False friendFood & BodyNorwegian

Frokost

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

Looks like: Danish frokost (lunch)

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…

Explore another collection: Proverbs

Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.

Browse all proverbs →

Keep exploring

Explore all false friends →