False friends are words that look similar in form but have different meanings. They can easily mislead because of their appearance or pronunciation, but in Chinese they have different usages and meanings. Mastering false friends requires focusing on meanings and common collocations, not relying on literal intuition.

'Then' indicates that one event happens after another, commonly used to order actions or steps. It does not express causation, only temporal sequence. In narration, 'then' is often used to connect two actions (before and after).

'其实' is used to explain the real situation, often carrying a correction or addition. It does not equal all uses of the English word 'actually' and cannot be placed arbitrarily at every emphasis. In Chinese, '其实' usually introduces information that is hidden or different from what was expected.

'感冒' refers to being sick (such as a runny nose or cough), not to being sensitive to air or temperature. In Chinese, '我感冒了' means you are unwell, not that you feel cold or encounter cold air. When describing physical states, distinguish between '感冒' and '冷'.

'方便' is commonly used to express suitability or ease, and does not translate to the English 'convenient' in all contexts. In Chinese spoken language, '你方便吗' often refers to whether it's convenient to talk now, not whether the place has facilities. '方便' has polite inquiry usages depending on context.

'准时' means on schedule, not early or late. It does not mean exact or precise; it emphasizes punctuality. In everyday usage, '准时' is usually used with arrival, start, end actions.

'借' means to temporarily take something from someone; '还' means to return it to the original owner. In Chinese, you need to clarify the subject when expressing borrowing and returning to avoid confusion. The '借还' construction expresses the coming and going of an item.

'认识' means to know a person or to have a first acquaintance; it does not imply deep understanding. In Chinese, '认识' is often used for meeting or making acquaintances, not for deeply understanding things. For deep understanding, usually use '了解' or '懂'.

'习惯' can be a noun, meaning a long-established way, or a verb, meaning to gradually adapt. In Chinese, '我习惯了' means you have already adapted, not that you have a habit. When using, distinguish '有习惯' and '习惯了' semantically.

'退出' means leaving a system, organization, or activity, not the same as 'go out'. In tech contexts, '退出' often refers to logging out of an account or exiting a program interface. In daily life, leaving a room is usually said '出去', not '退出'.

This table collects common false friend confusions and their core differences, for review and comparison. Each set provides a concise definition and typical usage to help quickly judge in real communication.