False friends: Italian–English
37 words that look like English and mean something else. This list is built the other way round from the usual ones: on the left is what you want to say, next to it the Italian word for it — and only then the trap. If all you know is what a word does not mean, you are still stuck in the conversation.
Everyday
The pairs you meet on your first day in Italy: at the hotel, in the shops, at the table.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| camera | la macchina fotografica | la camera | room, bedroom |
| Abbiamo prenotato una camera con vista sul lago.We’ve booked a room with a view of the lake.English got its camera from the same Latin word: a camera obscura was a dark room. The one on your phone is la fotocamera. | |||
| cold (drink, water) | freddo | caldo | hot, warm |
| Aspetta, il tè è ancora troppo caldo.Wait, the tea’s still too hot.On an Italian tap C stands for caldo, the hot one; the cold tap is marked F, for freddo. | |||
| parents | i genitori | i parenti | relatives |
| Al matrimonio c’erano più di cento parenti.There were over a hundred relatives at the wedding.I genitori are your mother and father; i parenti are everyone else in the family. | |||
| library | la biblioteca | la libreria | bookshop; bookcase |
| Ho trovato questo romanzo in una libreria dell’usato.I found this novel in a second-hand bookshop.At home, la libreria is also the bookcase against the wall. | |||
| estate (land, property) | la tenuta; il patrimonio | l’estate | summer |
| D’estate andiamo sempre al mare.We always go to the seaside in summer.A country estate with its vineyards is una tenuta; what someone leaves behind is il patrimonio or l’eredità. | |||
| petrol | la benzina | il petrolio | crude oil |
| Il prezzo del petrolio è salito di nuovo.The price of crude oil has gone up again.At the pump you ask for il pieno, a full tank; the station is il distributore. | |||
| pepperoni | il salame piccante | i peperoni | peppers |
| Ho comprato due peperoni rossi e uno giallo.I bought two red peppers and a yellow one.Order una pizza ai peperoni and it comes with sweet peppers. What you were after is usually on the menu as la diavola. | |||
| large | grande | largo | wide |
| Il fiume qui è largo quasi cento metri.Here the river is nearly a hundred metres wide.A large pizza is una pizza grande. And a boat al largo is out at sea, well off the coast. | |||
| canteen | la mensa | la cantina | cellar; winery |
| Il vino buono lo teniamo giù in cantina.We keep the good wine down in the cellar.A cantina can also be a wine producer: una cantina sociale is a cooperative winery. The school or works canteen is la mensa. | |||
| factory | la fabbrica | la fattoria | farm |
| Alla fattoria i bambini hanno dato da mangiare alle galline.At the farm the children fed the hens.La fabbrica is a trap in its own right the other way round: it never means fabric, which is il tessuto or la stoffa. | |||
| confetti | i coriandoli | i confetti | sugared almonds |
| A ogni invitato hanno dato un sacchetto di confetti.Every guest was given a little bag of sugared almonds.At an Italian wedding the confetti are handed out and eaten, not thrown. The paper that flies about at Carnival is i coriandoli. | |||
| rumour | la voce, la diceria | il rumore | noise |
| Con tutto questo rumore non riesco a concentrarmi.I can’t concentrate with all this noise.«There’s a rumour that…» is gira voce che…. | |||
| stamp (for a letter) | il francobollo | la stampa | the press; printing |
| La notizia è uscita su tutta la stampa nazionale.The story was picked up by the whole national press.The verb is stampare, to print, and the machine on your desk is la stampante. | |||
At work
The ones that slip into a meeting, a phone call or an e-mail.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| firm (company) | la ditta, l’azienda | la firma | signature |
| Manca ancora la sua firma sul contratto.Your signature is still missing from the contract.The verb is firmare, to sign. The English firm goes back to the same word: it first meant the name a trading house signed with. | |||
| argument (quarrel) | la lite, il litigio | l’argomento | topic, subject |
| Qual è l’argomento della riunione di domani?What’s the subject of tomorrow’s meeting?To have an argument is litigare. Argomento can be a line of reasoning — un argomento convincente — but never a row. | |||
| magazine | la rivista | il magazzino | warehouse, storeroom |
| La merce arriva in magazzino ogni lunedì.The goods arrive at the warehouse every Monday.English borrowed the word, by way of French, when a magazine was still a storehouse. A department store is i grandi magazzini. | |||
| to attend | partecipare a; frequentare | attendere | to wait (for) |
| Si prega di attendere in linea.Please hold the line.You partecipi a a meeting and frequenti a course or a school. Attendere is formal; in conversation you aspetti. | |||
| lecture | la lezione; la conferenza | la lettura | reading |
| La lettura del verbale ha richiesto mezz’ora.Reading out the minutes took half an hour.A university lecture is una lezione, a public talk una conferenza. | |||
| agenda (of a meeting) | l’ordine del giorno | l’agenda | diary, planner |
| Segno la data in agenda e ti confermo.I’ll put the date in my diary and get back to you.The first item on the agenda is il primo punto all’ordine del giorno. | |||
| actually | in realtà, veramente | attualmente | currently, at present |
| Attualmente lavora a Milano, ma è di Bari.He’s working in Milan at the moment, but he’s from Bari.The adjective is the same trap: la situazione attuale is the current situation, not the real one. | |||
| editor | il redattore; il direttore | l’editore | publisher |
| L’editore ha deciso di ristampare il libro.The publisher has decided to reprint the book.Whoever runs a newspaper is il direttore; whoever works on the texts is il redattore. A publishing house is una casa editrice. | |||
| to assume (suppose) | supporre, dare per scontato | assumere | to hire, take on |
| L’azienda assumerà tre ingegneri entro l’estate.The company will take on three engineers by the summer.Assumere can also mean taking on a responsibility, as in English. But «I assume he knows» is suppongo che lo sappia. | |||
Nearly right
Words that exist and sound right — and say something else.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| sensible | ragionevole, sensato | sensibile | sensitive |
| Ho la pelle molto sensibile al sole.My skin is very sensitive to the sun.«That’s a sensible idea» is è un’idea sensata. | |||
| sympathetic | comprensivo | simpatico | nice, likeable |
| Il nuovo collega è simpatico a tutti.Everyone likes the new colleague.Its opposite, antipatico, is someone you cannot warm to — not someone short on sympathy. | |||
| to pretend | fingere, fare finta | pretendere | to demand, to expect |
| Pretende di essere pagato prima di cominciare.He insists on being paid before he starts.Children playing at shops fanno finta di vendere. Pretendere is what a customer does who wants a refund on the spot. | |||
| to annoy | dare fastidio, infastidire | annoiare | to bore |
| Quel film mi ha annoiato a morte.That film bored me to death.The noun follows it: la noia is boredom, and che noia! is «how boring!». Something that annoys you ti dà fastidio. | |||
| eventually | alla fine, prima o poi | eventualmente | if need be, should the need arise |
| Eventualmente ti mando anche le foto.If need be, I’ll send you the photos too.The adjective works the same way: eventuali domande are any questions there may be. | |||
| to succeed | riuscire; avere successo | succedere | to happen |
| Può succedere a tutti.It can happen to anyone.The one overlap is taking someone’s place: succedere al padre. «I succeeded in finding it» is sono riuscito a trovarlo. | |||
| education | l’istruzione | l’educazione | upbringing; manners |
| Salutare quando si entra è una questione di educazione.Saying hello when you walk in is a matter of manners.A well-educated person is una persona istruita; una persona educata is simply polite. PE at school is the exception: educazione fisica. | |||
| morbid | morboso | morbido | soft |
| Questo maglione è morbidissimo.This jumper is lovely and soft.An unhealthy interest in something is una curiosità morbosa. | |||
| convenient | comodo, pratico | conveniente | good value, cheap |
| Questo supermercato è più conveniente di quello sotto casa.This supermarket is cheaper than the one round the corner.A time that suits you is un orario comodo; un prezzo conveniente is a good price. | |||
| crude (rough, vulgar) | rozzo, grossolano | crudo | raw |
| In questo ristorante il salmone si mangia crudo.In this restaurant the salmon is served raw.Prosciutto crudo is cured ham that has never been cooked. Crude oil is il petrolio greggio. | |||
| romance (love affair) | la storia d’amore | il romanzo | novel |
| Sto leggendo un romanzo di Calvino.I’m reading a novel by Calvino.A romantic novel is un romanzo rosa; a crime novel is un giallo. | |||
| terrific | fantastico, formidabile | terrificante | terrifying |
| Il rumore del tuono era terrificante.The thunder was terrifying. | |||
| casual (relaxed, informal) | informale, disinvolto | casuale | random, by chance |
| I numeri vengono estratti in modo casuale.The numbers are drawn at random.Casual clothes are abbigliamento casual, with the English word borrowed whole. | |||
| fastidious | pignolo, schizzinoso | fastidioso | annoying |
| C’è un ronzio fastidioso in cucina.There’s an annoying buzz in the kitchen.Someone fussy about food is schizzinoso; someone fussy about detail is pignolo. | |||
| disgrace | la vergogna, il disonore | la disgrazia | misfortune; accident |
| Che disgrazia, gli è crollato il tetto.What rotten luck — his roof has fallen in.«It’s a disgrace» is è una vergogna. Disgraziato is someone down on their luck or, as an insult, a wretch. | |||