Cognates_and_false_friends

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CURSO DE BACHARELADO EM ENGENHARIA AMBIENTAL 
Componente Curricular: Língua Inglesa 
Prof. Julio Vila Nova (Departamento de Letras) 
Student: ___________________________________________ 
 
COGNATES AND FALSE COGNATES 
 
 According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word cognate comes from the Latin 
cognatus, which traces to Latin nasci, meaning "to be born." In Linguistics, cognates are 
words which have the same ancestor language, and so the have similar written forms. 
 Examples of cognates: air (English, French) = aire (Spanish) = ar (Portuguese) 
 Some cognates are also known as international words, because they have the same form 
in different languages, sometimes with very small variations. Some examples: restaurant, 
hotel, hospital, ambulance, police, chocolate, pizza, social, information, responsible, 
radio, magic, class. 
 Cognates help facilitate the reading process, because readers use them as tools to build 
up the general meaning of the text, and also to infer the meaning of some unfamiliar 
words. 
 
1. The text above has 50 words. How many of them are cognates? ________________ 
 
2. Check () the best alternative in Portuguese. O que é o Smithsonian Institution? 
 (a) Escola (b) Museu (c) Instituto de Educação 
 
3. How many objects are available for the visitors to see? _______________________ 
 
The Smithsonian Institution 
The Smithsonian Institution is an independent federal establishment dedicated 
to public education, basic research, and national service in the arts, science and 
history. Its 12 museums and the National Zoo possess more than 70 million 
objects and specimens. About one per cent of the total is on public display, with 
the rest used for research. 
Source: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories 
False Cognates 
Readers must pay attention to false cognates (also known as false friends), words that 
have similarities in their form but are very different in their meaning. 
See some examples below, with English and Portuguese. 
 
Assistir – Assist 
In English assist means to help or give support to someone or something. 
Example: I assisted the medics with the rescue of the woman. 
If you want to say assistir you can use the words attend, watch, or participate. 
Example: I attended the parents and teachers meeting last Saturday. 
 
Balcão – Balcony 
In English balcony is the outside viewing area that is attached to an apartment or home. 
Example: Our balcony is off our living room and overlooks the park. 
If you want to say balcão you can use the word counter. 
Example: The plates on the counter are clean. 
 
Costume – Costume 
In English costume is a disguise worn on the stage or at parties or for special occasions 
(in carnival, for example). 
Example: I’m wearing a clown costume for Halloween. 
If you want to say costume with the Portuguese meaning, you can use the word custom 
or tradition. 
Example: We have lost many of our customs in the United States. 
 
 
Data – Data 
In English data means a collection of information and facts (Portuguese = dados). 
Example: I need all the data on the case before I make a judgement. 
If you want to say data with the Portuguese meaning, you can use the word date. (note: 
the ‘e’ is silent and the ‘a’ is long. It sounds like ‘day’t’) 
Example: Our wedding date is October 5th. 
 
Designar – Design 
In English design as a verb means to plan the form and structure of something. As a noun, 
it refers to the plan for something. 
Example: I love the design of Apple’s phones. 
If you want to say designar, use the word designate. 
Example: She was designated as the new President of the company. 
 
Educado – Educated 
In English educated can be used as a verb to describe giving knowledge or schooling. 
Example: I was educated in a private school. 
Or it can be used to describe someone that has some schooling, can read, write, do math 
or has some special knowledge in specific areas. 
Example: Mike is a Harvard educated lawyer. 
If you want to use the word educado you can say polite. 
Example: Mary seems really polite, she always says ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ 
 
Enrolar – Enroll 
In English enroll means to register or to put on a record/list. 
Example: I enrolled in my college classes yesterday. 
If you want to use enrolar, you can say to wind up, to roll up, or to curl up. 
Example: Please wind up the cord and put it in the bag. 
 
Êxito – Exit 
In English exit is the way or passage out of a building, plane, bus, etc. 
Example: It is important to know where the exits are in a plane, in case of an emergency. 
If you want to use the word êxito you can say success. 
Example: Success comes from a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. 
 
Esquisito – Exquisite 
These two are very different! In English we use exquisite to describe something that is 
very beautiful and and often delicate. 
Example: This wine glass is exquisite. 
If you want to say esquisito, say weird, strange or unusual. 
Example: The book has many really weird characters that do bizarre things and make it 
quite an interesting story. 
 
Esperto – Expert 
In English an expert is a person who has special skills or knowledge. 
Example: They needed an expert in hydro-geology to understand when the river could 
flood. 
If you want to use the word esperto you can say clever or smart. 
Example: She is a very clever person, she always has a solution and something witty to 
say. 
 
Fábrica – Fabric 
In English fabric is the general word for a cloth made by weaving or knitting. 
Example: “I didn’t buy the shirt because I don’t like synthetic fabric.” 
If you want to use the word fábrica you can say plant or factory. 
Example: “Many car factories have left the United States and moved to other countries 
where labor is cheaper.” 
 
Gripe – Grip – Gripe 
In English grip is grabbing something with your hands tightly in a strong way. 
Example: Help, my grip is slipping, I can’t hold on to the rope, I’m going to fall! 
We also have the word gripe (pronounced like ripe). It means a complaint. 
For example: He has a lot of gripes about the service quality of our restaurant. 
If you want to use gripe you can say cold or flu. 
Example: I’ve had a terrible cold for 5 days now. 
 
Injúria – Injury 
In English injury is when a body is harmed or damaged by something. 
For example, The football player had a knee injury and couldn’t play in the world cup. 
If you want to use the word injúria you can say insult. 
Example: She cried after she heard the man’s insult. 
 
Legenda – Legend 
In English, a legend is a traditional story whose facts are unverified. 
Example: Greek legends have been influential in literature for a long time. 
If you want to say legenda, you’ll want to use the word subtitle. 
Example: It is a really good way to practice your English to watch a movie in English 
with English subtitles. 
 
Livraria – Library 
We use library in English to describe a place, usually ran by a government or a university, 
where you can borrow books for a short time at no charge (biblioteca in Portuguese). 
Example: We go to the library every week with our daughter to check-out books. 
We use book store for livraria. 
Example: I don’t go to the book store often because I read most books on my e-reader. 
 
Lanche – Lunch 
The English word lunch is used to describe the mid-day meal (almoço in Portuguese). 
Example: I always have lunch at noon. 
We use snack to say lanche. 
Example: I’m hungry lets get a snack before the meeting, maybe some fruit would be 
good. 
 
Novela – Novel 
We use novel as a noun to describe fictional books, and as an adjective to describe 
something new or unusual 
Example: The novel had a novel character. 
If you want to say novela in English, use soap opera. 
Example: Laços de Família is a famous Brazilian soap operastarred by Vera Fischer 
and Tony Ramos. 
 
Parentes – Parents 
In English we use parents to refer to our mother or father, as a group or without 
referencing gender. 
Example 1: My parents live in St. Louis / 
Example 2: A parent [o pai ou a mãe] needs to give permission for a child to leave the 
country. 
If you want to say parentes use the word relatives. 
Example: I have relatives in Brazil, a couple cousins and my aunt and uncle. 
 
Particular – Particular 
Exact same word, two meanings! In English, we use it to talk about a very specific part 
of a group. 
Example: The law was designed to punish a particular group of people. 
We also use it to describe something with extra emphasis 
Example: The ball hit him in a particularly painful place. 
If you want to say particular with the Portuguese meaning, use personal, or private. 
Example: Infidelity is a private matter even if the people involved are famous. 
 
 
ACTIVITIES 
 
Activity 1 - Online Quiz: 
https://pt.quizur.com/trivia/falsos-cognatos-8SXT 
 
Activity 2 
Part 1: Listening/Reading BBC 6 Minute English 
 
Listen to the podcast about False Friends (false cognates) of English and other 
languages. Click here to see the transcript. 
 
Part 2 – Click below to read about cognates, loandwords (empréstimos 
linguísticos), and false friends. Then, do the activity (6 questions) about 
loandwords: 
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/intermediate/unit-
10/session-1/activity-2 
https://pt.quizur.com/trivia/falsos-cognatos-8SXT
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/intermediate/unit-10/session-1/activity-2
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/intermediate/unit-10/session-1/activity-2
 
EXTRA MATERIAL 
 
 
More examples of False Friends 
https://www.livinglanguage.com/blog/2014/11/15/english-and-portuguese-
false-friends/ 
 
 
https://www.livinglanguage.com/blog/2014/11/15/english-and-portuguese-false-friends/
https://www.livinglanguage.com/blog/2014/11/15/english-and-portuguese-false-friends/