Czech - Polish False Friends
In past Czech and Polish weren’t always so different. Actually, in the 10th century they were nearly the same language and till the 14th century Czechs and Poles had no problems with understanding each other.
Anyway, both are Slavic languages so some similarity is definitely still there. What makes it interesting is that there is a decent amount of words that sound (and sometimes even look) same but the meaning is very different.
The most classic example is the Polish word szukać (to search) which has been a subject of many Czech jokes. While in Polish you are innocently searching for something, Czech language knows the word šukat only as “to fuck”. A simple question like “Szukasz Karel?” can quickly become somewhat personal…
If you feel the nature’s call in Poland and ask for záchod (WC) in Czech, you’ll sooner end up in Germany before you find one because zachod means ‘west’ in Polish.
there’s of course more:
Polish: droga (road) Czech: droga (drug)
Czech: jahoda (strawberry) Polish: jagoda (blueberry)
Polish: chyba (maybe) Czech: chyba (mistake)
Czech: sklep (basement) Polish: sklep (shop, store)
Polish: ostatni (the last) Czech: ostatní (others)
Czech: pivnice (pub) Poliska: piwnica (basement)
Polish: opona (tire) Czech: opona (theatre curtain)
Czech: zápach (bad smell) Polish: zapach (aroma)
Polish: kwiecień (April) Czech: květen (May)
Czech: skutečný (real) Polish: skuteczny (successful)
Polish: ubikacja (WC) Czech: ubikace (quarters, barracks)
Czech: stan (tent) Polish: stan (state, situation, condition)
Polish: czerstwy (old, stale) Czech: čerstvý (fresh)
Czech: obecný (general) Polish: obecny (contemporary)
Polish: nieprzytomny (in unconsciousness) Czech: nepřítomný (absent)
more words can be found here
