Portuguese-English False Friends: A Reference
Last reviewed on May 7, 2026.
False friends — "falsos amigos" or "falsos cognatos" — are words that look or sound similar across two languages but mean different things. Portuguese and English share Latin and Germanic-French roots, which produces a lot of true cognates and a steady supply of traps. This page is a working reference: each entry shows the Portuguese word, the wrong English assumption, the actual English meaning, and a short note or example so you can see why the confusion happens.
The list isn't exhaustive — new false friends appear as English borrowings settle into Portuguese with shifted meanings — but it covers the ones most likely to surface in everyday text, business writing, and casual conversation. For wider grammar context, see Learn English for Portuguese speakers; to translate a phrase fast, use the translator.
How to read the table
- Portuguese word — the source word.
- Looks like — the English word a learner reaches for first (which is wrong).
- Actually means — the correct English translation in everyday use.
- Note — a short clarification or a typical example, plus the English word's true Portuguese counterpart in parentheses where helpful.
Everyday life
| Portuguese | Looks like | Actually means | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| pasta | pasta (Italian food) | folder, briefcase | "Italian pasta" in PT is "macarrão" (BR) / "massa" (PT). |
| apontamento | appointment | note, jotting | "Appointment" = "compromisso" or "consulta" (medical). |
| propaganda | propaganda (political) | advertising | A "propaganda na TV" is a TV ad. Political propaganda is "propaganda política". |
| esquisito | exquisite | strange, weird | "Exquisite" = "requintado" or "primoroso". |
| parente | parent | relative | "Parents" (mom and dad) = "pais". |
| livraria | library | bookstore | "Library" = "biblioteca". |
| data | data (information) | date (calendar) | "Data" (information) = "dados". |
| fábrica | fabric | factory | "Fabric" (cloth) = "tecido". |
| colégio | college | school (typically secondary) | "College" = "faculdade" or "universidade". |
| grossería / grosseria | grocery | rudeness, swear word | "Groceries" = "compras (de supermercado)" or "mantimentos". |
Verbs
| Portuguese | Looks like | Actually means | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| assistir | to assist | to watch (a film), to attend | "To assist" = "ajudar". "Assisti ao filme" = I watched the film. |
| pretender | to pretend | to intend, to plan | "To pretend" = "fingir". "Pretendo viajar" = I plan to travel. |
| pressumir | to presume | to boast (BR), to assume (PT) | Sense varies; check context. |
| realizar | to realize (notice) | to carry out, to fulfill | "To realize / notice" = "perceber" or "dar-se conta". |
| recordar | to record | to remember | "To record" = "gravar". |
| discutir | to discuss | to argue (often), to discuss | Often heated. A neutral discussion is "conversar sobre". |
| avisar | to advise | to notify, to warn | "To advise" = "aconselhar". |
| resumir | to resume | to summarize | "To resume" = "retomar". |
| esperar | to expect | to wait, to hope, to expect | All three meanings sit in one word; rely on context. |
| entender | to intend | to understand | "To intend" = "tencionar" or "pretender". |
Adjectives and adverbs
| Portuguese | Looks like | Actually means | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| atual / actual | actual | current, present-day | "Actual" (real) = "real" or "verdadeiro". |
| eventualmente | eventually | occasionally, possibly | "Eventually" = "no fim" or "acabar por". |
| sensível | sensible | sensitive | "Sensible" (reasonable) = "sensato". |
| lunático | lunatic (only) | moody, eccentric | "Lunatic" (clinical) = "louco" or "perturbado". |
| enorme | enormous (always) | enormous, but also "great" colloquially | "Foi enorme" can mean "it was great", not "it was huge". |
| comprehensivo / compreensivo | comprehensive | understanding (sympathetic) | "Comprehensive" = "abrangente" or "completo". |
| particular | particular (specific) | private (often), personal | "Aula particular" = private lesson. |
Watch out: variant-specific traps
A few words mean very different things depending on whether you're reading Brazilian or European Portuguese:
- propina — PT-PT: tuition fee (university). PT-BR: bribe.
- rapariga — PT-PT: girl, young woman (neutral). PT-BR: can be slang of a sexually pejorative kind, depending on region.
- pequeno almoço — PT-PT: breakfast. In PT-BR, breakfast is "café da manhã" and "pequeno almoço" sounds odd.
- banheiro — PT-BR: bathroom. PT-PT: lifeguard. The PT-PT word for bathroom is "casa de banho".
For more on these splits, see Brazilian vs European Portuguese.
Common mistakes when relying on cognates
- Translating "actual" as "actual" in English business writing. Write "current" instead. "The actual price" sounds like "the real price (not a fake one)" to a native speaker; you usually mean "the current price".
- Saying "I assisted to the meeting". The English verb is "to attend": "I attended the meeting".
- Using "pretend" for "intend". "I pretend to study tonight" means "I plan to fake studying". The right form is "I plan to study" or "I intend to study".
- Treating "library" and "livraria" as the same. A library is "biblioteca"; a livraria is a bookstore.
- Saying "I was very embarrassed" when you mean pregnant. "Embaraçada" is a classic trap: in PT it can mean "embarrassed" but historically meant (and in some contexts still suggests) "pregnant" / "tangled". For "embarrassed", "envergonhado" is safer.
How to internalize false friends
- Tag them on first encounter. When you meet a false friend in a real text, write the Portuguese word, the wrong assumption, and the right English in a single line. Three pieces, not two.
- Group by category. The traps cluster — verbs of communication (assistir, avisar, pretender), feeling adjectives (sensível, comprehensivo), academic life (colégio, livraria, propina). Learning a cluster sticks better than learning isolated words.
- Translate, then back-translate. When you draft an English sentence, mentally translate it back to Portuguese with a beginner's literalness. If the back-translation has a famous false friend in it, you probably picked the wrong English word.
- Use the translator as a check, not a source. A machine handles the common cases, but it won't always pick the right sense in ambiguous text. False friends are exactly where you should slow down.