False cognates
INGLÊS - PORTUGUÊS
Actually (adv) - na verdade ..., o fato é que ...
Agenda (n) - pauta do dia, pauta para discussões
Amass (v) - acumular, juntar
Anticipate (v) - prever; aguardar, ficar na expectativa
Application (n) - inscrição, registro, uso
Appointment (n) - hora marcada, compromisso profissional
Appreciation (n) - gratidão, reconhecimento
Argument (n) - discussão, bate boca
Assist (v) - ajudar, dar suporte
Assume (v) - presumir, aceitar como verdadeiro
Attend (v) - assistir, participar de
Audience (n) - platéia, público
Balcony (n) - sacada
Baton (n) - batuta (música), cacetete
Beef (n) - carne de gado
Cafeteria (n) - refeitório tipo universitário ou industrial
Camera (n) - máquina fotográfica
Carton (n) - caixa de papelão, pacote de cigarros (200)
Casualty (n) - baixas (mortes ocorridas em acidente ou guerra)
Cigar (n) - charuto
Collar (n) - gola, colarinho, coleira
College (n) - faculdade, ensino de 3º grau
Commodity (n) - artigo, mercadoria
Competition (n) - concorrência
Comprehensive (adj) - abrangente, amplo, extenso
Compromise (v) - entrar em acordo, fazer concessão
Contest (n) - competição, concurso
Convenient (adj) - prático
Costume (n) - fantasia (roupa)
Data (n) - dados (números, informações)
Deception (n) - logro, fraude, o ato de enganar
Defendant (n) - réu, acusado
Design (v, n) - projetar, criar; projeto, estilo
Editor (n) - redator
Educated (adj) - instruído, com alto grau de escolaridade
Emission (n) - descarga (de gases, etc.)
Enroll (v) - inscrever-se, alistar-se, registrar-se
Eventually (adv) - finalmente, conseqüentemente
Exciting (adj) - empolgante
Exit (n, v) - saída, sair
Expert (n) - especialista, perito
Exquisite (adj.) - belo, refinado
Fabric (n) - tecido
Genial (adj) - afável, aprazível
Graduate program (n) - Curso de pós-graduação
Gratuity (n) - gratificação, gorjeta
Grip (v) - agarrar firme
Hazard (n,v) - risco, arriscar
Idiom (n) - expressão idiomática, linguajar
Income tax return (n) - declaração de imposto de renda
Ingenuity (n) - engenhosidade
Injury (n) - ferimento
Inscription (n) - gravação em relevo (sobre pedra, metal, etc.)
Intend (v) - pretender, ter intenção
Intoxication (n) - embriaguez, efeito de drogas
Journal (n) - periódico, revista especializada
Lamp (n) - luminária
Large (adj) - grande, espaçoso
Lecture (n) - palestra, aula
Legend (n) - lenda
Library (n) - biblioteca
Lunch (n) - almoço
Magazine (n) - revista
Mayor (n) - prefeito
Medicine (n) - remédio, medicina
Moisture (n) - umidade
Motel (n) - hotel de beira de estrada
Notice (v) - notar, aperceber-se; aviso, comunicação
Novel (n) - romance
Office (n) - escritório
Parents (n) - pais
Particular (adj) - específico, exato
Pasta (n) - massa (alimento)
Policy (n) - política (diretrizes)
Port (n) - porto
Prejudice (n) - preconceito
Prescribe (v) - receitar
Preservative (n) - conservante
Pretend (v) - fingir
Private (adj) - particular
Procure (v) - conseguir, adquirir
Propaganda (n) - divulgação de idéias/fatos com intuito de manipular
Pull (v) - puxar
Push (v) - empurrar
Range (v) - variar, cobrir
Realize (v) - notar, dar-se conta, conceber uma idéia
Record (v, n) - gravar, disco, gravação, registro
Requirement (n) - requisito
Resume (v) - retomar, reiniciar
Résumé (n) - curriculum vitae, currículo
Retired (adj) - aposentado
Senior (n) - idoso
Service (n) - atendimento
Stranger (n) - desconhecido
Stupid (adj) - burro
Support (v) - apoiar
Tax (n) - imposto
Trainer (n) - preparador físico
Turn (n, v) - vez, volta, curva; virar, girar
Vegetables (n) - verduras, legumes Atualmente - nowadays, today
PORTUGUÊS - INGLÊS
Agenda - appointment book; agenda
Amassar - crush
Antecipar - to bring forward, to move forward
Aplicação (financeira) - investment
Apontamento - note
Apreciação - judgement
Argumento - reasoning, point
Assistir - to attend, to watch
Assumir - to take over
Atender - to help; to answer; to see, to examine
Audiência - court appearance; interview
Balcão - counter
Batom - lipstick
Bife - steak
Cafeteria - coffee shop, snack bar
Câmara - tube (de pneu) chamber (grupo de pessoas)
Cartão - card
Casualidade - chance
Cigarro - cigarette
Colar - necklace
Colégio (2º grau) - high school
Comodidade - comfort
Competição - contest
Compreensivo - understandable
Compromisso - appointment; date
Contexto - context
Conveniente - appropriate
Costume - custom, habit
Data - date
Decepção - disappointment
Advogado de defesa - defense attorney
Designar - to appoint
Editor - publisher
Educado - with a good upbringing, well-mannered, polite
Emissão - issuing (of a document, etc.)
Enrolar - to roll; to wind; to curl
Eventualmente - occasionally
Excitante - thrilling
Êxito - success
Esperto - smart, clever
Esquisito - strange, odd
Fábrica - plant, factory
Genial - brilliant
Curso de graduação - undergraduate program
Gratuidade - the quality of being free of charge
Gripe - cold, flu, influenza
Azar - bad luck
Idioma - language
Devolução de imposto de renda - income tax refund
Ingenuidade - naiveté / naivety
Injúria - insult
Inscrição - registration, application
Entender - understand
Intoxicação - poisoning
Jornal - newspaper
Lâmpada - light bulb
Largo - wide
Leitura - reading
Legenda - subtitle
Livraria - book shop
Lanche - snack
Magazine - department store
Maior - bigger
Medicina - medicine
Mistura - mix, mixture, blend
Motel - love motel
Notícia - news
Novela - soap opera
Oficial - official
Parentes - relatives
Particular - personal, private
Pasta - paste; folder; briefcase
Polícia - police
Porta - door
Prejuízo - damage, loss
Prescrever - expire
Preservativo - condom
Pretender - to intend, to plan
Privado - private
Procurar - to look for
Propaganda - advertisement, commercial
Pular - to jump
Puxar - to pull
Ranger - to creak, to grind
Realizar - to carry out, to accomplish
Recordar - to remember, to recall
Requerimento - request, petition
Resumir - summarize
Resumo - summary
Retirado - removed, secluded
Senhor - gentleman, sir
Serviço - job
Estrangeiro - foreigner
Estúpido - impolite, rude
Suportar (tolerar) - can stand
Taxa - rate; fee
Treinador - coach
Turno - shift; round
Vegetais - plants
More
engaged
noivo
it may mean the same thing as Portuguese "engajado", but commonly refers to someone who has a fiance(e).
relapse
recaída
nothing to do with the Portuguese word "relapso"
ponderous
pesado
nothing to do with the Portuguese verb "ponderar"
casement
batente de janela
nothing to do with the Poruguese word. "casamento"
sedulous
esforçado
nothing to do with the Portuguese word "sedutor"
brand
marca, tipo
nothing to do with Port. "brando", which is "bland" in English
conceal
ocultar
nothing to do with Port. "conselho", which is "council" in English
ecstatic
empolgado
nothing to do with Port. "estático", which is "static" in English
sensible
sensato
in English, "sensível" is "sensitive"
precarious
perigoso, inseguro
not equal to the Portuguese word "precário", which could be translated to "poor" in English
vile
vil
nothing to do with Port. "vila", which is "village" in English
trepidation
medo
not equal to the Portuguese word "trepidação"
fracas
briga barulhenta
nothing to do with Port. "fraca ou fraco"
extenuating
atenuando
not equal to the Portuguese word "extenuante", which is "strenuous (task)" in English
procure
obter, conseguir, alcançar
not equal to Port. "procurar"
deter
desencorajar, dissuadir
not equal to Port. "deter", which is "impede" or "stop" in English
mar
danificar, estragar
nothing to do with Port. "mar", which is "sea" in English
anthem
cântico
in English, "antena" is "antenna"
esoterica
coisas entendidas ou destinadas a um grupo seleto; assuntos ocultos
in English, it is a noun and the meaning is slightly different from the Portuguese word "esotérica", which is an adjective that would be better translated as "mystic" in English
ranger
guarda florestal
nothing to do with the Portuguese verb "ranger", which is "creak" in English
grit
brita
nothing to do with Port. "gritar", which is "scream" in English
dependable
confiável
in English, "dependente" is "dependent"
nave
cubo de roda; nave de igreja
not equal to Port. "nave", which is "ship" in English
baton
bastão
not equal to Port. "batom", which is "lipstick" in English
toque
tipo de chapéu sem aba parecido com boina
nothing to do with Port. "toque", which is "touch" in English
morose
carrancudo, mal-humorado
nothing to do with Port. "moroso", which is "slow" or "defaulting" in English
limp
mancar; vacilante, fraco, sem energia
nothing to do with Port. "limpo", which is "clean" in English
dote
estar caduco ou senil; ser louco por, idolatrar, amar cegamente
nothing to do with Port. "dote", which is "endow" in English
temper
temperamento
in English, "tempero" is "seasoning"
contempt
desprezo
in English, "contente" is "content"
chore
trabalho diário, obrigação
nothing to do with Port. "chorar", which is "cry" in Enlish
enervate
enfraquecer, debilitar
not equal to the Portuguese word "enervar", which is like "irritate" in English. In Portuguese, a poet can still use "enervar" meaning "enfraquecer", but the common use is as "irritate"
confident
confiante
in Portughese, "confidente" is someone to whom we tell a secret - in English the word is "confidant". One can still use English "confident" meaning "confidant", but it's not the common use
scrutiny
exame ou julgamento minucioso
in Portughese, "escrutínio" can mean the same thing, but usually means "votação ou apuração de votos", which is "election voting or ballot" in English
entree
prato principal
in a restaurant in the US, "entree" or "entrée" is the main course of a meal. In Brazil or in Europe, "entrée" is the appetizer (aperitivo ou entrada).
facility
rooms or areas used for a specific purpose
example: "The hotel has facilities for laundry, conferencing, and access for the disabled."
The word "facility" can also mean "facilidade", but is rarely used as such
In addition to false cognates, other words in English can be tricky when they are used with a meaning that is different from the usual one. Some examples:
China
jogo de pratos em porcelana
I use my china and glassware everyday.
helping
porção (de comida)
Give me another helping of ice cream please.
nice
preciso (em medidas, por exemplo)
This micrometer give nice measures.
hold
compartimento; perfuração
Drill a small hold in the front of the bird house.
long
desejar fortemente; sentir saudades
Jessica Lynch says she longs for normal life after she became a celebrity.
lead
chumbo
They didn't have the technology to produce as much lead as we do.
spell
significar, representar
That guy spells trouble.
viewing
velório
The viewing will be followed by a religious service at 1pm.
mass
missa
On Sunday I attended a Latin mass.
champion
pessoa/entidade que dá apoio ou patrocina
The HR department is championing that project.
anal
sistemático, obssessivo com detalhes
My boss is too anal about deadlines. ("Anal" is a common abbreviation for "anal retentive".)
ballpark
estimativa pouco precisa
I am ballparking a couple of hours to be done.
well
poço
The first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859.