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False friends when learning Italian visualisation

False friends when learning Italian

What are the false friends (false cognates) between languages, with examples
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When learning Italian, one of the challenges English speakers face is dealing with false friends. These are words that look or sound similar in both languages but have different meanings. Understanding these false friends is crucial to avoid misunderstandings and improve fluency. Here are some common Italian-English false friends:

Common Italian-English False Friends

  • Annoiare vs. To Annoy: Annoiare means “to bore,” not “to annoy.” For “annoy,” use irritare or dare fastidio 1, 5.

  • Attualmente vs. Actually: Attualmente means “currently,” not “actually.” Use in realtà or veramente for “actually” 1, 3, 5.

  • Camera vs. Camera: In Italian, camera means “room,” not “photographic camera.” The correct term for a camera is macchina fotografica 1, 4.

  • Casuale vs. Casual: Casuale means “random,” not “casual.” Use informale for “casual” 1.

  • Confrontare vs. To Confront: Confrontare means “to compare,” not “to confront.” Use affrontare for confronting someone 1, 5.

  • Libreria vs. Library: Libreria refers to a “bookstore,” not a “library.” The correct term for library is biblioteca 1, 3.

  • Morbido vs. Morbid: Morbido means “soft,” not “morbid.” For morbid, use morboso 1, 6.

  • Parenti vs. Parents: Parenti means “relatives,” not “parents.” Use genitori for parents 1.

  • Preservativo vs. Preservative: Preservativo means “condom,” not “preservative.” For preservative, use conservante 1, 4.

  • Pretendere vs. To Pretend: Pretendere means “to demand” or “expect,” not to pretend. Use fingere for pretending 1, 5, 7.

  • Sensibile vs. Sensible: Sensibile means “sensitive,” not “sensible.” Use ragionevole or sensato for sensible 1, 3.

These examples illustrate how deceptively similar words can lead to confusion if their meanings are assumed based on appearance alone. Language learners should be aware of these false friends to communicate effectively and avoid embarrassing mistakes in Italian.

References

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