Frokost

Meaning: Actually means 'breakfast'. In Danish the same word means 'lunch' — so a cross-border invitation can cost you a meal.

Language: Norwegian

Literally: Danish frokost (lunch)

Category: Food & Body

Origin: One compound, two neighbouring languages, two different meals; Norwegian lunch is lunsj.

More false friends — Food & Body

• Constipado — Actually means 'having a head cold'. Estoy constipado = I have a cold.
• Pain — Actually means 'bread'. The hurting kind of pain is la douleur.
• Caldo — Actually means 'hot' (or a hot broth). Cold is freddo.
• Blesser — Actually means 'to wound' or 'to injure'. Je suis blessé = I am injured — not blessed.
• Glass — Actually means 'ice cream'. En glass = an ice cream. For a glass (vessel), say ett glas.
• Polvo — Actually means 'octopus'. For powder, say pó.

More Norwegian false friends

• Full — Actually means 'drunk'. Jeg er full = I'm drunk — not full after a meal.
• Rolig — Actually means 'calm' or 'quiet'. (Confusingly, in Swedish rolig means 'funny' — a false…
• Time — Actually means 'hour'. En halv time = half an hour. Time in the general sense is tid.
• Sky — Actually means 'cloud'. The sky overhead is himmelen.
• Grine — Actually means 'to cry' or to pull a sour face. In Danish, grine means 'to laugh' — the e…

← Back to False Friends

Loading the full interactive collection…