False friends are words in two languages that look or sound similar but have completely different meanings.

They are a natural part of learning Portuguese because English and Portuguese share many Latin roots.

Relying on these similarities can sometimes lead to awkward misunderstandings.

I’m going to explain the most common Portuguese false friends you need to watch out for.

Understanding these words will instantly improve your confidence when speaking to native speakers.

Pretender vs pretend

The Portuguese verb pretender looks exactly like the English word “pretend”.

However, pretender actually means to intend or to want to do something.

If you want to say “pretend” in Portuguese, you should use the verb fingir.

Atualmente vs actually

Many learners assume that atualmente means “actually”.

This word translates to “currently” or “nowadays” in English.

If you need to say “actually”, you should use the phrase na verdade or the word realmente.

Puxar vs push

This is arguably the most misleading false friend for English speakers.

You’ll see the word puxar written on doors all over Portugal and Brazil.

It looks like “push”, but it translates to “pull”.

If you need to push a door open, you must look for the word empurrar.

Êxito vs exit

Seeing the word êxito might make you think of a way out of a building.

In Portuguese, êxito means “success”.

When you’re looking for an exit sign, you need to find the word saída.

Assistir vs assist

The verb assistir can sometimes mean to help, but that’s rarely how it’s used in daily conversation.

Native speakers almost exclusively use assistir to mean “to watch”.

You’ll hear this verb used constantly when talking about watching television or a sports match.

To say “assist” or “help”, you should use the verb ajudar.

Esquisito vs exquisite

In English, calling something exquisite is a very high compliment.

In Portuguese, the word esquisito means “weird” or “strange”.

Calling a native speaker’s cooking esquisito will definitely offend them.

If you want to say something is exquisite, you can use the word requintado or simply delicioso for food.

Constipado vs constipated

This false friend shows up primarily in European Portuguese.

In Portugal, telling someone you’re constipado just means you have a common cold.

In Brazil, they prefer to use the word resfriado for a cold instead.

If you actually need to explain that you’re constipated, you should say prisão de ventre.

Summary of Portuguese false friends

Here’s a quick reference table to help you remember these tricky words.