Today we’ll look at the French faux ami (false cognate) la librairie, which translates to bookstore or bookshop. Many students commonly confuse la librairie with la bibliothèque, which means “library” in English.
la librairie
bookstore, bookshop
La Librairie – bookstore, bookshop
Example sentences
Où vas-tu cet après-midi ? – Je vais à la librairie pour acheter un livre.
Where are you going this afternoon? – I’m doing to the bookstore to buy a book.
This second example sentences contrasts la librairie with la bibliothèque.
Les jeunes étudiants passent des heures à la bibliothèque avant leurs examens.
The young students spend hours at the library before their exams.
Grammar notes
- Pour (for) has many usages in French. Pour + infinitive means “to” or “in order to”. Hence, pour acheter can translate to “to buy” or “in order to buy”.
- Où vas-tu (where are you going?) is an example of the inversion formate for asking questions.
- The verb passer (to pass) has a wide range of usages, one of which is to spend time. Hence, passer des heures (to spend hours).
More false cognates
- Sensible – sensitive
- Préservatif – condom
- L’occasion – opportunity, chance
- La location – rental
- Bosser – to work hard
Word of the Day Lessons | Lessons by David Issokson
