Attendre
Meaning: Actually means 'to wait for'. J'attends le bus = I'm waiting for the bus. For attend an event, say assister à.
Language: French
Looks like: attend
Category: Everyday
Origin: From Latin attendere — in French the 'direct attention toward' sense became 'wait for'.
More false friends — Everyday
- Actuel — Actually means 'current' or 'present-day'. Actuellement = currently — not 'actually'.
- Assister — Actually means 'to attend' an event. J'assiste à la réunion = I attend the meeting. For a…
- Phrase — Actually means 'sentence'. For a short phrase or expression, say une expression.
- Ignorer — Actually means 'to be unaware of' or 'not to know'. J'ignore la réponse = I don't know th…
- Rock — Actually means 'skirt'. A rock (stone) is ein Stein.
- Brief — Actually means 'letter' (the kind you post). For brief (short), say kurz.
More French false friends
- Blesser — Actually means 'to wound' or 'to injure'. Je suis blessé = I am injured — not blessed.
- Location — Actually means 'rental'. Une location de voiture = a car rental. For location (place), sa…
- Déception — Actually means 'disappointment'. For deception (a trick), say tromperie.
- Monnaie — Actually means 'change' or 'coins'. Money in general is l'argent.
- Sensible — Actually means 'sensitive'. For sensible/level-headed, say raisonnable.
- Librairie — Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
From our tongue twisters
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archi-sèches? — A merciless duel between 'ch' and 's'.
- Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cents scies scient six cents cyprès. — An 's' / 'si' minefield.
- Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend. — A gentle 'ta / ten / tan / t'' warm-up that sounds faster than it reads.