False friendEverydayNorwegian

Sky

Meaning: Actually means 'cloud'. The sky overhead is himmelen.

Origin: English borrowed this very word from Old Norse ský — where it meant 'cloud'. English then stretched it to the whole firmament, displacing Old English wolcen; Norwegian simply kept the original meaning.

More false friends — Everyday

More Norwegian false friends

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  • Time Actually means 'hour'. En halv time = half an hour. Time in the general sense is tid.

Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words

Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.

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