If you come across a word in French that looks like an English one, it probably means the same thing, right?
Well… no not all the time.
We call these False Cognates or (Faux Amis) i.e. False Friends.
These can be the cause of some embarrassing or funny misunderstandings.
Watch the video
Why is it important?
As an English speaker when you learn French, the fact that so many words look the same is a great advantage.
However, it can also be a bit dangerous at times and cause many misunderstandings.
Let’s take a closer look at them
Here are the 7 verbs that can trick you:
| Verbe | Looks like | Actually means | |
| 1 | Altérer | To alter | Most commonly > to falsify, to tamper with something |
| 2 | Assister | To assist, help | To attend an event |
| 3 | Attendre | To attend | To wait for someone/something |
| 4 | Blesser | To bless | To hurt, to wound someone |
| 5 | Décevoir | To deceive | To disappoint someone |
| 6 | Prévenir | To prevent | To warn someone |
| 7 | Supporter | To support | To bear someone |
What’s next?
Now that you’re aware of these 7 common verbs, the next natural step is to start thinking of using them in context.
Sometimes learners struggle to quickly put sentences together even though they have all the different individual elements.
So if YOU feel like your grammar foundations are a bit wobbly.
Join our verb challenge. bit.ly/verbchallenge
I’ve designed a 31-day verb challenge for YOU to get daily videos and prompts from me so that you get into the practice of writing something in French every single day.
You can sign up for free at BIT.LY/VERBCHALLENGE
