False friendEveryday
Russian
RussianFamiliya (Фамилия) (Familiya)
Meaning: Actually means 'surname'. A family is семья (semya).
Looks like: Family
Origin: From Latin familia, which Russian narrowed to the one thing a family passes down — its name.
More Russian false friends
- Intelligentny (Интеллигентный) (Intelligentnyy) Actually means 'cultured' and 'well-mannered'. For clever, say умный (umny).
- Simpatichny (Симпатичный) (Simpatichnyy) Actually means 'good-looking' or 'likeable'. For sympathetic, say сочувствующий (sochuvst…
- Magazin (Магазин) (Magazin) Actually means 'shop' or 'store'. A magazine (periodical) is журнал (zhurnal).
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- Считать ворон (Schitat' voron) To idle and let chances slip by.
- Гол как сокол (Gol kak sokol) Dirt poor; without a thing to your name.
- сыпать соль на рану (sypat' sol' na ranu) To deliberately make someone's suffering worse by adding mockery or fresh insult to their…
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