Saturday, February 10, 2018

Do you know these false friends - words in American and British English, French and German?

Problem
You see a word which sounds like English. You think you know what it means. But it turns out to be something different.

Answers
False Friends
American English - British English
erasers are rubbers
pacifier is dummy
pants are trousers
pantyhose are tights
rubbers are condoms
suspenders are what the British call braces (holding up trousers; for the British supenders and what hold up ladies' stockings
the car's hood is the bonnet
the car's trunk is the boot
underpants are pants

French - English
Hotel de ville in French means town hall.
Grand in French is not grand but big.

German - English
Old-timer in German and Dutch is what the English would call a classic car; old-timer in English means an elderly person
Rathaus is not a rat house but a town hall, usually containing a tourist restaurant serving local specialities in a historic cellar.
A gymnasium in Germany is academic, a college, but in the UK it is a hall with equipment for physical activity indoors

LANGUAGES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friend
what is the easiest language to learn
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/7-reasons-to-learn-languages-from-a-guy-who-speaks-9
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/language-quotes-01

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/how-many-english-words-from-foreign.html
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/learn-ten-portuguese-words-from.html
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/polyglot-poem-by-angela-lansbury.html
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/how-to-remember-23-portuguese-words-or.html

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/port-and-portuguese-wine-labels-and.
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/how-to-ask-for-food-and-drink-in.
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/learn-your-first-ten-words-in.
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/how-do-you-say-please-in-portuguese-is.

TRAVEL
visitbritain.org
http://www.visit-usa.com (Links for all state tourist boards)
http://www.germany.travel/en/index.html
http://uk.france.fr
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/germany

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and phtographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

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