French vocabulary (see French Vocabulary) is genuinely easier for English speakers than most languages — but that same overlap creates a specific trap worth guarding against deliberately.
Whenever you learn a French word that looks like an English word, actively check whether it's a genuine cognate or a false friend (actuellement ≠ actually, librairie ≠ library) — a dedicated running list prevents these from quietly becoming ingrained mistakes.
Where French and English share genuine Latin-root cognates (especially in formal or technical vocabulary), actively recognize and use this overlap rather than re-learning words you effectively already know.
Common, everyday French words are less likely to have obvious English cognates than formal vocabulary — don't assume the "easy overlap" extends evenly to basic, everyday words.
Since French nouns are masculine or feminine with no neuter, attach gender the moment you learn a new word — retrofitting it later is much harder.
See also the reference page: French Vocabulary.
Keeping a dedicated, growing list of false friends as you encounter them, rather than assuming a familiar-looking French word means what it looks like it means.
For formal and technical vocabulary, genuine cognates are a real, usable shortcut — but don't assume this overlap extends evenly to everyday, common vocabulary, which is less likely to have obvious cognates.
Generally no — common, everyday words are less likely to have obvious English cognates than more formal or technical vocabulary, so they deserve dedicated study rather than assumed familiarity.
Always with gender attached from the very first encounter — retrofitting gender onto vocabulary you already "know" is much harder than building it in from day one.