Learn about some Dutch-English false friends
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| Michael: What are some Dutch-English false friends? |
| Atie: And what are some words that are often used incorrectly? |
| Michael: At DutchPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Mia Martin, an exchange student, tells her friend, Stefanie Swinkels, about her day. She says, |
| "I read an interesting warehouse yesterday." |
| Mia Martin: Ik las gister een interessant magazijn. |
| Dialogue |
| Mia Martin: Ik las gister een interessant magazijn. |
| Stefanie Swinkels: Bedoel je soms een tijdschrift? |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Mia Martin: Ik las gister een interessant magazijn. |
| Michael: "I read an interesting warehouse yesterday." |
| Stefanie Swinkels: Bedoel je soms een tijdschrift? |
| Michael: "Do you mean a magazine?" |
Lesson focus |
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| Michael: In the conversation, we hear Mia Martin mistakenly say, |
| Atie: Ik las gister een interessant magazijn. |
| Michael: which means, "I read an interesting warehouse yesterday." |
| Michael: In response, her friend, Stefanie, tries to clarify by asking, |
| Atie: Bedoel je soms een tijdschrift? |
| Michael: "Do you mean magazine?" |
| Michael: This little misunderstanding is the result of a false friend, or false cognate, between Dutch and English. Upon hearing the word |
| Atie: magazijn, |
| Michael: a native English speaker might assume it's a cognate for "magazine." However, the real translation is actually "warehouse." |
| Michael: As you progress in your Dutch studies, you are likely to run into many "cognates." These are words that appear similar between two languages, and do, in fact, have the same or very similar meanings. Be careful, though: You'll also find many "false friends" between Dutch and English. "False friends" are words that appear to be cognates, but actually have completely different meanings. |
| Michael: In addition to the word for warehouse, another example can be seen in the Dutch word |
| Atie: slim. |
| Mchael: While it seems identical to the English word "slim," in Dutch, the meaning is "smart" or "clever." As a final example, consider the word |
| Atie: map. |
| Michael: Though you may feel that it must be the same as the English word "map," in Dutch, it actually translates as "file" or "folder." |
| Michael: While studying Dutch, you're likely to encounter many Dutch-English cognates. However, make it a point to remember that there are also false friends—so that you're not accidentally talking about reading a "warehouse" while in the waiting room of a doctor's office, or assuming that someone's calling you "slim" when they're really complimenting you on your wit or intelligence. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation: Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as the native speaker models the correct answer. Repeat after her, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "I read an interesting warehouse yesterday." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Atie: Ik las gister een interessant magazijn. |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Atie: Ik las gister een interessant magazijn. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Atie: Ik las gister een interessant magazijn. |
| Michael: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "Do you mean a magazine?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Atie: Bedoel je soms een tijdschrift? |
| Michael: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Atie: Bedoel je soms een tijdschrift? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Atie: Bedoel je soms een tijdschrift? |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion (Optional) |
| Michael: Here are a few more examples of Dutch-English false friends. |
| The word "dapper" means "neatly dressed" or "stylish" in English, but means "brave" in Dutch: |
| Atie: dapper. |
| Michael: Furthermore, in Dutch, a "rooster" is not an animal. It can mean either "schedule" or "grill" |
| Atie: rooster. |
| Michael: Lastly, in English, a "mug" is something you drink from, but, in Dutch, it means "mosquito" |
| Atie: mug. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Atie: Doei! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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