False friends you need to know for work

Hi there,

Eccoci qua con la nuova edizione di The English Breakfast—la rubrica settimanale di consigli e trucchi di Business English pensata appositamente per i professionisti italiani.

Versati una bella tazza di caffè e mettiamoci all’opera… ☕️

In una lezione recente, ho sentito un mio studente dire: "Sometimes I have to do extraordinary things at work." La frase non è sbagliata, ma non esprimeva esattamente quello che intendeva!

Guarda il video di questa settimana per evitare anche tu questo fraintendimento.

@danieltannerenglish

Cosa vuol dire “extraordinary” in inglese? #businessenglish #learnenglish #englishtips #englishforwork #ingleseperitaliani #imparareingles... See more

Let’s continue in English 😎 

Now you know that extraordinary in English only means incredible.

This is a classic example of a false friend—a word that looks similar to an Italian word but actually has a different meaning. To help you avoid making these kinds of mistakes at work, here are some more false friends you need to know!

1. Actual vs. Attuale

• Actual = Real, true, not just estimated or assumed (reale, effettivo)

• Attuale = Current, present-day
  Examples:

• The actual profit margin was lower than we had estimated.

• There is currently nothing to do in the office! Woohoo!

2. Eventually vs. Eventualmente

• Eventually = At some point in the future, after some time (alla fine, prima o poi)

• Eventualmente = Possibly, if necessary
  Examples:

• We are not expanding into Asia yet, but we will eventually enter that market.

• If necessary, we’ll move to a bigger office.

3. Assist vs. Assistere

• Assist = To help or support someone (aiutare, supportare)

• Assistere = To attend, to be present at an event
  Examples:

• Our IT department will assist employees with the new software implementation.

• I need to attend a 5 hour conference this week on cyber security…help!

4. Library vs. Libreria

• Library = A place to borrow or access books and resources (biblioteca)

• Libreria = A bookstore
  Examples:

• You can access our company’s digital library for market research reports.

• The university library has valuable case studies on corporate strategy.

5. Notice vs. Notizia

• Notice = An official announcement or warning (avviso, preavviso)

• Notizia = A piece of news
  Examples:

• Employees are required to give at least one month’s notice before leaving the company.

• Is there any news about the sale?

6. Pretend vs. Pretendere

• Pretend = To act as if something is true when it isn’t (fingere, far finta)

• Pretendere = To demand something strongly
  Examples:

• Let’s not pretend that this issue doesn’t exist—our clients are unhappy with the service.

• He marched into his boss’ office and demanded a pay rise!

7. Resume vs. Resumere

• Resume (noun - USA) = A CV, a summary of work experience (curriculum vitae)

• Resume (verb) = To continue after a pause (riprendere)

• Summarise = recap something briefly (riassumere)
  Examples:

• Please submit your resume and cover letter by Friday.

• After a short break, we will resume the negotiation talks.

• I wasn’t listening, can you summarise the last 2 hours of this call for me, please?

8. Sensible vs. Sensibile

• Sensible = Logical, reasonable, practical (ragionevole, sensato)

• Sensibile = Sensitive, easily affected
  Examples:

• Investing in employee training is a sensible business decision.

• A sensitive leader is able to handle delicate, high-stakes issues amongst staff members, like who gets the desk next to the window…

Challenge 🏆️ 

Let’s put your knowledge of these false friends to the test! Do the quiz below and see if you can get all 7 questions correct. Let’s go!

Non sei soddisfatto del tuo livello di inglese? Vuoi sentirti più confident quando devi parlare inglese al lavoro?

Clicca sul link qui sotto per vedere i corsi che offro. Sono privati e su misura per te.

Oppure rispondi a questa email con la parola per parlare dei tuoi obiettivi e per vedere se posso aiutarti a raggiungerli—senza alcun impegno, naturalmente.

Cos’aspetti? Get in touch now! 😀 

All right, that’s it for today’s edition. What did you think? Reply to this email and let me know 📧 

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Ciao for now,

Dan

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