une pension

A boarding house or guesthouse.

Alimony or child support payments.

Retirement (the state of being retired, not the payment itself).

This word can be confusing because in English, 'pension' can refer to a boarding house or a regular payment to a retired person. In French, 'une pension' primarily means a retirement pension or a boarding house, but context is key.

In French, 'une pension' most commonly refers to a retirement pension. If you mean a boarding house, you might hear 'une pension de famille' or simply 'une pension' in context. If you want to talk about a financial allowance for a child, you'd use 'une pension alimentaire'.

Elle touche une pension depuis qu'elle a pris sa retraite. (She receives a pension since she retired.)

Often confused with 'college' in English. 'Le lycée' is a high school, not a college or university.

In France, students attend 'le lycée' (high school) typically from ages 15-18. After 'le lycée', they might go to 'l'université' (university) or 'une grande école' (a selective higher education institution).

Mon frère va au lycée. (My brother goes to high school.)

Looks like 'actually' in English, but the meaning is different.

'Actuellement' means 'currently' or 'at present'. If you want to say 'actually', you would use 'en fait' or 'à vrai dire'.

Actuellement, je travaille sur un nouveau projet. (Currently, I'm working on a new project.)

Many English speakers confuse this with 'library'.

'Une librairie' is a bookstore where you buy books. 'Une bibliothèque' is a library where you borrow books.

J'ai acheté un nouveau livre à la librairie. (I bought a new book at the bookstore.)

Often confused with 'to assist' in English.

'Assister à' means 'to attend' (an event, a class, a meeting). If you want to say 'to assist' or 'to help', you would use 'aider'.

J'ai assisté à la réunion hier. (I attended the meeting yesterday.)