False Friends (Valse Vrienden)
30 words · False Friends · Common Mistakes
These Dutch words look like English words but mean something completely different. Don’t let them trick you!
| Dutch Word | IPA | What It Looks Like | What It Actually Means | Example Sentence | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| slim | /slɪm/ | slim/thin | smart, clever | Hij is een slimme jongen. (He is a smart boy.) | /hɛi̯ ɪs ən ˈslɪ.mə ˈjɔŋ.ən/ |
| boos | /boːs/ | boss | angry | Mijn moeder is boos op mij. (My mother is angry at me.) | /mɛi̯n ˈmu.dər ɪs boːs ɔp mɛi̯/ |
| eventueel | /ˌeː.vɛn.tyˈeːl/ | eventually | possibly, if necessary | We kunnen eventueel morgen gaan. (We could possibly go tomorrow.) | /ʋə ˈkʏ.nən ˌeː.vɛn.tyˈeːl ˈmɔr.ɣən ɣaːn/ |
| actueel | /ˌɑk.tyˈeːl/ | actual | current, topical | Dit is een actueel onderwerp. (This is a current topic.) | /dɪt ɪs ən ˌɑk.tyˈeːl ˈɔn.dər.ʋɛrp/ |
| sympathiek | /ˌsɪm.paːˈtik/ | sympathetic | nice, likeable | De nieuwe buurman is erg sympathiek. (The new neighbor is very likeable.) | /də ˈniu̯.ʋə ˈbyːr.mɑn ɪs ɛrɣ ˌsɪm.paːˈtik/ |
| chef | /ʃɛf/ | chef/cook | boss, manager | De chef wil je spreken. (The boss wants to talk to you.) | /də ʃɛf ʋɪl jə ˈsprɛː.kən/ |
| college | /kɔˈleː.ʒə/ | college | lecture | Ik heb om negen uur college. (I have a lecture at nine o’clock.) | /ɪk hɛp ɔm ˈneː.ɣən yːr kɔˈleː.ʒə/ |
| winkel | /ˈʋɪŋ.kəl/ | wrinkle | shop, store | Er is een nieuwe winkel in de straat. (There is a new shop in the street.) | /ɛr ɪs ən ˈniu̯.ʋə ˈʋɪŋ.kəl ɪn də straːt/ |
| raar | /raːr/ | rare | strange, weird | Wat een raar verhaal! (What a strange story!) | /ʋɑt ən raːr vərˈɦaːl/ |
| map | /mɑp/ | map | folder, binder | Stop het document in de map. (Put the document in the folder.) | /stɔp ɦət ˌdɔ.kyˈmɛnt ɪn də mɑp/ |
| bril | /brɪl/ | brilliant | glasses, spectacles | Ik kan niets zien zonder mijn bril. (I can’t see anything without my glasses.) | /ɪk kɑn nits zin ˈzɔn.dər mɛi̯n brɪl/ |
| vers | /vɛrs/ | verse | fresh | Dit brood is vers van de bakker. (This bread is fresh from the baker.) | /dɪt broːt ɪs vɛrs vɑn də ˈbɑ.kər/ |
| angel | /ˈɑŋ.əl/ | angel | sting (of a bee/wasp) | De angel van de bij zit nog in mijn arm. (The bee’s sting is still in my arm.) | /də ˈɑŋ.əl vɑn də bɛi̯ zɪt nɔx ɪn mɛi̯n ɑrm/ |
| brand | /brɑnt/ | brand | fire | Er is brand in het gebouw! (There is a fire in the building!) | /ɛr ɪs brɑnt ɪn ɦət ɣəˈbɑu̯/ |
| gift | /ɣɪft/ | gift | poison | Rattengift is erg gevaarlijk. (Rat poison is very dangerous.) | /ˈrɑ.tən.ɣɪft ɪs ɛrɣ ɣəˈvaːr.lək/ |
| hoe | /hu/ | hoe (garden tool) | how | Hoe gaat het met je? (How are you doing?) | /hu ɣaːt ɦət mɛt jə/ |
| monster | /ˈmɔn.stər/ | monster | sample, specimen | De dokter neemt een monster van het bloed. (The doctor takes a sample of the blood.) | /də ˈdɔk.tər neːmt ən ˈmɔn.stər vɑn ɦət blut/ |
| pest | /pɛst/ | pest | plague, nuisance | De pest was een verschrikkelijke ziekte. (The plague was a terrible disease.) | /də pɛst ʋɑs ən vərˈsxrɪ.kə.lə.kə ˈzik.tə/ |
| rok | /rɔk/ | rock | skirt | Zij draagt een rode rok. (She wears a red skirt.) | /zɛi̯ draːxt ən ˈroː.də rɔk/ |
| room | /roːm/ | room | cream | Wil je room in je koffie? (Do you want cream in your coffee?) | /ʋɪl jə roːm ɪn jə ˈkɔ.fi/ |
| stout | /stɑu̯t/ | stout (beer) | naughty, bad (of children) | Het kind was stout vandaag. (The child was naughty today.) | /ɦət kɪnt ʋɑs stɑu̯t vɑnˈdaːx/ |
| warm | /ʋɑrm/ | warm (similar) | hot, warm (stronger than English “warm”) | Het is dertig graden, heel warm! (It’s thirty degrees, very hot!) | /ɦət ɪs ˈdɛr.təx ˈɣraː.dən heːl ʋɑrm/ |
| brief | /brif/ | brief | letter (mail) | Ik heb een brief van de gemeente ontvangen. (I received a letter from the municipality.) | /ɪk hɛp ən brif vɑn də ɣəˈmeːn.tə ɔntˈfɑŋ.ən/ |
| camping | /ˈkɛm.pɪŋ/ | camping (activity) | campsite | Wij verblijven op een camping in Frankrijk. (We are staying at a campsite in France.) | /ʋɛi̯ vərˈblɛi̯.vən ɔp ən ˈkɛm.pɪŋ ɪn ˈfrɑŋk.rɛi̯k/ |
| dapper | /ˈdɑ.pər/ | dapper | brave, courageous | De brandweerman was heel dapper. (The firefighter was very brave.) | /də ˈbrɑnt.ʋeːr.mɑn ʋɑs heːl ˈdɑ.pər/ |
| fee | /feː/ | fee/cost | fairy | De fee had een toverstaf. (The fairy had a magic wand.) | /də feː hɑt ən ˈtoː.vər.stɑf/ |
| glad | /ɣlɑt/ | glad/happy | slippery, smooth | Pas op, de weg is glad! (Watch out, the road is slippery!) | /pɑs ɔp də ʋɛx ɪs ɣlɑt/ |
| lust | /lʏst/ | lust (sexual) | desire, appetite (broader meaning) | Ik heb geen lust om te koken. (I don’t feel like cooking.) | /ɪk hɛp ɣeːn lʏst ɔm tə ˈkoː.kən/ |
| net | /nɛt/ | net (for catching) | just (now), neat, tidy | Ik ben net thuisgekomen. (I just got home.) | /ɪk bɛn nɛt ˈtœy̯s.ɣə.koː.mən/ |
| smal | /smɑl/ | small | narrow | De straat is te smal voor twee auto’s. (The street is too narrow for two cars.) | /də straːt ɪs tə smɑl voːr tʋeː ˈɑu̯.toːs/ |
How to Remember These
A few of the trickiest pairs to keep straight:
- slim = smart (for “thin/slender” in Dutch, use slank or dun)
- gift = poison (for “gift/present” in Dutch, use cadeau or geschenk)
- brief = letter (for “brief/short” in Dutch, use kort or beknopt)
- glad = slippery (for “glad/happy” in Dutch, use blij)
- brand = fire (for “brand/trademark” in Dutch, use merk)
- map = folder (for “map/chart” in Dutch, use kaart or landkaart)
- boos = angry (for “boss” in Dutch, use baas or chef)
- monster = sample (for “monster/creature” in Dutch, use monster can mean both, but primarily means “sample”)
Tip: When in doubt, remember that many Dutch-English false friends evolved from the same Germanic root but drifted apart in meaning over centuries. The Dutch meaning often preserves an older or more specific sense of the original word.