Mind the false friends
comentada em 19/02/2020 14:18

The English noun “compromise” has nothing to do with the Portuguese  noun “compromisso”, in the sense of “obrigação de caráter social”. “Compromise” means “concessão, entendimento, acordo ou conciliação”. The verb ”to compromise”  might mean “comprometer-se” although its far more common usage is “fazer acordo por meio de concessões”. To say “compromisso” in English use the terms “appointment” for scheduled date with a doctor, colleagues, etc.

Other related words often confused by Brazilian learners are:

Compromise = two sides agreeing on a solution; no winners or losers; as in “Making the kids share the cake was a good compromise to stop the fighting” or “One must learn to compromise in a business deal”

Commitment = pledge, promise; as in “His commitment to help the poor is admirable’ or “My friend couldn’t go to the concert because she had other commitments”

To learn vocabulary more efficiently and avoid falling in the trap of false cognates or "false friends" it is always advisable to set them in the context of a sentence and check the usual collocations, such as: to set/have/schedule an appointment; to reach/achieve/aim for a compromise.