French vs Italian: 300 Words That Are Nearly Identical

French and Italian share a great deal of vocabulary because both developed from Latin. If you already know one, the other often looks less like a new language than a light disguise over words you can already half-read.

This page lines up French and Italian words with the same English meaning, side by side, where the two forms are identical or differ by only a letter or two. Reading them as patterns rather than isolated items makes the whole group easier to remember.

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French vs Italian: 300 Words That Are Nearly Identical: the list

#EnglishFrenchItalian
1to come venir venire
2to take prendre prendere
3time temps tempo
4good bon buon
5agreement accord accordo
6to wait attendre attendere
7world monde mondo
8to lose perdre perdere
9to live vivre vivere
10to understand comprendre comprendere
11to leave partir partire
12to serve servir servire
13case cas caso
14father padre padre
15to finish finir finire
16beautiful belle bello
17end fin fine
18continue continuer continuare
19to sleep dormir dormire
20problem problème problema
21to promise promettre promettere
22to lie mentir mentire
23war guerre guerra
24difficult difficile difficile
25captain capitaine capitano
26to learn apprendre apprendere
27door porte porta
28movie film film
29problems problèmes problemi
30truth vérité verità
31easy facile facile
32to sell vendre vendere
33kind gentil gentile
34hard dur duro
35body corps corpus
36important importante importante
37stupid stupide stupido
38feet pieds piedi
39pope pape papa
40to allow permettre permettere
41to prepare préparer preparare
42to act agir agire
43to present présenter presentare
44to offer offrir offrire
45number numéro numero
46car auto auto
47sky ciel cielo
48party fiesta festa
49list liste lista
50apartment appartement appartamento
51interesting intéressant interessante
52mandate mandat mandato
53center centre centro
54pair pair paio
55future futur futuro
56finally finalement finalmente
57company compagnie compagnia
58sad triste triste
59present présent presente
60decide décider decidere
61control contrôle controllo
62decision décision decisione
63intelligent intelligent intelligente
64foot pied piede
65to prefer préférer preferire
66to interest intéresser interessare
67special spéciale speciale
68moon lune luna
69manner manière maniera
70president président presidente
71responsible responsable responsabile
72normal normale normale
73wine vin vino
74to fight combattre combattere
75revision révision revisione
76useless inutile inutile
77to build construire costruire
78blue bleu blu
79opportunity occasion occasione
80operation opération operazione
81north nord nord
82sergeant sergent sergente
83necessary nécessaire necessario
84to admit admettre ammettere
85bomb bombe bomba
86enormous énorme enorme
87customers clients clienti
88south sud sud
89difference différence differenza
90sexy sexy sexy
91pressure pression pressione
92excellent excellent eccellente
93series série serie
94immediately immédiatement immediatamente
95career carrière carriera
96names noms nomi
97general générale generale
98scene scène scena
99weapon arme arma
100society société società
101wind vent vento
102destiny destin destino
103truck camion camion
104contract contrat contratto
105to depend dépendre dipendere
106brain cervelle cervello
107freedom liberté libertà
108completely complètement completamente
109court tribunal tribunale
110soldier soldat soldato
111break pause pausa
112proud fier fiero
113bridge pont ponte
114program programme programma
115to belong appartenir appartenere
116useful utile utile
117soldiers soldats soldati
118american américain americano
119genius génie genio
120magic magie magia
121possibility possibilité possibilità
122results résultats risultati
123period période periodo
124to convince convaincre convincere
125to break rompre rompere
126demon démon demone
127park parc parco
128corpse cadavre cadavere
129thread fil filo
130crisis crise crisi
131nurse infirmière infermiera
132visit visite visita
133wall mur muro
134mountain montagne montagna
135university université università
136fast or quick rapide rapido
137cigarette cigarette sigaretta
138animal animal animale
139adult adulte adulto
140minister ministre ministro
141totally totalement totalmente
142universe univers universo
143class classe classe
144to accompany accompagner accompagnare
145alcohol alcool alcol
146paradise paradis paradiso
147defend défendre difendere
148owner propriétaire proprietario
149member membre membro
150to entertain divertir divertire
151laboratory laboratoire laboratorio
152pure pur puro
153airport aéroport aeroporto
154shot tir tiro
155fashion mode moda
156brilliant brillant brillante
157rope corde corda
158adorable adorable adorabile
159assistant assistante assistente
160to direct diriger dirigere
161central centrale centrale
162identity identité identità
163west ouest ovest
164energy énergie energia
165sensation sensation sensazione
166easily facilement facilmente
167creature créature creatura
168ambulance ambulance ambulanza
169mass messe messa
170professional professionnel professionale
171alarm alarme allarme
172innocent innocent innocente
173behavior comportement comportamento
174national nationale nazionale
175low basse basso
176result résultat risultato
177deep profond profondo
178vampire vampire vampiro
179promise promesse promessa
180quickly rapidement rapidamente
181guide guide guida
182uniform uniforme uniforme
183snake serpent serpente
184cell cellule cellula
185data data dati
186swimming pool piscine piscina
187artist artiste artista
188eliminate éliminer eliminare
189to translate traduire tradurre
190french française francese
191will volonté volontà
192property propriété proprietà
193complete complète completo
194champagne champagne champagne
195adventure aventure avventura
196lover amant amante
197military militaire militari
198garage garage garage
199funds fonds fondi
200to invent inventer inventare
201gesture geste gesto
202serious grave grave
203precise précis preciso
204to suggest suggérer suggerire
205confused confus confuso
206responsibility responsabilité responsabilità
207passion passion passione
208attempt tentative tentativo
209reputation réputation reputazione
210conference conférence conferenza
211federal fédérale federale
212technology technologie tecnologia
213pension pension pensione
214ceremony cérémonie cerimonia
215natural naturelle naturale
216commissioner commissaire commissario
217noble noble nobile
218to contain contenir contenere
219quality qualité qualità
220ideal idéal ideale
221monday lundi lunedì
222to correspond correspondre corrispondere
223profile profil profilo
224coincidence coïncidence coincidenza
225to proceed procéder procedere
226gang gang gang
227interests intérêts interessi
228to produce produire produrre
229sacrifice sacrifice sacrificio
230to conclude conclure concludere
231television télévision televisione
232pub pub pub
233warrior guerrier guerriero
234different différents differenti
235sandwich sandwich sandwich
236available disponible disponibile
237golf golf golf
238honey miel miele
239to question or to interrogate interroger interrogare
240decisions décisions decisioni
241wide large larga
242tradition tradition tradizione
243cream crème crema
244museum musée museo
245aggression agression aggressione
246tunnel tunnel tunnel
247violent violent violento
248dragon dragon drago
249superior supérieure superiore
250sincere sincère sincero
251emission émission emissione
252tube tube tubo
253procedure procédure procedura
254passport passeport passaporto
255belly ventre ventre
256popular populaire popolare
257faithful fidèle fedele
258original originale originale
259alibi alibi alibi
260to land atterrir atterrare
261recent récent recente
262doors portes porte
263sincerely sincèrement sinceramente
264to guarantee garantir garantire
265impressive impressionnant impressionante
266zombie zombie zombie
267territory territoire territorio
268junior junior júnior
269normally normalement normalmente
270origin origine origine
271interrogation interrogatoire interrogatorio
272actress actrice attrice
273cabin cabine cabina
274exciting excitant eccitante
275delicate délicat delicato
276free gratuit gratuito
277familiar familier familiare
278pig porc porco
279baseball baseball baseball
280selfish égoïste egoista
281deeply profondément profondamente
282to surprise surprendre sorprendere
283beard barbe barba
284accomplice complice complice
285bombs bombes bombe
286progress progrès progressi
287protocol protocole protocollo
288education éducation educazione
289temperature température temperatura
290battery batterie batteria
291to express exprimer esprimere
292strategy stratégie strategia
293ministry ministère ministero
294mail post posta
295shock choc choc
296poetry poésie poesia
297punishment punition punizione
298character caractère carattere
299incapable incapable incapace
300lands terres terre

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Are these pairs true cognates, or just similar-looking words?

The pairs shown share the same English meaning on both sides, such as guerre/guerra for war and problème/problema for problem. The spellings are close because the words come from a common Latin root.

I already know French. Will this help me pick up Italian faster?

It can. Once you notice patterns such as French -re verbs matching Italian -ere verbs (attendre/attendere, comprendre/comprendere), you can often predict the Italian form before you have ever seen it written.

How do I practise these on Vocab Voyage?

You see an English prompt and type the French word from memory, and spaced repetition brings back the ones you find shaky. Accents are forgiven, so you can focus on the word rather than on perfect typing.

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