Dutch false friends: 25 words that don't mean what you think

Dutch and English are close relatives, so you'll recognise hundreds of words right away: water, hand, warm, appel. That's a huge advantage. But some words look familiar and mean something quite different. Call your Dutch colleague slim and they'll be pleased — it means clever. Ask for room and you'll get cream. These are false friends, and the solid ones below are worth learning on purpose so they don't catch you out.

The big list

Adjectives that describe people

These are the risky ones, because getting them wrong can sound like an insult or a strange compliment.

• Wat een slimme meid! — What a clever girl!
• Ze is heel slank. — She's very slim.
• Hij is erg brutaal tegen de leraar. — He's very cheeky to the teacher.
• De kinderen waren vandaag heel braaf. — The children were very good today.
• Het was dapper van je om dat te zeggen. — It was brave of you to say that.
• Je nieuwe collega is heel sympathiek. — Your new colleague is very likeable.
• Wat een rare vraag. — What a strange question.
• Ik ben bang voor honden. — I'm afraid of dogs.
• Wees niet zo stout! — Don't be so naughty!

Note rare: it's just the inflected form of raar before a noun (een rare man — a strange man), which makes it look even more like the English word. "Rare" in English is zeldzaam: een zeldzame vogel — a rare bird.

Pregnant is a formal word you'll meet mainly in writing: een pregnante samenvatting — a concise, meaningful summary. If someone is expecting a baby, she's zwanger.

Words for plans and time

Eventueel is one of the most common false friends in Dutch emails. It means "possibly" or "if needed", or "any" before a noun. It never means "eventually":

• Eventueel kunnen we morgen afspreken. — We could possibly meet tomorrow.
• Heeft u eventuele vragen? — Do you have any questions?
• Uiteindelijk heb ik de baan gekregen. — Eventually, I got the job.

Actueel means current or topical, as in news that's happening now:

• Dit is een heel actueel onderwerp. — This is a very topical subject.
• Wat is de werkelijke prijs? — What is the actual price?

And middag usually means the afternoon: vanmiddag (this afternoon), 's middags (in the afternoon). The idea of midday survives in phrases like tussen de middag (at lunchtime) and twaalf uur 's middags (noon).

Small words, big confusion

Wil comes from willen, "to want". It has nothing to do with the future. For "will", Dutch uses zullen or simply the present tense:

• Ik wil een koffie. — I want a coffee.
• Ik zal je morgen bellen. — I'll call you tomorrow.

Als means "if", "when" or "as", never "also" (that's ook):

• Als het mooi weer is, gaan we naar het strand. — If the weather's nice, we'll go to the beach.
• Hij werkt als kok. — He works as a cook.
• Ik spreek ook Duits. — I also speak German.

Door means "through" or "by" (in passive sentences), while the thing you open is de deur:

• We lopen door het park. — We walk through the park.
• Het boek is geschreven door mijn oma. — The book was written by my grandmother.
• Doe de deur dicht, alsjeblieft. — Close the door, please.

Bekomen is rare in speech but appears in two fixed phrases: Ik moet even van de schrik bekomen (I need a moment to recover from the shock) and the old-fashioned Wel bekome het je! (I hope you enjoy it / may it do you good). For "become", use worden: Hij wil arts worden. — He wants to become a doctor.

Everyday nouns

• Ik heb een cadeau voor je. — I have a present for you.
• Ze heeft een gift aan het goede doel gegeven. — She gave a donation to charity.
• Wat is jouw mening? — What's your opinion?
• Wat is de betekenis van dit woord? — What is the meaning of this word?
• Hoeveel kinderen heb je? — How many children do you have?
• Sla het bestand op in deze map. — Save the file in this folder.
• Heb je een kaart van de stad? — Do you have a map of the city?
• Wil je slagroom op je taart? — Do you want whipped cream on your cake?
• Ze draagt een lange rok. — She's wearing a long skirt.
• Mijn vader werkte in een fabriek. — My father worked in a factory.

Careful with gift: het gif means poison, so the trap runs both ways.

The last two in the table are English words with a Dutch life of their own. In a Dutch office, de beamer is the projector: Kun je de beamer aanzetten? — Can you turn on the projector? And een smoking is what you wear to a gala, not a habit.

Tip: When a Dutch word looks exactly like an English one, check it once in a dictionary before you use it in an important email. Most look-alikes really are friends, but it only takes one eventueel to confuse a reader.

Quick summary

• Personal adjectives: slim = clever, brutaal = cheeky, braaf = well-behaved, raar = strange, bang = afraid, sympathiek = likeable, stout = naughty.
• Eventueel = possibly / any; "eventually" = uiteindelijk. Actueel = topical; "actual" = werkelijk.
• Wil = want, not will. Als = if / when / as, not also. Door = through / by.
• Mening = opinion, gift = donation (gif = poison), kind = child, map = folder, room = cream, rok = skirt.
• Beamer = projector, smoking = tuxedo.

Practise it

Describe people with the right adjectives in Character, say what people wear in Clothes, and give your mening in Giving opinions. For more traps, see common mistakes and confusing word pairs.