"Jarra" and "Jar"
False friends, falso cognatos, are pairs of words in two different languages that look the same, or sound the same but have different meanings. For example, in English the word actual means in fact, real, but in Portuguese the word atual means up-to-date, current.
There are many reasons why this happens: common roots may cause words to look the same, but immigration, literature and traditions can produce from major to minor changes in the meaning of words that one shared the same origin.
Here’s a list of some commons false friends in English and Portuguese.
| English | Portuguese | Meaning in Portuguese | English False Friend in Portuguese |
| amass | amassar | to crush | amass = acumular |
| application | aplicação | financial investment | application = aplicativo |
| assist | assistir | to watch | to assist = ajudar |
| assume | assumir | to take over | to assume = presumir |
| balcony | balcão | counter (in a bar) | balcony = terraço |
| collar | colar | necklace, to glue | collar = gola, colarinho |
| dent | dente | tooth | dent = amassado, batida |
| editor | editor | publisher | editor = redator |
| fabric | fábrica | factory | fabric = tecido |
| grip | gripe | the flu | to grip = agarrar |
| injury | injúria | insult | injury = ferida |
| jar | jarra | jug | jar = pote |
| library | livraria | bookshop | library = biblioteca |
| notice | notícia | news | to notice = perceber |
| parents | parentes | relatives | parents = pais |
| pasta | pasta | folder | pasta = massa, macarrão |
| pretend | pretender | to intend | pretend = fingir |
| pull | pular | to jump | pull = puxar |
| push | puxar | to pull | push = empurrar |
| support | suportar | to withstand | support = apoiar |
| tax | taxa | fee | tax = imposto |