---
title: "30 French–English false friends you need to know"
description: "The trickiest false friends between French and English, with their real meaning and examples, plus the genders that catch English speakers out."
url: "https://laclassefrancaise.es/en/blog/french-english-false-friends"
lang: "en"
author: "Thierry Gustin"
published: "2026-10-30"
updated: "2026-11-07"
---

# 30 French–English false friends you need to know

> **Key takeaways** — False friends are words that look alike in French and English but mean something else. The trickiest ones for English speakers include actuellement (currently, not actually, which is en fait), librairie (bookshop, not library, which is bibliothèque), sensible (sensitive, not sensible), éventuellement (possibly, not eventually) and rester (to stay, not to rest). Knowing them avoids some very awkward misunderstandings.

French and English share thousands of words, and that is a huge advantage. But some words look alike and **don't mean the same thing**: these are **false friends** (*faux amis*). Some cause simple confusion; others lead to very awkward situations. Here are the 30 that cause English speakers the most trouble.

## The 10 trickiest false friends

**False friends that cause misunderstandings**

| French | Means | Does not mean | "That" in French is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| *actuellement* | currently, at the moment | actually | *en fait* |
| *une librairie* | a bookshop | a library | *une bibliothèque* |
| *sensible* | sensitive | sensible | *raisonnable* |
| *éventuellement* | possibly, if need be | eventually | *finalement* |
| *assister à* | to attend | to assist | *aider* |
| *rester* | to stay | to rest | *se reposer* |
| *blesser* | to injure, to hurt | to bless | *bénir* |
| *un préservatif* | a condom | a preservative | *un conservateur* |
| *une déception* | a disappointment | a deception | *une tromperie* |
| *une location* | a rental, a hire | a location | *un emplacement* |

## Everyday false friends

- ***Un coin*** is a corner; a coin is *une pièce* (de monnaie).
- ***La monnaie*** is change (small coins) or a currency; money in general is *l'argent*.
- ***Une journée*** is a day (the whole day, from morning to evening); a journey is *un voyage* or *un trajet*.
- ***La chair*** is flesh; a chair is *une chaise*.
- ***Un raisin*** is a grape; a raisin is *un raisin sec*.
- ***Une prune*** is a plum; a prune is *un pruneau*.
- ***Une cave*** is a cellar; a cave is *une grotte*.
- ***Un car*** is a coach (a long-distance bus); a car is *une voiture*.
- ***Les chips*** are crisps (potato chips in American English); British chips are *des frites*.
- ***Un crayon*** is a pencil; a wax crayon is *un crayon de cire*.
- ***Une affaire*** is a deal, a matter or a business; a love affair is *une liaison* or *une aventure*.
- ***La figure*** is the face, as well as a figure.

## False friends at work and in education

- ***Demander*** means to ask, not to demand (*exiger*).
- ***Un stage*** is an internship or a training course; a theatre stage is *une scène*.
- ***Une lecture*** is a reading; a lecture is *un cours magistral* or *une conférence*.
- ***Le collège*** is a secondary school for pupils aged about 11 to 15; a college or university is *une université* or *une école supérieure*.
- ***Un délai*** is a time limit or a deadline; a delay is *un retard*.
- ***Un résumé*** is a summary; an American résumé is *un CV*.
- ***Un agenda*** is a diary or planner; a meeting agenda is *l'ordre du jour*.
- ***Achever*** means to finish or complete; to achieve is *réussir* or *atteindre*.

You'll find more professional vocabulary in my guide to the [job interview in French](https://laclassefrancaise.es/en/blog/job-interview-in-french).

## Genders that confuse English speakers

English nouns have no grammatical gender, so the hardest part is remembering that gender can **change the meaning** of a word. These pairs cause the most mistakes:

**Words whose meaning changes with their gender**

| Masculine in French | Feminine in French |
| --- | --- |
| *le livre* (the book) | *la livre* (the pound) |
| *le tour* (the turn, the tour) | *la tour* (the tower) |
| *le poste* (the job, the position) | *la poste* (the post office) |
| *le mode* (the method, the mode) | *la mode* (fashion) |
| *le manche* (the handle) | *la manche* (the sleeve) |
| *le mémoire* (the dissertation) | *la mémoire* (memory) |

As a general rule, French words ending in **-age** are masculine (*le voyage, le fromage, le message*), with a few exceptions such as *la page* or *la plage*, and words ending in **-tion** and **-té** are feminine (*la nation, la liberté*). Review how articles work in [French articles](https://laclassefrancaise.es/en/blog/french-articles).

> **A good habit** — Whenever you learn a new word, always write it down with its article (*le livre*, *la tour*). And if a French word looks very much like an English one, be a little suspicious and check it in a dictionary such as [Le Robert](https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com/).

## What about "true friends"?

Not everything is a trap: most words that look alike do mean the same thing. *Important, possible, la musique, la famille, la question, le restaurant*… Thanks to this closeness, an English speaker understands many written French texts early on. The real challenge is pronunciation and listening, as I explain in [how to improve your French pronunciation](https://laclassefrancaise.es/en/blog/french-pronunciation).

## Frequently asked questions

### What does "actuellement" mean in French?

Currently, at the moment: *Actuellement, je travaille à Lyon.* (I'm currently working in Lyon.) To say "actually", use *en fait*.

### Does "sensible" mean sensible in French?

No, it means sensitive: *Elle est très sensible.* (She is very sensitive.) A sensible person is *raisonnable* or *sensé(e)*.

### What does "éventuellement" mean?

Possibly, if need be: *On pourrait éventuellement partir plus tôt.* (We could possibly leave earlier.) "Eventually" is *finalement* or *à la fin*.

### What is a false friend?

A word that looks similar in two languages but has a different meaning, such as *librairie* (bookshop) and "library".

— Thierry Gustin, Profesor nativo de francés · November 7, 2026