10 English “false friends” that we Italians risk confusing and misusing

The phenomenon of false friends (or “false friends”, in Italian) is one of the most insidious traps for those learning one foreign languagein particular for Italians who study theEnglish. These words share orthographic or phonetic similarities with words in their native language, leading those who use them to do incorrect associations about their meaning. The expression “false friends“comes from French”faux amis du translator” (false friends of the translator) coined by linguists Maxime Koessler And Jules Derocquigny in 1928. Their research highlighted how common etymology or cultural assimilation lead words from different languages ​​to resemble each other, without necessarily sharing meanings. This phenomenon often occurs among languages ​​that have undergone mutual influenceslike Italian and English: both have borrowed terms from Latin and French, creating common bases. However, semantic evolution has led to disagreements: Words that once had identical meanings have developed in different ways in distinct cultural and linguistic contexts. Let’s distinguish two macro categories of ‘false friends’: 1) Partful: words that share only one of the meanings with their Italian counterpart. For example, “eventually“ can be confused with “eventually”, but it means “in the end”. 2) Totals: words that have no semantic link with the Italian term they resemble. For example, “preservatives“ does not mean “condoms” but “preservatives”. Let’s examine 10 false friends:

1. Ostrich

From Latin “avis struthio” (big bird), it might seem like “oyster” means oyster, but actually means “ostrich“: The confusion with “oyster” is purely phonetic. The correct translation of oyster is “oyster” which, curiosity, also derives from Latin, but has a separate evolutionary path. Spanish also derives from the vulgar Latin word avestruzthe Italian ostrich and the German Strauszto give some examples.

2. Argument

“Argument”, from the Latin “argumentum” (reasoning, proof), does not mean argument, but “discussion” or argument. For “topic of conversation” we use “topic or “subject“.

3. Pinball

In Italian, “flipper” recalls the game from the hall, but in English “pinball” means fin, like that of dolphins. According to Treccani, the aforementioned game takes this name because the spring pistons that push the balls have the shape of fins.

4. Spot

Although in Italian “spot” be associated with advertising, in English means “point” or “stain“. Its etymology derives from Old English “spit” (stain). The association with “advertising”, which translates as “advert” or “to”, derives from the use of spaces (“spots“) advertisements on television.

5. Pretend

“Pretend“, another word that comes to us from Latin “praetendere” (show, exhibit), does not mean demanding, but “fake“. For example:

“I pretend to be a singer” means “I pretend to be a singer”.

6. Taste

“Taste“comes from Latin”tanger“(touch) through French”taster“. It means taste or flavor, not key, for which ” is usedkey” or “button“.

7. Eventually

When you hear “eventually“, it’s easy to think of “eventually”, but in reality, that’s not the case. In English, “eventually” means “in the end” or “after a certain time”. For example:

“I eventually found my keys after searching for hours.” (I finally found the keys after searching for hours.)

Why the confusion? The phonetic similarity with “eventually” misleads us. However, in English, “eventually” indicates a conclusive outcome, not a possibility. If you want to say “eventually” in English, you would use “possibly” or “if needed“. Another curiosity: the word comes from Latin “eventus“, which originally meant “outcome” or “result.” In the Romance languages, however, this meaning has evolved in different directions.

8. Casual

“Casual” immediately makes us think of something “casual”, right? But in English it means “informal“. An example:

“I prefer casual clothes for the weekend.” (I prefer casual clothes for the weekend.)

The root is Latin, “casualis“, which originally meant “accidental”. In Italian, the original meaning has remained, while in English it has transformed, referring to something relaxed, simple and unplanned. Today, “casual” is widely used in fashion to indicate a comfortable and informal style, but also in expressions such as:

“casual conversation” (informal conversation),

“casual Friday” (the Friday in the office when you can wear more relaxed clothes).

So, if you want to say “random” in English, you should use “random“.

9. Confidence

“Confidence” seems to mean “confidence”, but it’s not that simple. In English it mainly means “trust“. If you want to talk about confidence, as in the sense of a personal revelation, you would use “confidentiality” or “intimacy“. From Latin “trust” (trust), “confidence” has remained closer to the idea of ​​”trust”. In Italian, however, it has also taken the meaning of a personal or intimate relationship. Common expressions are:

“Boost your confidence!” (Boost your confidence!)

“In confidence”

10. Condoms

This is a classic: when we hear “preservatives“, let’s think about condoms! But in English it means “food preservatives“. For example:

“This food contains no artificial preservatives.” (This food contains no artificial preservatives.”)

Where does the misunderstanding come from? The confusion arises from the fact that in Italian the term “condom” has been associated with another context, the contraceptive one. In English, however, the “preservatives” have a function of preserving food, not births. To indicate condoms, we use “condoms“. The term “preservatives” is connected to the idea of ​​”preserving”, that is, keeping a condition intact (in this case, that of food). The same term is used in other scientific fields, such as in the conservation of biological tissues or archaeological finds.