contrôler

Contrôler has two common, distinct senses: to control (contrôler la situation, contrôler ses émotions) and to check or inspect (contrôler les billets, contrôler l'identité de quelqu'un) — the second sense is a classic false-friend trap, since it doesn't always mean "control" the way English speakers expect.

• Le contrôleur a contrôlé nos billets dans le train. — The conductor checked our tickets on the train.
• Elle a du mal à contrôler ses émotions. — She has trouble controlling her emotions.
• La police a contrôlé son identité. — The police checked his ID.

Contrôler often means "to check/inspect," not just "to control" — un contrôle d'identité is an ID check, not an act of controlling someone; missing this sense is a common false-friend error, and it's also at the center of an ongoing French debate over contrôle au faciès (discriminatory identity checks).

• politics Contrôle au faciès — Verified: contrôle au faciès (identity checks based on perceived ethnicity) is a well-documented, ongoing controversy in France — acknowledged by the French president in 2020 and the subject of a landmark discrimination lawsuit against the state.