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English Words in French: Watch Out for False Friends!

When learning French, many students feel relieved: “Great! French uses lots of English words!” And it’s true. In places like Morzine or Avoriaz, you will hear English everywhere — in shops, schools, and cafés. But be careful: some words look English and sound English… yet do NOT mean the same thing.

These tricky words are called “faux amis” (false friends).
They are friendly at first… and then they betray you.

English-looking words… with a twist

Take the word parking.
In French, un parking is the place where you leave your car — not the action.

The same surprise happens with:

un smoking /smɔ.kiŋ/ → a tuxedo, not cigarettes
le footing /fu.tiŋ/ → jogging, not walking slowly

So if someone says:

« J’adore le footing »

They love running, not taking a relaxed stroll.

The invisible (and more dangerous) false friends

Some false friends don’t look strange — which makes them trickier.

French word	Looks like	Really means
actuellement	actually	currently / now
couramment	currently	fluently

So:

« Actuellement, j’habite à Morzine » → I live in Morzine now
« Je parle français couramment » → I speak French fluently ✅

The embarrassing ones

These can lead to awkward misunderstandings…

une affaire → a business / situation (not a secret romance)
assister à → to attend, not to help
bless ≠ blesser
- to bless = bénir
- blesser = to injure

Definitely not the same vibe.

Everyday life traps

French hides false friends in daily vocabulary too:

French	NOT	BUT
le pain	suffering	bread
sale	cheap	dirty
crier	to cry	to shout
une journée	a journey	a day
un collège	college	middle school
une caution	a warning	a deposit
demander	to demand	to ask
la chance	probability	luck

At Alpine French School, false friends aren’t mistakes — they’re great learning moments.

So enjoy English words in French…
just don’t trust them too much.

They may look friendly — but some of them are definitely faux 😉

Mini challenge:
Can you spot the mistake?

👉 « Actuellement, j’assiste au collège pour une affaire très sérieuse, mais je crie parce que le pain est sale. »

How many false friends can you find? And how would you say it correctly in French or in English?

January 19th, 2026
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