False friend

English

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False friend

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((idiomatic{{#if:|, {{{2}}}{{#if:|, {{{3}}}{{#if:|, {{{4}}}{{#if:|, {{{5}}}{{#if:|, {{{6}}}{{#if:|, {{{7}}}{{#if:|, {{{8}}}{{#if:|, {{{9}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}})) A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language. Mistranslating such words can cause serious problems. For example:
The French nous demandons means "we ask", but sounds like "we demand", which can turn negotiation into confrontation.
The Spanish word embarazada means "pregnant", not "embarrassed" — "Estoy embarazada" means "I am pregnant," not "I am embarrassed".
The German word will (want) is not a future tense marker — "Ich will gehen" means "I want to go," not "I will go".