A Known Enemy Is Better Than a False Friend. It is hard not to agree with this statement. False friends can cause more harm than a determined enemy. Interestingly, false friends can be found not only in life but also in language. Like people, they can cause trouble, create confusion, and at best, make you laugh. However, unlike people, language false friends are easier to avoid if you know about them and learn to recognize them.

So, what are linguistic false friends? They are words in two languages that look or sound similar but have different meanings. The reasons for the existence of false friends are varied. In the Polish and English languages, which belong to different language families—Slavic and Germanic—the main source of these false friends is borrowing from other languages, especially Latin.

CONFIDENT ≠ KONFIDENT

One of my favorite false friends of Latin origin is the word “konfident” / “confident” (from the Latin “confidere” – to trust, rely on). It is particularly used in English in the form of a question: Are you confident?

Someone unfamiliar with the English meaning but tempted by the nearly identical pronunciation of the word, might be offended hearing such a question. “Konfident” in Polish refers to someone who betrays others, often in a political or social context. In other words, a “konfident” is an informant, someone who eagerly shares information. The correct translations of these sentences are as follows:

Are you confident? – Czy jesteś pewny siebie?

Are you an informant? – Czy jesteś konfidentem?

LUNATYK ≠ LUNATIC

Another false friend, which this time has negative connotations in English but not in Polish, is the word

“lunatyk” / “lunatic” (from the Latin “luna” – moon).

In ancient Rome and the Middle Ages, it was believed that the phases of the moon affected people’s minds and behavior. In medieval medical and legal texts, the word “lunaticus” was used to describe people suffering from periodic episodes of madness, supposedly related to the full moon. Over time, in Polish, “lunatyk” stopped referring to someone mentally ill and began to refer to someone who suffers from somnambulism (sleepwalking). The English word “lunatic” kept its original meaning, referring to a person considered insane or irrational. Therefore, caution should be used with this word, as the following sentences have completely different meanings:

He is a lunatic. – On jest szalony.

He is a sleepwalker. – On jest lunatykiem.

ORDYNARNY ≠ ORDINARY

Another false friend of Latin origin is “ordynarny” / “ordinary,” derived from the Latin “ordinarius,” meaning “ordinary” or “common” (from “ordo” – order, arrangement). In the 17th century, this word had the same meaning in both Polish and English. It still has the same meaning in English today. However, in Polish, over time, it gained negative connotations and started to mean something vulgar, crude, or low. Nowadays, it is most often used in the context of poor manners or rudeness. Here are some examples:

He is an ordinary man. – On jest zwyczajnym człowiekiem.

He is a vulgar man. – On jest ordynarnym człowiekiem.

SYMPATIA ≠ SYMPATHY

Latin isn’t the only cause of misunderstandings in the translation of borrowed words. Another false friend, this time full of emotions, comes from Greek: “sympatia” / “sympathy” (from Greek “sym” -“together,” “pathos” – “feeling”). This word can, however, be a source of confusion due to the feelings it refers to. In Polish, “sympatia” refers to affection, liking, or even a crush, as seen in the following examples:

Ona nie jest moją dziewczyną, to tylko moja sympatia. – She’s not my girlfriend, she’s just my crush.

Jego uprzejmość wzbudziła moją sympatię. – His politeness earned my fondness.

Meanwhile, English “sympathy” refers to feelings of pity or sorrow for someone’s misfortune, suffering,

or grief, often used in the context of expressing condolences:

Please accept my sincere sympathy during this difficult time. – Proszę przyjąć moje szczere wyrazy współczucia w tych trudnych chwilach.

As you can see, linguistic false friends can spoil our communicative intentions. It’s fortunate if they happen in a friendly setting and become a reason for shared laughter and language comparisons. Shortly after my departure from Poland, I once used the word “fabric” when referring to “a factory”. My conversation partners, who came from various countries, quickly picked up on my mistake with a smile. In the process, I learned that in Danish “gift” means poison and “fart” means speed, and in Italian “camera” means bedroom.

On the other hand, Polish speakers using English might ask a doctor for a “recipe”, mistakenly thinking it means “prescription” (which is actually “prescription” in English), or complain that they have a demanding “chef”, not realizing that “chef” means “head cook”, while in Polish, “szef” means “boss”. Things can get complicated if you mix up “billion” with “trillion”, especially in international financial dealings. There are many more linguistic false friends. I encourage you to seek them out!

Anna Kamińska