False cognates are words that look the same in two languages but mean different things. In a casual conversation, a slip like this becomes a joke. In a job interview, it can cost you the position — not because the recruiter is unforgiving, but because the sentence you said meant something else, and they have no way of guessing your intention.

These are the ones that come up most often in professional settings, in the order I usually see them in class. They trip up Portuguese speakers — and many of them catch Spanish speakers too.

Pretend does not mean “pretender”

Pretend means to fake. When a candidate says I pretend to grow in this company, they are saying they are faking wanting to grow there. The right word is intend, or simply I plan to.

Actually does not mean “atualmente”

Actually means “in fact”, and it usually corrects what was said before. For “currently”, use currently. The difference matters: Actually, I work at... sounds as if you were contradicting the interviewer.

Assist does not mean “assistir”

Assist means to help. Watching or attending a presentation is attend or watch. “I assisted the conference” says you provided assistance to the event, which is a much bigger claim than you intended to make.

Support does not mean “suportar”

Support means to back or help. To put up with something is put up with or tolerate. Saying I support pressure well sounds ambiguous; what you mean is I work well under pressure.

Push does not mean “puxar”

It seems trivial, but it shows up in project descriptions: push means to push away, pull means to pull toward you. Mixing them up in a technical explanation reverses the meaning of the whole sentence.

College does not mean “colégio”

In the United States, college means higher education. A Brazilian “colégio” is high school. A candidate who says they finished college at seventeen creates immediate confusion about their résumé.

Eventually does not mean “eventualmente”

Eventually means “in the end” or “sooner or later”. For “occasionally”, use occasionally. Saying I eventually lead meetings claims you will end up leading meetings someday — not that you lead them from time to time.

Why the list alone is not enough

Memorizing seven pairs helps little under pressure. In an interview, the brain falls back on autopilot, and autopilot is your native language. What changes the outcome is practicing your answers out loud, in the real interview format, with someone correcting you on the spot — until the correct form is the one that comes out on its own.