* Escrito por Lígia Crispino, fundadora e sócia-diretora da Companhia de Idiomas e da ProfCerto

Em inglês, "false cognates" ou "false friends" são palavras que têm a escrita e o som semelhantes, mas tem significados completamente diferentes em dois idiomas.

A confusão pode acontecer porque nosso cérebro tende a usar os parâmetros de comunicação da língua materna. Se a palavra é parecida com o português, é natural ser induzido à tradução mais óbvia.

Veja a seguir 7 falsos cognatos muito comuns entre o inglês e o português:

1. Eventually - finalmente; um dia; mais dia, menos dia
Eventualmente - occasionally

2. Exquisite – belo, refinado
Esquisito – weird, strange, odd

3. Sensible – sensato
Sensível – sensitive 

4. Costume – fantasia (roupa)
Costume - custom

3. Fabric – tecido
Fábrica – factory

5. Prejudice – preconceito
Prejuízo – damage, loss

6. Actually – na verdade, na realidade
Atualmente – currently, today, nowadays

7. Resume – retomar, reassumir, recomeçar
Resumir – sumarize; sum up 

Que tal treinar os seus conhecimentos? Tente corrigir as frases a seguir:

1) In the past he worked for a huge corporation. Actually he’s been looking for a job.

2) Actually Brazil is trying to recover from a recession. We hope the companies stop having prejudice next year.

3) We still keep a lot of costumes from the Italians.

4) Many car fabrics have been decreasing sales volume.

5) He is really exquisite, I don’t understand his behavior.

6) The earthquake caused incalculated prejudice .

7) Could you resume the content of the course and share the most relevant ideas with us?

8) He eventually drinks wine but never beer.

9) The team has eventually reached the goals, they haven’t shown steady results along this year.

10) Some people’s teeth are very sensible to cold

11) She is very sensible to criticism, she starts crying.

Sugestões de resposta:

1) In the past he worked for a huge coporation. Nowadays he’s been looking for a job. (Outra opção: He’s currently looking for a job).

2) Today Brazil is trying to recover from a recession. We hope the companies stop having loss next year. (Outra opção: Brazil is currently trying to recover from a recession...)

3) We still keep a lot of customs from the Italians.

4) Many car factories have been decreasing sales volume. (Outras opções: Many car industries... / Many automakers...)

5) He is really strange, I don’t understand his behavior.

6) The earthquake caused incalculated damage.

7) Could you summarize the content of the course and share the most relevant ideas with us?

8) He occasionally drinks wine but never beer.

9) The team has occasionally reached the goals, they haven’t shown steady results along this year.

10) Some people’s teeth are very sensitive to cold

11) She is very sensitive to criticism, she starts crying.

Lígia Velozo Crispino, fundadora e sócia-diretora da Companhia de Idiomas e da ProfCerto. Autora do livro de poemas "Fora da Linha", é colunista dos portais RH.com e Vagas Profissões.