False friends: pavement

The English word pavement sounds like “pavimento”, which is generally translated as “floor”. A pavement is a kind of outdoor floor paved with tiles or cement, or in Italy even with marble, and it’s often between the road and the buildings in a town or city. It’s also called a footpath, and in fact in Italian it’s generally translated as “marciapiede”. A pavement is often wider than a footpath though, and on it you can find the tables, chairs and umbrellas of a café, which in Italy is called a “bar” even if it’s primary function is providing coffee.

Foto di Gordon Chaffin su Unsplash