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False friends - 12 words that are easy to get wrong in English

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Do you know these 'false friends'? If you like travelling, you probably speak English from time to time. Whether you are more or less comfortable in English, it is a good language to get around in most parts of the world. But it can be useful to be aware of so-called 'false friends' - words that sound similar to English but actually mean something else. Do you know these twelve?

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1. delicate

No, it's not good at all if you say the food abroad was "delicate". Delicate doesn't mean delicate ... but fragile.

2. costume

Were you going to say you're wearing a costume at the wedding? Okay, but be prepared for everyone to expect you to wear a costume.

Falska vänner

3rd Semester

Holidays are nice! In English, where it means term, it feels a bit more ordinary.

4. blanket

It sounds like you are talking about a form to be filled in, but this is not the case. A "form" in English is simply a blanket.

5. tips

It is fine to give tips sometimes, but if you speak English, it is good to know that there is now a risk that someone will expect to be tipped (although tip can sometimes be used for tips as well).

6. chips

We call those flat crispy things you eat in front of the TV chips, but when the English say "chips" ... they mean French fries.

Musslor och pommes

7. fabric

When your new British friend wants to show you some nice fabric, it's good to know that she's not going to take you to some boring factory. Nope, it's all about fabrics now!

8. Glass

I have actually heard of a poor tourist office employee who was mistaken about this. She sent the poor tourists to an ice cream parlour when you wanted to go to a glass factory. Or what if it was the other way round? "Glass" in English is, after all, glass ...

Vin souvenir

9. VD

I don't really know when you could make a mistake on this, but if you make a mistake, it seems to be quite difficult. CEO in English is not a CEO at all, but a sexually transmitted disease (venereal disease).

10th Billion

While a "trillion" is a lot of money, it is not a trillion (thousand billion) but "only" a billion.

Pengar

11th Trillion

Numbers are complicated! A "trillion" in English is the equivalent of a trillion in Swedish, i.e. a thousand billion. However, it is not the same as a Swedish trillion (a one followed by 18 zeros).

12. 17th century

Now you really want to believe that this means the 18th century, but unfortunately it's not that funny. 17th century corresponds to the 17th century in Swedish. I have been taught that you should think that you are in in the 17th century. It doesn't help much, I have to say, but you just have to accept it. Fake friends or not, this is the way it is!

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