False Friends

Actual (not "atual" which means current; present) - to really exist.


Ingenious (not "ingênuo" which means naive) - good at solving problems, inventive, creative.


Recipient (not "recipiente" which means container) - a person who receives something.
E.g.: This latest cut in government spending will affect income support recipients and their families.


Push (not "puxar" which means pull) - to press upon or against (a thing) with force in order to move it away.


Resume (not "resumir" which means summarize) - an activity resumes when it starts again after a pause.
E.g.: Normal services will be resumed in the spring.


Improve (not "improvisar" which means improvise) - to make something better.


Misery (not "miséria" which means poverty) - great unhappiness.


Intimacy (not "intimação" which means subpoena) - a close friendship or sexual relationship with someone.


Fake (not "faca" which means knife) - not genuine.


Pasta (not "pasta" which means briefcase) - food made from flour, eggs and water, hard when dry and soft when cooked.


Lend (not "lenda" which means legend) - to give something to somebody or allow somebody to use something temporarily.


Legend (not "legenda", which means subtitle) - a story from the past that may or may not be true.


Comprehensive (not "compreensivo" which means understanding) - that includes everything or nearly everything.

False Friends

pretend (not "pretender", which means to intend) - to behave as if something is true when in fact you know it isn't, in order to deceive people or for fun; E.g.: Let's pretend we are on the moon.

sensible (not "sensível", which means sensitive) - reasonable, practical, and showing good judgment; E.g.: Moving house seemed like the sensible thing to do.

actually (not "atualmente", which means currently) - in fact or in truth;

comprehensive (not "compreensivo", which means understanding) - covering completely or broadly;

genial (not "genial", which means brilliant; terrific;) - favorable to growth or comfort; E.g.: The sunshine today is genial.

disillusion (not "desilusão", which means disillusionment) - (verb) to free from illusion;

compromise (not "compromisso", which means commitment; appointment;) - an agreement in an argument in which the people involved reduce their demands or change their opinion in order to agree;

gratuity (not the quality of being free of charge) - tip, an amount of money given to someone;

propaganda (not advertisement) - false information spread in order to influence people's opinions;

relapse (not "relapso") - "recaída, recidiva, de volta a tempos ruins".

False Cognates

Moisture: not "mistura"(mixture). It means wetness, humidity - the state of being damp.

Motel: not "motel". It means a roadside hotel for drivers, usually having direct access from each room or chalet to a parking space.

Procurement; not "procuração" (power of attorney; proxy). It means the process of buying supplies or equipment for a government department or company.

Amass: not "amassar" ( to dent). It means to collect a lot of sth such as money or information over a period of time.

Casualty: not "casualidade" ( by chance/accident). It means victim.

Bulls and Bears: not "touros e ursos" . In the Financial world it means the optmistics and the pessimistics.

Bar: (Legal) not "bar". The profession of being a Barrister (a lawyer who has the right to speak in a higher court of law)

Deception: not "decepção" (disappointment); used when people hide the truth, especially to get an advantage.

Retribution; not "retribuição" (reward, acknowledgement, gratitude); deserved and severe punishment.

Idioms

Idioms ( or idiomatic expressions) are typical of the natural way in which someone speaks or writes.
Check out the idioms below which contain either parts of the body or animals.

Why don´t you have a heart to heart with him and sort out your problems? ( have an honest conversation).
I'm pleased that you got the prize in the poetry competition, but don't let it go to your head. (don´t be too proud).
We had a whale of a time at the party last night. ( we had great fun).
I quite enjoy walking in the hill, but rock-climbing is a whole different kettle of fish. ( a completely different thing).

What other idioms can you think of with parts of the body or animals ?

False friends

Pilot - not "piloto de Fórmula 1" (driver); someone who operates the controls of an aircraft or spacecraft;
To attend - not "atender" (answer); be present at an event such as a meeting or a class;
To pretend - not "pretender" (intend); to behave as if something is true when in fact you know it is not; in order to deceive people or for fun;
Sensible - not "sensível" (sensitive); reasonable, pratical and showing good judgment;
Actually - not "atualmente" (currently); in fact; really; in reality;
College - not "colégio" (school); university
To assign - not "assinar" (sign); to choose or decide on, or give a particular job or responsability to someone.

False Friends

These are the False friends that Danuza’s FCE class gathered, and we hope these are of any help to you

Pretend – not “Pretender” (intend). Pretend is to “fingir” (fool somebody)

Eventually – This adverb means finnaly / as a consequence, and not, in Portuguese "Eventualmente” (Occasionaly).

Compass – not “Compasso” (Compasses). It is a device for finding direction and that always points to magnetic north.

Dent – not “Dente” (tooth). A small hollow mark in the surface of something, caused by pressure or by being hit.

Ex: A dent in the door of a car

Intoxication – not “Intoxicação” (poisoning). Something that can get you drunk, or really happy.

Fabric – not “Fábrica" (Factory). A cloth produced especially by knitting, weaving, or felting fibers; The texture or quality of such cloth.

College – not "Colégio” (high school). Any place for specialized education after the age of 16 where people study or train to get knowledge and/or skills; University

Customs – not “Costumes” (Traditions). A section in the airport whose job is to look inside traveller’s bags to make certain they are not taking goods in a country without paying taxes

False Friends

Collar- not ''cordão'';it really means ''gola de camisa''

Condescending- not ''condescendente'';it means treating someone as if you are better or more important than them.''I hate he way he's so condescending to his staff''.

Actually- not ''atualmente''.It means in fact or really.''So what actually happened?''

Ordinary- not ''ordinário''.It means not different or special or unexpected in anyway;usual.''Readers of the magazine said they wanted more stories about ordinary people and fewer stories about rich and famous''.

Compromise- not ''compromisso''(commitment).It really means ''entrar em acordo''

Lunch- not ''lanche''(snack);it means ''almoço''

Pretend- not ''pretender''; it means to behave as if something is true when you know it's not:''He pretended (that) he didn't mind,but I knew that he did''

Novel- not ''novela'',it means ''romance''(livro)

Exquisite- not ''esquisito'';it means beautiful and well done