Assister vs Assist
Assister à nearly always means to attend something: J'ai
assisté à la conférence - I attended (went to) the conference.
To assist means to help or aid someone or something: I
assisted the woman into the building - J'ai aidé la dame à entrer dans
l'immeuble.
Attendre vs Attend
Attendre à means to wait for: Nous avons attendu pendant
deux heures - We waited for two hours. To attend is translated by assister (see
above): I attended the conference - J'ai assisté à la conférence.
Avertissement vs Advertisement
Un avertissement is a warning or caution, from the verb
avertir - to warn.
An advertisement is une publicité, une réclame, or un spot
publicitaire.
Blesser vs Bless
Blesser means to wound, injure, or offend, while to bless
means bénir.
Bras vs Bras
Le bras refers to an arm; bras in English is the plural of
bra - un soutien-gorge.
Caractère vs Character
Caractère refers only to the character or temperament of a
person or thing: Cette maison a du caractère - This house has character.
Character can mean both nature/temperament as well as a
person in a play: Education develops character - L'éducation développe le caractère.
Cent vs Cent
Cent is the French word for a hundred, while cent in English
can be figuratively translated by un sou. Literally, it is one hundredth of a
dollar.
Chair vs Chair
La chair means flesh. A chair can refer to une chaise, un
fauteuil (armchair), or un siège (seat).
Chance vs Chance
La chance means luck, while chance in English refers to un
hasard, une possibilité, or une occasion. To say "I didn't have a chance
to..." see Occasion vs Occasion, below.
Christian vs Christian
Christian is a masculine French name while Christian in
English can be an adjective or a noun: (un) chrétien.
Coin vs Coin
Le coin refers to a corner in every sense of the English
word. It can also be used figuratively to mean from the area: l'épicier du coin
- the local grocer, Vous êtes du coin ? - Are you from around here?
A coin is a piece of metal used as money - une pièce de
monnaie.
Collège vs College
Le collège and le lycée both refer to high school: Mon
collège a 1 000 élèves - My high school has 1,000 students.
College is translated by université: This college's tuition
is very expensive - Les frais de scolarité à cette université sont très élevés.
