It would be great if we could compile a list of words common not only to Czech and English but to other languages people on the boards might have knowledge of as well. artritida = arthritis akademický Asertivní Alergický (allergic) blábolit = babbling bio = organic food blok = block.. I'm not sure in what sense however chaos = chaos cenzurován = censorship desinfekční = antiseptic or disinfectant detail = detail dilema = dilemma elegantní ´= elegant evakuace ´= evacuation editor ´= editor faktor = factor faul = foul grafity = graffiti génius = genius hymna = hymn or anthem horizont = horizon historický = historic hybrid - hybrid Komplex (is as in complicated or as in he has a complex about...) Kánoe ´= canoe Kanál = canal kategorie ´= categories Kan´on = canyon Injekce (injection) infekce ´= infection ironický = ironic ignorovat = to ignore mania maniak manévr ´= manoeuvre medicína ´= medicine navigační = navigation nobl = noble .. but derogatory I think nervozni = nervous.. again not sure of what connotations it shares kombinace (combine / match ) krize = crisis kosmopolitní = cosmopolitan kolega = college logo = logo publikovat (publish) rytmus = rhythm raft = raft trik (tricks) talent = talent typ (type) tendenci ´= tendency tolerovat = tolerate technika = technique oceán = ocean optimistický operace (operation/surgery) pesimistický panikařit pacient ´= pacient Stabilní (stable) slang = slang reakce = reaction or response recyklovat = recycle strategy (strategie) simulátor = simulator sum = suma vagon = wagon vandal = vandal virus = virus hope this list is helpful and people could ad to it, i've painstakingly compiled it using a dictionary so it shouldn't be infringing any copyrights sorry I'm not gifted with the Czech keyboard yet, also if any of these are not standard Czech words that'd be good to know! I know a few words that are similar but am not sure of the Czech form: Empathy Symbiotic
Such a plan/plán would be a complex/komplexní project/projekt, due to the large sum/suma of such words.
atom atomický best seller(as in book) auto automatický energie energetický chemický..chemical prezident film data radio televize katedrála..cathedral čokoláda....chocolate
Sova is right, only the list of words of Latin or Greek origin shared by all the European languages is very extensive.
I have a dictionary "Zrádná slova v angličtině" = "Deceiving words in English" On 187 pages it lists words, which have similar spelling or pronunciation in czech and english, but different meaning 8)
Just a few: defilé - 1 march-past 2 procession defile - soutěska dekáda - period of ten days decade - desetiletí demise - resignation demise - 1 smrt, 2 konec deska - 1 board, 2 plaque, 3 record 4 plate desk - 1 psací stůl, 2 oddělení Mostly the meaning is similar, but wider or narrower in one of the langauges 8)
I can add this... 'defile' in english, as a noun, is never used, at least not commonly. I've never heard it. It is used as a verb...znesvětit
I don't really know if this is relevant to this post but one word that is spelt exactly the same in both Czech and English but has a completely different meaning (and pronunciation) is 'angina'. I remember being very concerned when one of my Czech friends told me that she had had a bad attack of 'angina' over the holidays only to find out that she had a sore throat and not heart problems. (As a little footnote though, I have just found out that it wasn't until the 18th Century that angina (pectoris) started to refer to the heart and that before it also just meant a throat infection.)
It is used as a noun, but it is more of a literary usage. I see this word all the time in novels. From Merriam-Webster: defile: (noun) a narrow passage or gorge
I've only ever heard it as a verb.. meaning to damage I found out that 'faul' only works in football!
yeah, they are called "false friends" by high school english teachers, but does anybody know what the proper term is?
I believe the proper term is false friends: False friends on Wikipedia False friends Oxford Dictionary entry (#2)
Uh huh. And yet in all EFL books its always written in inverted commas, as if there was some alternative.
Little offtopic but stil interesting: http://is.muni.cz/th/152725/pedf_b/bakalarska_prace.pdf about slang and derivation of words from other languages..
Thanks, kibicz. Very interesting. I've learned from it that the word 'slang' probably came from "soldiers' language". I never knew that!