Fun with False Friends
True or False? In German, the word "gift" means a present, like in English.
False. In German, "Gift" means poison. A real "false friend"!
True or False? In Ireland, the official language is Irish, but almost everyone speaks English.
Answer: True.
True or False? The English word "pizza" originally comes from Italy.
Answer: True.
True or False? The French word "librairie" is a place where you can borrow books for free.
False. "Librairie" means bookshop. A library where you borrow books is "bibliothèque".
True or False? In Scotland, the national animal is the unicorn.
True. The unicorn has been a Scottish heraldic symbol since the 12th century.
True or False? The word "kindergarten" came into English from the French language.
Answer: False. It came from German (Kinder = children, Garten = garden).
True or False? In Italian, the word "camera" always means a photographic camera.
False. In Italian, "camera" primarily means "room". A photographic camera is "macchina fotografica".
True or False? "Big Ben" is the name of the famous clock tower in London.
False. "Big Ben" is the nickname for the Great Bell inside the tower. The tower itself was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012.
True or False? The word "robot" is an English word from the 20th century.
False. It comes from the Czech word "robota", meaning "forced work." It was first used in a Czech play in 1920.
True or False? The Norwegian word "glass" means the same as the English word "glass".
True. But be careful, this is a "true friend"! It means both the material and a drinking glass.
True or False? In the United Kingdom, people drive on the right-hand side of the road.
False. They drive on the left.
True or False? The word "tsar" (or "czar"), like in Russian Tsar, comes from the Latin word "Caesar".
True. It traveled from Latin (Caesar) to Russian (Царь - Tsar) and then to other languages.
True or False? The Polish word "dywan" means a large, formal party or a dance.
False. In Polish, "dywan" means "carpet" or "rug".
True or False? People in Great Britain use Euros (€) as their money.
False. Great Britain uses the British Pound Sterling (£).
True or False? The English word "algebra" has its origins in an ancient European language.
False. It comes from the Arabic word "al-jabr", which means "reunion of broken parts."