False Friends

source: Twominute English       2013年4月30日
False friends are pairs of words or phrases in two languages or dialects (or letters in two alphabets) that look or sound similar, but differ significantly in meaning. There are certain words in English which have different meaning in other languages like Spanish, Portuguese.
Exercises for this lesson: http://twominenglish.com/video/264-Fa...
Facebook: http://facebook.com/twominenglish
App for your Android Device: https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

0:16 A ‘false friend’ is a word that sounds or looks similar to a word of different meaning in another language.
0:23 Can you give us an example, Angela?
0:25 Sure, Evelyn. The French word ‘actuellement’ and the English word ‘actually’ are examples of false friends.
0:33 What is ‘actually’?
0:36 It means ‘in fact’. For example: My daughter loves “Pink Floyd”. Actually, she has all their CDs.
0:44 Do you know some other examples of false friends?
0:47 Sure. The English word ‘embarrassed’ and the Spanish word ‘embarazado’.
0:53 I know the English word. It means that you feel ashamed or shy.
0:58 That’s right, Evelyn. Another word that some Portuguese speakers mix up is ‘pretender’.
1:03 It sounds like the English word ‘pretend’, but the meanings are different.
1:09 In English, the verb ‘pretend’ means ‘make believe’, as in your imagination.
1:15 If you are bored at work, you can close your eyes and pretend you’re at the beach…
1:21 That’s right, Evelyn, but you have to be really creative for that one!
1:26 I know! But, actually, I like my job. By the way, that reminds me of another false friend, Angie.
1:33 Which one, Eve?
1:35 The English adjective ‘sympathetic’ and the Portuguese adjective ‘simpático’.
1:42 Oh, of course. ‘Sympathetic’ means showing that you understand and care about someone’s problems.
1:48 But why does that remind you of your job?
1:51 I had to miss work the other day because of a personal problem and my boss was very sympathetic.
1:57 That’s good, Eve. It’s very important to have a job you like. Now let’s see some conversations.
2:08 What happened? Your clothes are all dirty!
2:11 I am so embarrassed! I was running to catch a bus, but I tripped and fell…stop laughing!!
2:19 Sorry!! I didn’t intend to laugh!! It’s just that you look so…
2:23 Don’t say it!!
2:25 Oh, come on, Sophia!!
2:32 Hi. Are you feeling better?
2:34 Yes. But I just wish you would be more sympathetic.
2:38 You’re right. I’m just happy you didn’t get hurt. Actually, you should remember that your health comes first
2:45 Next time you should wait for another bus.
2:51 What is ‘actually?' It means ‘in fact.’My daughter loves “Pink Floyd”. Actually, she has all their CDs.
3:08 If you are bored at work, you can close your eyes and pretend you’re at the beach…
3:20 ‘Sympathetic’ means showing that you understand and care about someone’s problems.
3:31 I had to miss work the other day because of a personal problem and my boss was very sympathetic.
3:46 I am so embarrassed!
3:51 But I just wish you would be more sympathetic.