# False friends for French speakers

> id: contrast.false-friends-fr · category: contrast · depth: standard · levels: B1 · review: internally_reviewed

**Summary.** Salir = sortir (pas salir!), subir = monter (pas subir), quitar = enlever (pas quitter), entender = comprendre, esperar = attendre ET espérer, demandar = poursuivre en justice (demander = pedir/preguntar).

Spanish and French share Latin roots, which makes them feel close — and plants false friends that trip up French speakers constantly. The classics: salir means 'to go out' (sortir), not 'to dirty' (that's ensuciar); subir means 'to go up' (monter), not 'to undergo' (sufrir, padecer); quitar means 'to remove' (enlever), not 'to leave' (quitter → dejar, irse de).

More high-frequency traps: entender = 'to understand' (comprendre), while entendre ('to hear') is oír; esperar covers both attendre and espérer; contestar = 'to answer' (répondre), not 'to contest'; demandar = 'to sue' (demander → pedir/preguntar); largo = 'long' (long), while 'wide' (large) is ancho; apellido = 'surname' (nom de famille).

A few more worth memorizing: constipado = 'having a cold' (enrhumé), not 'constipated' (estreñido); restar = 'to subtract' (rester → quedarse). The upside: actualmente really does mean 'currently', exactly like actuellement — one of the rare cases where the obvious guess is correct.

## Examples
- Salgo del trabajo a las seis y subo al tercer piso. — Je sors du travail à six heures et je monte au troisième étage.
- Espero el micro; espero que llegue pronto. — J'attends le bus ; j'espère qu'il arrive vite. *(esperar = attendre + espérer.)*
- Te espero abajo; no subas todavía. — Je t'attends en bas ; ne monte pas encore.

Related: contrast.false-friends-en

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