There's a particular kind of mistake that's almost impossible to avoid as an English speaker learning French. It's not a grammar mistake. It's not a pronunciation mistake. It's the moment you confidently use a French word that looks exactly like an English word, expecting it to mean the same thing, and it doesn't.

These are called faux amis, false friends. And French is full of them, because of the long shared history between English and French. About a third of English vocabulary comes from French, which is great news in some ways and confusing news in others. Sometimes a French word means exactly what you think it means. Sometimes it means something completely different. And sometimes it means something subtly different in a way that makes you sound off without you understanding why.

I've taught thousands of English speakers, and the same handful of faux amis come up over and over. So today, I'm walking you through the 20 most common ones, with what they actually mean, what to use instead, and how to remember the difference.

If you want to know what level you're at right now, you can take my free placement test here before we dive in.

1. Actuellement ≠ Actually

This is the most famous faux ami of them all.

Actuellement means currently / right now, not "actually."

Actuellement, je vis à Paris. — Currently, I live in Paris.

If you want to say "actually," use en fait or en réalité.

En fait, je ne suis pas d'accord. — Actually, I don't agree.

2. Librairie ≠ Library

A librairie is a bookstore, not a library. They sell books, they don't lend them.

If you want a library (the place where you borrow books), the word is bibliothèque.

Je vais à la bibliothèque pour étudier. — I'm going to the library to study.

3. Sensible ≠ Sensible

In English, "sensible" means reasonable, practical. In French, sensible means sensitive.

Elle est très sensible. — She's very sensitive (emotionally).

If you want to say someone is sensible (reasonable), use raisonnable or sensé(e).

4. Sympathique ≠ Sympathetic

Sympathique (often shortened to sympa) means nice / friendly / pleasant, not "sympathetic" in the English sense.

Mon voisin est super sympa. — My neighbor is really nice.

If you want to say someone is sympathetic (in the empathetic sense), use compatissant(e).

5. Joli ≠ Jolly

Joli means pretty, not "jolly."

Quelle jolie robe ! — What a pretty dress!

If you want to say someone is jolly, use joyeux / joyeuse or gai / gaie.

6. Pain ≠ Pain

Pain in French means bread. Yes, just bread. No suffering involved.

Je vais acheter du pain. — I'm going to buy some bread.

If you mean physical pain, use douleur. Emotional pain is peine.

7. Coin ≠ Coin

Un coin is a corner, not a coin.

Le café est au coin de la rue. — The café is on the corner of the street.

If you mean a coin (the metal money), use une pièce de monnaie or just une pièce.

8. Monnaie ≠ Money

Speaking of which, monnaie doesn't mean money in general. It means change (the coins you get back from a purchase) or sometimes currency.

Vous avez de la monnaie ? — Do you have change?

The general word for money is argent.

Je n'ai pas beaucoup d'argent. — I don't have much money.

9. Travail ≠ Travel

Travail means work, not travel. The verb travailler means to work.

Je travaille à Paris. — I work in Paris.

If you mean travel, use voyager (verb) or voyage (noun).

10. Assister ≠ Assist

Assister à means to attend something (a meeting, a concert, a class).

J'ai assisté à la réunion. — I attended the meeting.

If you want to say "to assist" (to help), use aider.

Je peux vous aider ? — Can I help you?

11. Rester ≠ Rest

Rester means to stay, not to rest.

Je reste à la maison ce soir. — I'm staying home tonight.

If you mean to rest, use se reposer.

J'ai besoin de me reposer. — I need to rest.

12. Demander ≠ Demand

Demander is a soft word. It just means to ask, not to demand.

Je voudrais demander une question. — Wait, actually no — see number 13. The correct sentence is Je voudrais poser une question.

Je vais lui demander. — I'm going to ask him.

If you want to say "demand" in the strong English sense, use exiger.

13. Poser une question ≠ Pose a question

This isn't a faux ami so much as a sneaky idiom. In French, you don't ask a question — you poser (literally "place") a question.

Je peux te poser une question ? — Can I ask you a question?

Saying "demander une question" is one of the most common English-speaker mistakes. Use poser for questions.

14. Achever ≠ Achieve

Achever means to finish / to complete (sometimes with the connotation of finishing off, as in killing). It does not mean "to achieve."

J'ai achevé mon travail. — I finished my work.

If you mean "to achieve" (a goal, a dream), use réaliser or atteindre.

J'ai réalisé mon rêve. — I achieved my dream.

15. Réaliser ≠ Realize (mostly)

Speaking of which, réaliser is a tricky one because it can sometimes mean "to realize" in French, but it's much more commonly used to mean to achieve / to make happen.

Il a réalisé son rêve de vivre en France. — He achieved his dream of living in France.

For "realize" in the sense of "becoming aware of something," French uses se rendre compte de.

Je me suis rendu compte que j'avais oublié mes clés. — I realized I had forgotten my keys.

16. Éventuellement ≠ Eventually

This one trips up almost everyone. Éventuellement means possibly / potentially, not "eventually."

On pourrait éventuellement y aller demain. — We could possibly go there tomorrow.

If you mean "eventually" in the sense of "in the end / finally," use finalement or à la fin.

Finalement, il a accepté. — Eventually, he agreed.

17. Ignorer ≠ Ignore

Ignorer in French primarily means to not know something, not to ignore it.

J'ignore où il est. — I don't know where he is.

It can sometimes mean "to ignore," especially in modern usage, but the primary meaning is "to be unaware." If you want to clearly say "ignore," use ne pas faire attention à or ne pas tenir compte de.

18. Décevoir ≠ Deceive

Décevoir doesn't mean "to deceive." It means to disappoint.

Tu m'as déçue. — You disappointed me.

If you mean "to deceive" (to lie to or trick), use tromper.

Il m'a trompée. — He deceived me / He cheated on me.

19. Prévenir ≠ Prevent (usually)

Prévenir more commonly means to warn / to inform / to let someone know in advance, not just "to prevent."

Je voulais te prévenir avant que tu n'arrives. — I wanted to warn you before you arrived.

It can mean "to prevent" in some contexts (like preventing illness), but the most common everyday meaning is "to warn." For "to prevent," empêcher is usually clearer.

Rien ne peut m'empêcher de venir. — Nothing can prevent me from coming.

20. Bras ≠ Bras

I saved this one for last because it's probably the funniest mix-up.

Bras means arm, not bra.

Il m'a pris dans ses bras. — He took me in his arms.

If you mean a bra (the underwear), it's un soutien-gorge. So if a French friend says "j'ai mal au bras," they have a sore arm, not lingerie issues.

How to actually remember these

Reading through a list like this is fun, but it won't make the words stick. To actually internalize faux amis, here's what works:

Use them in your own sentences. Pick three from this list and write a short sentence with each. The act of producing the word in context plants it in your memory in a way reading never can.

Notice them in the wild. Once you've read this post, you'll start spotting these words in French shows, podcasts, and articles. Every time you catch one, your brain reinforces the correct meaning.

Embrace the mistakes. When you mess up (and you will), don't be embarrassed. Native speakers find faux amis charming. They know exactly what's happening, and they'll usually correct you with a smile.

If you want to dig further into common errors English speakers make in French, my post on 20 common French mistakes English speakers always make covers a wider range of patterns. And my free ebook with 100 essential everyday French phrases is a good companion if you want to expand your vocabulary the right way, in context.

A small comfort

Here's something I want you to remember: every English speaker who's ever learned French has fallen into these traps. I've watched accomplished, brilliant adults confidently announce that they "assisted in a meeting," "have travail tomorrow," or "took their bras off" in front of native speakers. Everyone laughs, including the speaker, and life goes on.

Faux amis aren't a sign you're failing. They're a sign you're learning. The fact that French and English share so much vocabulary is mostly a gift, even if it occasionally makes you accidentally say something embarrassing.

Pick three faux amis from this list. Just three. Use them correctly this week, in writing or out loud. Within a month, they'll feel automatic, and you'll have raised the floor of your French.

If you want to learn French in a way that systematically catches these traps before you fall into them, you can try a free sample lesson from my course here and see how I teach in detail.

À très vite, Clémence