fr), evidenza (It) are more often used to mean obviousness.

    SYMPATHY
    often = compaixão (Por); compasión (Spa); compassió (Cat); compassion (Fr); compassione (It)
    In Romance languages, simpatia (Por, Cat, It), simpatía (Spa), sympathie (Fr) are more often used for friendliness or 'likeableness'
    < La Catalogne peut se passer de l'univers entier, et ses voisins ne peuvent se passer d'elle. > Voltaire

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    I knew an Australian woman who was hitching through Europe. A truckdriver picked her up and asked if she was "une fille sensible". She thought he was asking if she was a sensible girl. He was asking if she was sensuous.

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    Bigot (English) = A racist, prejudiced person.
    Bigote (Spanish = Mustache.

    Embarrassed (English) = Ashamed, etc.
    Embarazada (Spanish) = Pregnant

    Web (English)= Something a spider makes.
    Huevo (Spanish) = Egg

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    Quote Originally Posted by Veleda View Post

    SENSIBLE: similar to ITA. "sensibile", ESP/FR "sensible", that in English mean "sensitive". Sensible in English means ITA "ragionevole", ESP. "razonable" and FR. "raissonable".
    If English reasonable doesnt exist it would be reasonable to start using it, replacing senseless sensible: how hell reason could come after sense?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Argenraza View Post
    Bigot (English) = A racist, prejudiced person.
    Bigote (Spanish = Mustache.
    The funny thing is that modern Spain used to link bigotes with extreme right-wing stands.

    Embarrassed (English) = Ashamed, etc.
    Embarazada (Spanish) = Pregnant
    Embarrassed=embarazoso/embarazosa.
    Pregnant=preñado/preñada.

    Web (English)= Something a spider makes.
    Huevo (Spanish) = Egg
    Spider web = tela de araña.

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    Quote Originally Posted by antonio View Post
    If English reasonable doesnt exist it would be reasonable to start using it, replacing senseless sensible: how hell reason could come after sense?
    Sensato, sensatez.
    < La Catalogne peut se passer de l'univers entier, et ses voisins ne peuvent se passer d'elle. > Voltaire

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