FALSE FRIENDS

I am not talking about friendship or friends who will betray you. Instead, I am simply reminding you of some basic points about the so-called “false friends” or words that tend to be more of a headache for Portuguese students of English.

These words are also known as “false cognates”. In general, they have the same etymological origin, but phonetically evolved differently.

Take notice:

1.       Café = café (loja) – café (bebida) = coffee

2.       Beef = carne de vaca – bife = steak

3.       History = Historia (disciplina) – conto, história = story

4.       Journal = diário, revista –  jornal = newspaper

5.       Library = biblioteca –  livraria = bookshop

6.       Miserable = triste, infeliz – Miserável = very poor

Find more false friends here.