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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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Nice thread.
Two notes:
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.
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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The funny thing is that modern Spain used to link bigotes with extreme right-wing stands.
Embarrassed=embarazoso/embarazosa.Embarrassed (English) = Ashamed, etc.
Embarazada (Spanish) = Pregnant
Pregnant=preñado/preñada.
Spider web = tela de araña.Web (English)= Something a spider makes.
Huevo (Spanish) = Egg
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