False Friends

English actual corresponds to French réel or véritable, while French actuel means "current" or "present." Use réel for actual to avoid shifting the sense.

English library translates as French bibliothèque, while French librairie is a bookstore. Request a bibliothèque for borrowing and avoid librairie unless buying books.

English attend (to be present at) is French assister à, while French attendre means "to wait." Use assister à for events and attendre for waiting to keep roles clear.

English sensible (practical, reasonable) is French raisonnable, whereas French sensible means "sensitive" or easily affected. Use raisonnable for sensible and sensible for "sensitive" to match nuance.

English assist (to help) is French aider, and French assister generally means "to attend." Use aider for help and assister à for attending events to avoid mistakes.

English eventually (in the end) is French finalement or enfin, while French éventuellement means "possibly." Use finalement for "eventually" and avoid éventuellement to prevent misinterpretation.

English comprehensive (thorough, complete) translates as French complet or approfondi, whereas French compréhensif describes someone understanding or tolerant. Use complet for "comprehensive" and compréhensif for "understanding."

False friends trick learners when similar-looking words differ in meaning across English and French. Double-check key terms like actuel, assister, librairie, and sensible so you say exactly what you intend.

English comprehend maps to French comprendre, but French comprendre covers both understand and comprehend in general use. For emphasis, French uses saisir or assimiler. Trust comprendre for most contexts.