Definition for: false friend

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English

Noun phrase

false friend

1. ( idiomatic ) A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language. Mistranslating such words can cause serious problems. For example:

   The French nous demandons means "we ask", but sounds like "we demand", which can turn negotiation into confrontation.

   The Spanish word embarazada means "pregnant", not "embarrassed" — "Estoy embarazada" means "I am pregnant," not "I am embarrassed".

   The German word will (want) is not a future tense marker — "Ich will gehen" means "I want to go," not "I will go".

Translations

• French: faux-amis m, pl
• German: falscher Freund m .
• Russian: ложный друг m .
• Swedish: falska vänner
• Spanish: falsos amigos m, pl

See also

• cognate
• false cognate

Other Translations for "false friend"

Braille 6 Dot
Braille 8 Dot
Sign Language Spelling
Morse Code		false friend
Hex		66 e1 6c f3 65 a0 66 72 69 65 ee e4
Pig Latin		alsefay iendfray

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