Every January, executives and lawyers around the world make resolutions to be clearer, more persuasive, and more credible in English. Yet many of the most damaging communication risks do not come from complex grammar or specialist vocabulary—but from words that feel reassuringly familiar.
These so-called false friends (faux amis)—English words that resemble French but carry a different meaning—are particularly dangerous for French professionals operating in international environments. They slip unnoticed into emails, contracts, board presentations, and conference calls. Worse, they often sound confident, even when they are wrong.
As a New Year’s resolution, it may be time to cut ties with a few of these fake linguistic pals. What follows is a short, curated list of the ten most risky English–French false friends for lawyers and executives—ranked not by how common they are, but by how much damage they can do.
The Top 10 Most Dangerous False Friends for French Executives and Lawyers
- Eventually / Éventuellement
Why it’s dangerous: It transforms possibility into certainty.
- English: eventually = in the end, inevitably
- French: éventuellement = possibly
What not to say: “This issue will eventually be resolved”
(To an English speaker, this sounds like a promise—not a hypothesis.)
Risk: Over-commitment, misleading timelines, legal exposure.
What to say instead: This issue may be resolved./This issue could be resolved in the future.
- Actually / Actuellement
Why it’s dangerous: It reverses the speaker’s intention.
- English: actually = in fact
- French: actuellement = currently
What not to say: “Actually, we are compliant”
(This sounds corrective or even contradictory, not temporal.)
Risk: Confusion in reporting, loss of credibility.
What to say instead:Currently, we are compliant with the regulation.
- To Realize / Réaliser
Why it’s dangerous: It weakens claims of delivery.
- English: to realize = to become aware
- French: réaliser = to carry out, execute
What not to say: “We realized the transaction”
(An English speaker may hear awareness, not execution.)
Risk: Undermining performance statements.
What to say instead:We completed the transaction last year./We executed the transaction last year.
- A Delay / Un Délai
Why it’s dangerous: Time frame vs lateness.
- English: delay = something is late
- French: délai = deadline or period
What not to say: “The delay is two weeks”
(Is this a deadline—or a problem?)
Risk: Contractual ambiguity.
What to say instead:The deadline is in two weeks./There is a two-week delay.
- To Assist / Assister
Why it’s dangerous: Presence vs responsibility.
- English: to assist = to help
- French: assister à = to attend
What not to say: “I assisted the meeting”
(Sounds like active involvement, not attendance.)
Risk: Accountability confusion.
What to say instead: I attended the board meeting.
- Important / Important
Why it’s dangerous: Size vs significance.
- English: important = significant
- French: important = significant or large
What not to say: “An important amount”
(Vague or incorrect in English legal or financial writing.)
Risk: Imprecision in financial communication.
What to say instead: This represents a significant amount./This represents a substantial amount.
- To Control / Contrôler
Why it’s dangerous: Authority vs verification.
- English: to control = to command
- French: contrôler = to check, monitor
What not to say: “We control the process”
(May sound authoritarian or misleading.)
Risk: Cultural misinterpretation.
What to say instead: We monitor compliance processes./We review compliance processes.
- To Engage / Engager
Why it’s dangerous: Hiring vs commitment.
- English: to engage = involve, commit
- French: engager = hire
What not to say: “We engaged external counsel”
(Does this mean retained, consulted, or merely involved?)
Risk: Legal and procurement ambiguity.
What to say instead: We retained external counsel./We instructed external counsel.
- Global / Global
Why it’s dangerous: Worldwide vs overall.
- English: global = international
- French: global = overall
What not to say: “Our global analysis”
(May suggest international scope where none exists.)
Risk: Strategic misunderstanding.
What to say instead: This is an overall analysis of the issue.
- A Collaborator / Collaborateur
Why it’s dangerous: Cultural and historical resonance.
- English: collaborator can sound political or negative
- French: collaborateur = colleague
What not to say: “Our collaborators worked on this matter”
Risk: Tone and reputational issues.
What to say instead:Our colleagues worked on this matter./Our team members worked on this matter.
A New Year’s Resolution Worth Keeping
False friends are deceptive because they feel safe. They borrow familiarity from French while quietly changing meaning in English. For lawyers and executives, this is not a linguistic detail—it is a risk management issue.This year, a simple but powerful resolution would be to pause when a word feels too easy, familiar and comfortable. Often, that is precisely where the danger lies.
While breaking up with false friends can be difficult, painful even, in international business and law, it is one of the clearest ways to sound more precise, more credible, and ultimately more trustworthy.
Just as in everyday life, false friends are not only a drain on our time and energy, they can also be treacherous and cause harm. So, let’s be more mindful of these in the future, shall we? If the goal is to lead a more meaningful existence, we will be better off without them, n’est-ce pas?
