Would you believe me if I told you you were speaking French way before you ever wanted to learn it? Yes! French and English have multiple cognates.
So, If you’re currently looking to learn French words through English, here is a small guide to set you on the right track.
Common French words that we use in English
Before we get into the topic of cognates, let’s learn to understand the common French words used in English. Here is a list of some of the most frequently used French words that make their way into your sentences knowingly or unknowingly.
- Déjà Vu
- Mirage
- Façade
- Menu
- Petite
- Restaurant
- Champagne
- Entrepreneur
- Souvenir
- Genre
- Bizzare
- Boutique
- Café
- Garage
- Beige
- Catalogue
- Gourmet
- Bon Voyage
- Chauffeur
- Brochure
Faux amis vs Vrais amis
There is a list of similar words and phrases in French and English. However, these words might get tricky when we categorize them into true cognates (vrais amis) and false cognates (faux amis).
What is a cognate? Cognates are sets of words inherited from a common parent language that look alike in different languages. Learning French through cognates is a simple way to build your vocabulary.
Vrais Amis or true cognates are words that share identical spellings and meanings in both English and French. The only difference for true cognates is the French pronunciation and accent.
Faux Amis or false cognates are words that share identical spellings but different meanings. This deceptive resemblance is easily confused and often utilized the wrong way.
20 most significant false cognates
To avoid any further confusion, we’ve put together a list of the most significant false cognates to help learners understand the vast difference.
Actuellement – at present/currently
Actually – en fait, en realité
blessé – hurt
to bless – bénir
attendre – to wait
to attend – assister
assister – to attend
to assist – aider
la chair – flesh
chair – une chaise
la chance – luck
chance – le hasard
un coin – corner
coin – une pièce
le collège – high school
college – l’université
sale – dirty
sales – les soldes
une journée – day
journey – un voyage
la lecture – reading
lecture – une conférence
Librairie – bookshop
library – une bibliothèque
demander – to ask
to demand – exiger
le pain – bread
pain – la douleur
introduire – to insert
to introduce – présenter
le médecin – doctor
medicine – medicaments
gentil – nice
gentle – douceur
Grappe – cluster/bunch
grape – raisin
la commodité – convenience
commodity – marchandise
envie – desire
envy/jealous – jaloux
Escape the embarrassments
French and English share a complicated linguistic history which leaves us to shuffle between a lot of similar yet different words. However, these words make each language unique and beautiful in its own way. Now that you are aware of some of the traps you might fall into, it’s time to be more careful and escape the embarrassments.
