Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Faux Amis - Mensuel

While we're on the subject (a month later), mensuel always looks like menstrual to me, even though I've known forever that it means "monthly." And I tell myself every time I see it, "Sam, menstruel means menstrual, mensual just means once a month. Focus, Sam." That last part is something I add on to inner monologues often, and maybe you wouldn't be surprised to know how useful it is.
It's not really a false cognate. Menstruation does happen once a month...and you can call it your "monthly" or what have you. It's just very, very strange to hear someone use a word intending it to mean a monthly magazine and think of menstruation. Trust me, it is even stranger than it sounds in context.
Just think of all the contexts in which one might use "monthly" and how awkward it would be in those few seconds it takes you to tell yourself that it doesn't mean menstruation. Maybe you get together with friends for dinner once a month, maybe you have to pay your rent every month... trust me, it's not that often, but it's often enough to throw you off.
And it's only worse when you see things like this:
Another fun fact: I found out by doing a google image search for "mensuel" that there's a gay French magazine called "M. Mensuel."

French word:
mensuel
English equivalent:
monthly

This is probably the least faux of my faux amis, but it's been seriously bothering me, people.