False friendEverydayFrench

Monnaie

Meaning: Actually means 'change' or 'coins'. Money in general is l'argent.

Looks like: Money

Origin: From Latin moneta; French kept it for coinage and small change, not wealth at large.

More false friends — Everyday

  • Pasta Actually means 'folder' or 'briefcase'. Pasta (the food) is massa.
  • Big Actually means 'piglet'. For big, say groot.
  • Kind Actually means 'child'. For kind (nice), say aardig or vriendelijk.
  • Wet Actually means 'law'. For wet, say nat.
  • Elf Actually means 'eleven'. Elf uur = eleven o'clock.
  • Mening Actually means 'opinion'. Mijn mening = my opinion. The meaning of a word is its betekeni…

More French false friends

  • Sensible Actually means 'sensitive'. For sensible/level-headed, say raisonnable.
  • Librairie Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
  • Pain Actually means 'bread'. The hurting kind of pain is la douleur.
  • Coin Actually means 'corner'. A coin you spend is une pièce.
  • Chance Actually means 'luck'. Bonne chance! = Good luck! For chance (probability), say une possi…
  • Sympathique Actually means 'nice' or 'pleasant'. Il est très sympathique = He's very nice — not 'He's…

Explore another collection: Idioms

Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.

Browse all idioms →

Keep exploring

Explore all false friends →