Appendix:False friends between French and Spanish
This is an initial list of false cognates and false friends between French and Spanish. They therefore look similar but respectively either they do not actually come from the same root or they have different meanings, despite their similarities.
| French term | Spanish translation | English translation | Spanish false friend | French translation | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aiguille | aguja | needle | águila | aigle | eagle |
| ainsi que | as well as | así que | so | ||
| attendre | esperar | to wait for | atender | s'occuper de | to attend to |
| carnet | folleto | booklet | carnet | driver's license | |
| cheval | horse | chaval | boy | ||
| compatir | to sympathise | compartir | share | ||
| courbature | an ache | curvatura | curvature | ||
| créer | crear | create | creer | croire | believe |
| créneau | slot | cráneo | crâne | skull | |
| débile | retrasado | moronic | débil | faible | weak |
| décade | 10 días | 10 days | década | décennie | decade |
| déjà | ya | already | deja | leave | |
| déjeuner | to have lunch | desayunar | to have breakfast | ||
| demander | pedir | to ask for | demandar | to sue | |
| dépister | to track down | despistar | to confuse | ||
| disparue | desaparecida | disappeared | disparó | shot | |
| dos | back | dos | two | ||
| enfermé | shut in | enfermo | sick | ||
| enfermer | encerrar | to lock up | enfermar | to make ill | |
| entendre | oír | hear | entender | comprendre | understand |
| envie | deseo | desire | envío | sending | |
| fantasme | fantasía | fantasy | fantasma | ghost | |
| gâteau | pastel | cake | gato | chat | cat |
| juger | juzgar | to judge | jugar | jouer | to play |
| large | ancho | wide | largo | long | long |
| manche | manga | sleeve | mancha | tache | stain |
| nombre | número | number | nombre | nom | name |
| nouvelle | noticia | news | novela | nouvelle | novella |
| ombre | sombra | shade | hombre | homme | man |
| parvenir | llegar | reach | porvenir | avenir | future |
| peine | pena | sorrow | peine | a comb | |
| prénom | nombre de pila | first name | pronombre | pronom | pronoun |
| rare | escaso | rare | raro | étrange | strange |
| récurer | fregar | to scrub | recurrir | recourir | to turn to |
| repartir | to go back | repartir | to distribute | ||
| restauration | restauración | restoration | |||
| salir | ensuciar | to dirty | salir | go out | |
| sol | suelo | ground | sol | soleil | sun |
| sonnerie | zumbido | ringing | sonríe | smiles | |
| tête | cabeza | head | teta | boob | |
| toque | toca | brimless hat | toque | touch | |
| tortilla | (he) twisted | tortilla | crêpe mexicaine | tortilla |