Language of the Day: False Friends
Today’s language of the day is False Friends, words that sound the same in two languages but have very different meanings. These can really cause confusion for language learners, so check out the blog to find out about them.
bizarre
The word bizare in English means ‘strange or unsual'. You might think the Spanish word bizarro means the same thing, but it actually means ‘brave or courageous’!
gift
The word gift in English means a ‘present’ like you would get on your birthday, but in German the same word means poison! Don’t mix this one up for sure!
pain
Pain is a noun in English that refers to physical harm. However, in French this word means bread!
mansion
In English, mansion is a huge expensive house, but in Japanese this same word means a block of apartments.
costume
In English a costume is a disguise you might wear on Halloween, but in Portuguese costume means a custom or tradition.
Every language has false friends, so watch out for these tricky words on your language learning journey, whether you’re studying English or any other language!