Learn about some Portuguese-English false friends
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some Portuguese-English false friends? |
| Ana Clara: And what are some words that are often used incorrectly? |
| Michael: At PortuguesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee is out shopping for clothes with her friend, Afonso Araujo. She then makes a common mistake when she asks, |
| "What's that factory?" |
| Karen Lee: Qual é essa fábrica? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Qual é essa fábrica? |
| Afonso Araujo: Será que você quer dizer "tecido"? |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Qual é essa fábrica? |
| Michael: "What's that factory?" |
| Afonso Araujo: Será que você quer dizer "tecido"? |
| Michael: "Do you mean 'fabric'?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In the dialogue, we heard Karen Lee say, |
| Ana Clara: Qual é essa fábrica? |
| Michael: "What's that factory?" However, she had meant to say "fabric," which in Portuguese is, |
| Ana Clara: tecido. |
| Michael: When trying to recall a word in Portuguese that would convey the meaning of the English word "fabric," Karen mistakenly used the word, |
| Ana Clara: fábrica. |
| Michael: This Portuguese word has a similar pronunciation and even a similar spelling as the word "fabric" but has a completely different meaning, namely, that of "factory." |
| Michael: This is an example of a "false friend": a word that looks or sounds similar to a word in another language but has a different meaning. |
| This term comes from a shortened version of "false friend of the translator," coined by French linguists in 1928. False friends have also been called "deceptive words," "treacherous twins," and so on, illustrating the trouble they can cause by delivering an unintended meaning. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: Now that you are familiar with what false friends are, let's look at some examples. |
| One could easily think that the Portuguese word |
| Ana Clara: parentes |
| Michael: has the meaning of "parents." These are, however, false friends. "Parents" in Portuguese is |
| Ana Clara: pais |
| Michael: and the word |
| Ana Clara: parentes |
| Michael: actually means "relatives" in English. |
| And what about the word for "lunch"? What would it be in Portuguese? Let's not confuse it with |
| Ana Clara: lanche, |
| Michael: as "lunch" in Portuguese is |
| Ana Clara: almoço |
| Michael: and the word |
| Ana Clara: lanche |
| Michael: actually means "snack." Let's see them used in example sentences: |
| Ana Clara: Agora vou sair para o almoço. Te ligo depois, pode ser? |
| Michael: "Now I'm leaving for lunch. I'll call you later, okay?" |
| Ana Clara: Que tal a gente comer um lanche? Já estou com fome! |
| Michael: "How about we eat a snack? I'm already hungry!" |
| Expansion |
| Michael: Let's go over another example of a false friend between English and Portuguese; consider the following Portuguese word: |
| Ana Clara: pasta. |
| Michael: Although this Portuguese word has the same spelling and a similar pronunciation to the English word "pasta," its meaning may surprise you. |
| In Portuguese, the word for the Italian dish "pasta" is actually |
| Ana Clara: macarrão |
| Michael: or |
| Ana Clara: massa. |
| Michael: The false friend |
| Ana Clara: pasta |
| Michael: actually means "folder" or "briefcase." |
| With such different meanings, it would be wise to beware of false friends whenever learning new words in Portuguese. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation: Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as Ana Clara models the correct answer. Repeat after her, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "What's that factory?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: Qual é essa fábrica? |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Ana Clara: Qual é essa fábrica? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: Qual é essa fábrica? |
| Michael: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "Do you mean 'fabric'?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: Será que você quer dizer "tecido"? |
| Michael: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Ana Clara: Será que você quer dizer "tecido"? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Ana Clara: Será que você quer dizer "tecido"? |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Did you know that there are even false friends within the varieties of Portuguese? False friends can be found when comparing the Portuguese used in Portugal with the Portuguese of Brazil. Here's an example: |
| Ana Clara: gelado. |
| Michael: In Portugal, this word is used to mean "ice-cream," but in Brazil, this term is more commonly used to refer to "something that is cold." |
| To say "ice-cream" in Brazilian Portuguese, one would instead say |
| Ana Clara: sorvete. |
| Michael: When in doubt about the meaning of a word, it is always good practice to refer to a dictionary. You can use our Portuguese Dictionary at any time in the "Vocabulary" tab whenever you want to confirm the meaning of any word in Portuguese. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Ana Clara: Até a próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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