English-Portuguese False Friends to Watch Out For

English–Portuguese false friends (or false cognates) are words that look alike in both languages but carry different meanings, often leading to misunderstandings.

Because English and Portuguese share many Latin roots, plenty of words look and sound similar. Some keep the same meaning, but others have drifted over time—becoming false friends.

Below is a list of common English–Portuguese false friends, with practical examples to help you use them correctly.

Common English-Portuguese False Friends

PORTUGUESE WORD	SIMILAR ENGLISH WORD	EXAMPLE
advogado lawyer	advocate	Preciso urgentemente de um advogado. I urgently need a lawyer.
aliás by the way; moreover	alias	Aliás, escusas de voltar aqui. By the way, save yourself the hassle of coming back.
adepto supporter; fan	adept	Ele não é grande adepto de futebol. He’s not a great fan of football.
amassar knead	amass	Antes de cozer o pão temos de amassar a massa. Before we bake the bread, we must knead the dough.
apontamento written note	appointment	Tiraste apontamentos durante a aula? Did you write notes during the lecture?
argumento reasoning	argument	Acho o teu argumento convincente. I find your reasoning convincing.
assistir watching a live event	assist	Vais assistir ao jogo? Are you going to watch the match?
atender picking up the phone; seeing patients or clients	attend	Porque nunca atendes quando te ligo? Why don’t you ever answer the phone when I call you?
atualmente nowadays; currently	actually	Atualmente estamos sem vagas. Currently, we have no vacancies.
balcão counter	balcony	Estou farto de estar aqui ao balcão à espera. I am tired of waiting here at the counter.
bestial amazing	bestial	Isto é bestial! This is amazing!
cavalheiro gentleman	cavalier	Ele é um verdadeiro cavalheiro. He truly is a gentleman.
colar necklace	collar	Ele deu-me este colar no Natal. He gave me this necklace last Christmas.
compreensivo understanding	comprehensive	A Raquel é uma pessoa compreensiva. Raquel is an understanding person.
compromisso appointment	compromise	Hoje tenho um compromisso às 16h. Today I have an appointment at 4 p.m.
confidente confidant	confident	Eu e o Miguel somos bons amigos e confidentes. Miguel and I are good friends and confidants.
constipação cold (as in being sick)	constipation	Há muito tempo que não apanho uma constipação. It’s been a long time since I last caught a cold.
convicto certain; confident	convicted	Ela estava convicta de que tinha razão. She was certain she was right.
costume custom; tradition; habit	costume	Cada país tem os seus costumes e tradições. Every country has its own customs and traditions.
creme egg custard	cream	O creme deste bolo é delicioso. The custard in this cake is delicious.
cuspe spit; saliva	cusp	Foi colado a cuspe. That was glued with spit.
data date	data	O 10 de Junho é uma data importante em Portugal. The 10th of June is an important date in Portugal.
dececionar disappoint	deceive	Não te vou dececionar. I am not going to disappoint you.
dente tooth	dent	Tenho dores de dentes. I have a toothache.
diversão fun; amusement	diversion	Todos nós precisamos de diversão de vez em quando. We all need to have some fun now and then.
editor, editora publisher	editor	Ando à procura de uma editora para publicar o meu romance. I am looking for a publisher to publish my novel.
educado polite	educated	Ela é tão educada! She’s so polite!
enrolar wind up	enroll	Enrola este cabo e põe-no no sítio. Wind up this piece of wire and put it away.
esperto smart; clever	expert	Pensas que és esperto, é? Do you think you are smart, is that it?
esquisito weird; strange	exquisite	Está aqui um cheiro esquisito. There’s a funny smell in here.
estrangeiro foreign; abroad	stranger	Há muitos estrangeiros a viver em Portugal. There are many foreigners living in Portugal.
eventualmente maybe; may	eventually	Chego eventualmente antes das 21h. I may arrive before 9 p.m.
excitado sexually aroused	excited	Não posso ver umas saias, fico logo excitado. Anything that moves turns me on.
êxito success	exit	Infelizmente não tive êxito. Unfortunately, I didn’t succeed.
fábrica factory	fabric	Em Portugal há muitas fábricas têxtil. In Portugal, there are many textile factories.
facilidade easiness; inclination (talent)	facility	Ela tem facilidade em tocar piano. She has a natural inclination to play the piano.
genial ingenious	genial	Ele é genial. He’s ingenious.
gentil kind	gentile	Tu és muito gentil. You’re very kind.
gripe flu	grip	Apanhei uma gripe valente! I caught a bad case of flu!
ingénuo naive	ingenious	Era tão ingénuo quando tinha 14 anos! I was so naive when I was 14!
injúria insult	injury	Não admito qualquer tipo de injúria nesta casa! I don’t allow insults of any kind in this house!
jarro jug	jar	Pode trazer um jarro com água, por favor? Could you bring us a jug of water, please?
jornal newspaper	journal	Compraste o jornal? Have you bought the newspaper?
lanche snack	lunch	Trouxeste o lanche? Did you bring your afternoon snack?
legenda(s) subtitles	legend	Devias ver filmes portugueses sem legendas. You should watch Portuguese movies without subtitles.
livraria bookstore	library	Passaste pela livraria? Did you drop by the bookstore?
novela soap opera	novel	Não suporto novelas. I can’t stand soap operas.
notícia news	notice	Tens notícias? Have you got any news?
ofício profession; occupation	office	Qual é o teu ofício? What do you do for a living?
parentes relatives	parents	Tenho muitos parentes no Brasil. I have many relatives in Brazil.
particular private; personal	particular	Estes assuntos são particulares. These are private matters.
pasta briefcase	pasta	Viste a minha pasta? Have you seen my briefcase?
prejudicar cause harm; disfavor	prejudice	Não gosto de prejudicar ninguém. I don’t like to cause harm to anyone.
preservativo condom	preservative	Os preservativos são normalmente feitos de látex. Condoms are normally made of latex.
pretender intend	pretend	Ele pretende casar comigo. He intends to marry me.
puxar pull	push	Tens de puxar para abrir a porta. You must pull to open the door.
queque muffin	cake	Comi um queque de cenoura. I ate a carrot muffin.
recordar remember	record	Recordas-te de mim? Do you remember me?
refrigerante soda, refrigerant	refrigerant	Tomas um refrigerante? Would you like a soda?
resumir summarize	resume	Podes resumir a história em menos de 150 palavras? Can you summarize the story in fewer than 150 words?
retirar withdraw	retire	O tribunal retirou-me o direito à casa. The court withdrew my right to the house.
romance novel	romance	Que romance estás a ler agora? Which novel are you reading now?
sensível sensitive	sensible	Ela é uma pessoa sensível. She is a sensitive person.
taxa rate; fee	tax	A taxa de desemprego anda baixa. The unemployment rate is low.
transpiração perspiration	transpiration	A transpiração permite ao nosso corpo regular a sua temperatura. Perspiration helps our body regulate its temperature.
ultimamente lately	ultimately	Ultimamente tem estado muito calor. It’s been really hot lately.

Pssst! Portuguese and English share plenty of ‘true friends’ too. Check out these English-Portuguese cognates—words you already know without even realizing it!

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