False Friends: 15 Portuguese Words That Don't Mean What You Think

Portuguese and English share thousands of Latin cousins, which makes reading Portuguese surprisingly doable from day one. It also lays traps — words that look identical to English and mean something completely different. Linguists call them false friends. Learners call them embarrassing stories. Here are the fifteen that catch everyone.

The Door That Defeats Every Newcomer

Puxe — looks like "push". Means pull. It is written on half the doors in Portugal, and watching newcomers push against them is a quiet national entertainment. The push door says empurre. You will get this wrong at least once. Everyone does.

Health and Body Traps

Social Landmines

Places and Things

Time and Success

How to Actually Remember These

Do not memorise lists — collect stories. Push a puxe door once and you will never forget it. The faster route: practice with games that force you to choose meanings in context, which is exactly what the False Friends game in the Portugal Lifestyle Pro app does. It is one of our most-played games for a reason — five minutes a day and these traps become your favourite party tricks.