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Falsi amici
False friends
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In linguistics, false friends are words in two different languages that sound very similar but do not share the same meaning.
Misusing these words is a very common mistake, likely to be experienced by beginner and intermediate learners.
Addizione
means 'sum'.
'Addiction' in Italian is 'dipendenza'.
Annoiare
means 'to bore'.
'To annoy' in Italian is 'infastidire'.
Attuale
means 'current'.
'Actual' in Italian is 'reale', 'effettivo'.
Avvertire
means 'to warn', 'to inform', 'to perceive'.
'To advertise' in Italian is 'pubblicizzare'.
Bravo
means 'good'.
'Brave' in Italian is 'coraggioso'.
Caldo
means 'warm'.
'Cold' in Italian is 'freddo'.
Camera
means 'room'.
'Camera' in Italian is 'fotocamera', 'macchina fotografica'.
Cantina
means 'basement' or 'cellar'.
'Canteen' in Italian is 'mensa'.
Coda
means 'tail' or 'queue / line'.
'Code' in Italian is 'codice'.
Concorrenza
means 'competition'.
'Concurrence' in Italian is 'coincidenza'.
Corpo
means 'body'.
'Corpse' in Italian is 'cadavere'.
Delusione
means 'disappointment'.
'Delusion' in Italian is 'illusione'.
Educato
means 'polite'.
'Educated' in Italian is 'istruito'.
Eventualmente
means 'possibly'.
'Eventually' in Italian is 'infine'.
Fabbrica
means 'factory'.
'Fabric' in Italian is 'tessuto'.
Fattoria
means 'farm'.
'Factory' in Italian is 'fabbrica'.
Grazioso
means 'pretty'.
'Gracious' in Italian is 'benevolo', 'cortese'.
Ingenuità
means 'naivety'.
'Ingenuity' in Italian is 'ingegnosità'.
Ingiuria
means 'insult'.
'Injury' in Italian is 'ferita'.
Largo
means 'wide', 'broad'.
'Large' in Italian is 'grande'.
Lettura
means 'reading'.
'Lecture' in Italian is 'conferenza'.
Libreria
means 'bookshop', 'bookcase', 'bookshelf'.
'Library' in Italian is 'biblioteca'.
Licenziare
means 'to dismiss'.
'To license' in Italian is 'autorizzare'.
Lussuria
means 'lust'.
'Luxury' in Italian is 'lusso'.
Magazzino
means 'warehouse'.
'Magazine' in Italian is 'rivista'.
Messa
means 'mass'.
'Mess' in Italian is 'confusione', 'caos'.
Morbido
means 'soft'.
'Morbid' in Italian is 'macabro', 'morboso'.
Noioso
means 'boring'.
'Noisy' in Italian is 'rumoroso'.
Notizia
means 'news'.
'Notice' in Italian is 'avviso'.
Novella
means 'short story'.
'Novel' in Italian is 'romanzo'.
Parente
means 'relative', 'kin'.
'Parent' in Italian is 'genitore'.
Patente
means 'driver's license', 'permit'.
'Patent' in Italian is 'brevetto'.
Preservativo
means 'condom'.
'Preservative' in Italian is 'conservante'.
Pretendere
means 'to claim'.
'To pretend' in Italian is 'fingere', 'fare finta'.
Retribuzione
means 'pay'.
'Retribution' in Italian is 'castigo'.
Romanzo
means 'novel'.
'Romance' in Italian is 'storia d'amore', 'relazione amorosa'.
Sale
means 'salt'.
'Sale' in Italian is '(s)vendita', 'saldo'.
Sensibile
means 'sensitive'.
'Sensible' in Italian is 'percepibile'.
Vacanza
means 'holiday', 'vacation'.
'Vacancy' in Italian is 'posto libero / vacante'.
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