Common mistakes
French false friends, part two: prévenir, achever, lecture and more
Learn 12 more French false friends with examples and the English meaning you need: prévenir, achever, la lecture, un stage, un délai and more.
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In short
Prévenir quelqu’un usually means to let someone know or warn them; achever means to finish; la lecture means reading. For an English ‘lecture’, choose un cours or une conférence. This second set adds 12 new contrasts to the first false-friends page.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learnRed watch out
- prévenir quelqu’unto prevent someoneto let someone know / to warn someone
Préviens-moi si tu arrives après dix-huit heures.Let me know if you arrive after six o’clock.
For ‘prevent someone from doing something’, use empêcher quelqu’un de faire quelque chose. With a risk or illness, prévenir can mean prevent: prévenir les accidents.
- acheverto achieve a goalto finish / to complete
Nous devons achever ce travail avant vendredi.We have to finish this work before Friday.
For ‘achieve a goal’, say atteindre un objectif. Achever focuses on bringing something to its end.
- la lecturea lecture given to an audiencereading
La lecture de ce chapitre prend vingt minutes.Reading this chapter takes twenty minutes.
For an academic lecture, use un cours; for a public talk, use une conférence. A lecture publique is a public reading.
- demandernecessarily to demand forcefullyto ask / to request
Je voudrais demander un renseignement.I’d like to ask for some information.
For a forceful demand, exiger makes the insistence explicit. Demander can introduce a polite request.
- passer un examento pass an exam successfullyto sit / take an exam
J’ai passé l’examen lundi ; j’attends les résultats.I took the exam on Monday; I’m waiting for the results.
For success, say réussir un examen. Passer tells you the person took it, before you know the result.
- une journéea journeya day, considered as a period of time
Nous passons la journée à Marseille.We’re spending the day in Marseille.
For ‘a journey’, say un voyage or un trajet. A trajet focuses on getting from one place to another.
- un stagea theatre stagea work placement / a training course
Elle fait un stage dans une agence de voyages.She is doing a work placement at a travel agency.
For the stage in a theatre, say la scène. In a CV, un stage is usually a work placement.
- une cavea cave in a hillsidea cellar
Les bouteilles sont dans la cave.The bottles are in the cellar.
For a natural cave, use une grotte. A cave is the cellar of a building.
- un délaia delay caused by latenessa period allowed / a time limit
Vous avez un délai de dix jours pour répondre.You have ten days to reply.
For lateness, use un retard: Le train a du retard. A délai can be an agreed amount of time.
- le raisinraisins, the dried fruitgrapes, the fresh fruit
Ce raisin est très sucré.These grapes are very sweet.
For dried raisins, say des raisins secs. A single fresh grape is un grain de raisin.
- la chaira chairflesh
La chair de cette pêche est jaune.The flesh of this peach is yellow.
For the seat, say une chaise. La chair can refer to the flesh of fruit or a body.
- un cara cara coach
Nous allons à Lyon en car.We’re going to Lyon by coach.
For a car, say une voiture. Un car is a coach used for group or longer-distance travel.
What do prévenir, achever and lecture really mean?
- Lina
Je vais achever la lecture du dossier ce matin.
I’m going to finish reading the file this morning.
- Marc
Très bien. Tu peux demander un délai si tu en as besoin.
Very good. You can ask for more time if you need it.
- Lina
Merci. Je te préviens avant midi.
Thanks. I’ll let you know before noon.
Notice the object after the word. Prévenir une collègue is telling a person; prévenir un accident is preventing an event. Passer and réussir separate the exam from its outcome. Those details give you a more useful translation than the English-looking spelling alone.