Cognates and false friends
What Cognates and false friends means in Italian GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Cognates and false friends
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Cognates and false friends in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
Recognising common spelling patterns between English and Italian, such as the English '-ph-' changing to '-f-', can help you deduce the meaning of unfamiliar Italian nouns.
Recognising common patterns between Italian and English is a highly effective strategy for expanding your vocabulary and deducing the meaning of unfamiliar words.
English 'geography' translates to 'geografia' and 'pharmacy' becomes 'farmacia', showing how word endings translate between the two languages.
Recognising structural similarity between English and Italian allows students to decode complex Italian verbs in reading and listening exams.
Recognising the '-pt-' to '-tt-' shift allows you to identify English cognates when reading or listening to Italian.
Not every English word ending in '-nt' translates this way, for example 'plant' is 'pianta', not 'plante'.
Topics that use Cognates and false friends
Related terms
- Adjectival agreement
- Adjective agreement
- Cognates
- Cognates and language patterns
- Cognates and near-cognates
- Cognates and patterns
- Consonant assimilation
- Consonant cluster simplification
Using Cognates and false friends in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Italian questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge