False friendFood & Body
Dutch
Beer
Meaning: Actually means 'bear'. The drink you order is een bier.
Looks like: Beer (the drink)
Origin: A separate Germanic word from bier, 'beer' — Dutch keeps the two apart in sound; English spells them bear and beer.
More Dutch false friends
- Big Actually means 'piglet'. For big, say groot.
- Kind Actually means 'child'. For kind (nice), say aardig or vriendelijk.
- Wet Actually means 'law'. For wet, say nat.
- Elf Actually means 'eleven'. Elf uur = eleven o'clock.
- Brutaal Actually means 'cheeky' or 'impudent'. For brutal, say wreed or bruut.
- Mening Actually means 'opinion'. Mijn mening = my opinion. The meaning of a word is its betekeni…
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- Iets onder de knie hebben To have mastered a skill.
- Met de neus in de boter vallen To arrive at exactly the right, lucky moment.
- Het regent pijpenstelen It is raining very heavily.
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