European Portuguese false cognates with English — called falsos amigos (false friends) in Portuguese — are words that look like English words but mean something completely different. They are one of the most common sources of comprehension errors and occasionally embarrassing mistakes. Because Portuguese and English share a significant amount of vocabulary via Latin and French roots, you will encounter many words that feel familiar — but some of those will lead you astray. This guide covers the 25 most important false friends in EP, plus a set of genuine cognates that actually do match.
What Are False Friends?
A false friend is a word in a foreign language that looks or sounds similar to a word in your native language but has a different meaning. In Portuguese–English pairs, false friends typically arise because both languages borrowed the same Latin or French word but it evolved differently in each language, or because one language borrowed it at a different historical moment when its meaning was slightly different. The result is two words that look like siblings but are strangers in meaning.
False friends are particularly dangerous in reading comprehension: if you assume a word means what it looks like, you will often misunderstand a sentence entirely without realising it. The tap-to-translate feature in PortuStories is especially useful for catching false friends before they embed incorrect meanings.
25 Portuguese False Friends You Must Know
| Portuguese word | Looks like... | Actually means | Real EP equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| borracha | "barracks" | rubber / eraser | — |
| polvo | "pulp" | octopus | polpa = pulp |
| cão | "can" | dog | lata = tin/can |
| esquisito | "exquisite" | weird / strange | requintado = exquisite |
| sensível | "sensible" | sensitive (to touch/emotion) | sensato = sensible |
| gracioso | "gracious" | funny / cute / charming | agradável = gracious |
| bacharel | "bachelor" (unmarried) | undergraduate degree holder | solteiro = unmarried man |
| largo | "large" | wide / a small public square | grande = large |
| parente | "parent" | relative / family member | pai / mãe = parent |
| pão | "pan" | bread | frigideira = frying pan |
| bordar | "to border" | to embroider | fronteirар = to border on |
| caldo | "cold" | broth / soup stock | frio = cold |
| novela | "novel" (book) | soap opera (TV) | romance = novel |
| actual | "actual" | current / present | real / verdadeiro = actual |
| pretender | "to pretend" | to intend / to aim to | fingir = to pretend |
| assistir | "to assist" | to attend / to watch (a show) | ajudar = to assist/help |
| realizar | "to realise" | to carry out / to accomplish | perceber / aperceber-se = to realise |
| educado | "educated" | polite / well-mannered | instruído = educated |
| grosso | "gross" (disgusting) | thick / rude / coarse | repugnante = disgusting |
| pasta | "pasta" (food) | briefcase / folder / toothpaste | massa = pasta (food) |
| balcão | "balcony" | counter / shop counter / bar counter | varanda = balcony |
| embaraçado | "embarrassed" | entangled / confused / awkward situation | envergonhado = embarrassed |
| porco | "pork" | pig / pork (but also means "dirty/filthy" as adjective) | True cognate for pork, but the adjective sense trips learners |
| borracha (adj.) | "drunk" (from "borracho") | drunk (informal) | bêbado = drunk (standard) |
| comprido | "comprised" | long (in length) | longo = long (duration) |
True Cognates: Words That DO Match
Not all similar-looking words are false friends. Many Portuguese–English cognates are genuine and can be trusted: