FALSE FRIEND: CARPET
20 / 03 / 2007
FALSE FRIEND: CARPET: meaning and examples
Good morning.
For the rest of the week, we are going to look at some common false friends (or false cognates). False friends are words that look the same in English and Spanish/Catalan, but don't have the same meaning, and therefore cause some confusion.
Today's word is: Carpet
It means: a thick natural or artificial fabric for covering floors or stairs.
Translation: moqueta
Notice that this has nothing to do with the Spanish/Catalan word carpeta. Carpeta is a folder in English.
Example 1:
Wow! The living room looks great with the new wall-to-wall carpet.
Example 2:
Have you seen my folder from work? It had all the papers related to our new client and tomorrow I have a meeting with them. I really have to find it!
There is also the word rug in English, which is a piece of carpet that covers a part of a floor. Rug would best be translated as alfombra (or catifa in Catalan).
Example 3:
I just bought a beautiful new Nanimarquina rug for the living room. It looks really nice in front of the fireplace.
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Enjoy your day.
