How good is your French ?
How’s your French ? The French call these words “les faux amis”. In English we just say misunderstandings.
-The English word FAMOUS is BIEN CONNU in French, but the French word FAMEUX mean INFAMOUS
-The English word POPULAR in French would be BIEN AIME. The French word POPULAIRE means WORKING CLASS.
-A PIECE in English becomes MORCEAU in French, whereas une PIECE is a ROOM.
-The English word MISERALBLE translated in to French is MALHEUREUX or DEPRESSIF. The French word MISERABLE means POOR.
-The English word PETROL translates as ESSENCE. But the French word PETROLE means PARAFFIN.
-The English word OFFICIAL is OFFICIEL in French, but the French word OFFICIEUX means UNOFFICIAL in English
-The English word CONTROL is MAITRISER in French. The French word CONTROLE means a TEST or VERIFICATION
-PRETEND in English becomes FAIRE SEMBLANT in French. Whereas PRETENDRE in French means to CLAIM in English
-A PRUNE in English becomes a PRUNEAU in French, whereas the French word une PRUNE is a PLUM
-The English word RETIRE in French is PRENDRE SA RETRAITE. The French word RETIRER means to REMOVE or WITHDRAW
-To REST in English becomes se REPOSER in French, but the French word RESTER is to STAY or REMAIN
– SYMPATHETIC in English translates in to COMPATISSANT. The French word SYMPATIQUE mean NICE
– TISSUE in English is a KLEENEX (mouchoir) in French. The French word TISSU means FABRIC or CLOTH
– a VEST in English becomes a MAILLOT de CORPS in French (they don’t seem to wear them!), but une VESTE in French means a JACKET in English.
Catherine Broughton is a novelist, a poet and an artist. She is widely travelled and writes regularly for magazines and blog sites. Her sketches are on her web site http://turquoisemoon.co.uk . Her books are available from Amazon and on Kindle, or can be ordered from several leading book stores.
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Catherine Broughton is a novelist, a poet and an artist. Her books are available as e-books on this site:-
https://payhip.com/b/tEva “A Call from France”
https://payhip.com/b/OTiQ “French Sand”
https://payhip.com/b/BLkF ”The Man with Green Fingers”
https://payhip.com/b/1Ghq “Saying Nothing”
They are also available on Amazon & Kindle, or can be ordered as paperbacks from most leading book stores and libraries.
