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False Friends in Italian - Italian Learning Article - Italki
False Friends in Italian - Italian Learning Article - Italki
(/home)
Lorena
(/teacher/1854403)
Jul 23, 2015
(http://www.italki.com/teachers/professional)
Luckily, the “false friends” we are going to discuss here are not those who
tell you to dress up for a costume party where everybody else will be staring
at you while wearing their normal clothes. No, the false friends I'm talking
about are those English words that really sound similar to Italian
(http://www.italki.com/learn-italian/en-us) words but that mean something
totally different.
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It sounds more complicated than it actually is. The history and the evolution
of languages is a story of migration of meanings, of blends, fusions,
contaminations, and of challenges where it's the most effective that wins.
Let's have a look at this list, now. The following are only a few of all the false
friends that you might encounter during your study. I tried to select the most
common ones. Watch out for the words with an asterisk (*) preceding them:
I'm sure some of them will make you smile!
Annoiare/Annoiarsi
It sounds like (to) “annoy”, but it means to “bore” or to “tire”. The translation
of to “annoy” is disturbare/dare fastidio.
Example:
La lezione era così noiosa che mi sono annoiato tantissimo.
Argomento
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Box
Example:
Ho messo la bicicletta nel box, di fianco all'auto.
Bullo
It sounds like “bull”, but it means “vandal” or “bully”. The translation of “bull”
is toro.
Example:
Lui disse da vero bullo: “Ma a te che te ne frega?”
*Caldo
Be careful with this word! Even though it looks like “cold”, it means exactly
the opposite: hot! If you want to say “cold”, you have to use freddo.
Example:
Quest'inverno voglio andare in vacanza in un posto caldo, caldissimo, come
le isole Canarie!
Coda
Examples:
Le scimmie hanno una coda molto lunga.
Ho aspettato in coda il mio turno.
Comodità
Example:
I giovani non apprezzano le comodità della vita moderna.
*Dare
Example:
Dare è più soddisfacente che ricevere.
*Delusione
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Disporre
It looks like (to) “dispose”, but it means “to organize” or “to have”. To dispose
in Italian is eliminare/buttare via.
Examples:
Ho disposto le bottiglie in vetrina.
Disponiamo di vari modelli di automobili.
Educazione
Example:
É buona educazione salutare per primi.
*Eventualmente
Example:
Giovedì alle 5 sono occupato. Possiamo vederci alle sei, eventualmente?
*Fabbrica
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This word means “factory”, while the word we use for “fabric” is tessuto.
Example:
Gli operai che lavorano in fabbrica alla sera sono molto stanchi.
*Fattoria
This one, instead, sounds like “factory”, but it means “farm”. The confusion is
over!
Example:
In quella fattoria ci sono mucche, asini, oche e maiali.
Fine
It is spelled like “fine”, but its meaning is “end”. As you probably know, fine in
Italian is bene.
*Grosso
Watch out for this word! It doesn't mean “gross”, but big! You can translate
gross either with lordo or totale.
Example:
Questo è davvero un grosso guaio!
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*Inabitato
Example:
Questo palazzo è inabitato da decenni.
Libreria
Examples:
Ho comprato una libreria nuova.
Sono andato in libreria a cercare il libro che mi hai consigliato.
Lurido
Example:
L'acquazzone ha reso le mie scarpe luride.
Magazzino
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Example:
Abbiamo molte scorte in magazzino.
*Morbido
Example:
Questa poltrona è veramente morbida, quasi ci dormirei!
Ostrica
Example:
Mi piacciono le ostriche fresche con il limone.
Parente
Example:
La mia famiglia è numerosa: ho molti parenti.
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Pavimento
It's always on the ground but it's indoors: Pavimento means “floor”, while the
translation of “pavement” is marciapiede.
Questo pavimento è di legno.
Preservativo
Example:
Il preservativo protegge da molte malattie.
*Questione
It really looks like “question”, but it means “issue” or “matter”. The Italian
word for question is domanda.
Example:
Abbiamo risolto la questione velocemente.
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Romanzo
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Example:
Questo romanzo è un classico della letteratura.
Rumore
Example:
Ho sentito uno strano rumore provenire dalla cantina.
*Scolaro
Uno scolaro is a “very young student”, a schoolchild! The translation for the
English word “scholar” is studioso/accademico.
Example:
Da bambino era un bravissimo scolaro.
*Sensibile
Example:
Maria ha un animo molto sensibile.
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*Sensitivo
Example:
Si è rivolta a un sensitivo per entrare in contatto col marito defunto.
Severo
Example:
L'insegnante dei miei figli è molto severo.
Stretto
Examples:
Prendi quella via stretta sulla sinistra.
Questa gonna mi sta stretta.
Tasto
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Example:
Premere il tasto verde per aprire la porta automatica.
*Terrificante
Example:
Questo film dell'orrore è davvero terrificante!
Testo
Example:
Le domande riguardano il testo che abbiamo letto.
*Uomo
It really sounds like “woman”, but it's actually a man! “Woman” in Italian is
donna.
Example:
Questo cappotto è da uomo, mentre quello è da donna.
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You will probably feel quite confused now, but it's just a matter of habit! Be
careful not to tell your friends you are una persona sensitiva if you tend to
cry watching romantic movies. They will understand you are kind of a
fortune teller. And remember not to call an old professor uno scolaro, or not
to say your friend’s new house is terrificante when it is newly refurbished.
Contact me if you have any questions....e grazie per aver letto l'articolo!
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(/teacher/1854403)
Lorena (/teacher/1854403)
Teaches English, Italian
I am a qualified teacher and a translator. I have a Master's Degree in Foreign Languages for International
Communication and I have taught both children and adults, in Italy and in the UK.
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