English words that conflict with your language.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Gift is probably Dutch, since in Dutch the meaning of “gift” depends on context. ‘Gift’ as poison in Dutch is more typically referred to as “vergif” or in older texts “vergift”, with gift as “gift” meaning a gift being the preferred use.

Old English, actually; very close to Old Dutch. When the two ceased to be mutually intelligable is debated.

Though, it is theoretically possible to strip out exteneous Romance words and Grammar, put on a Newcastle Dialect and then be understood by a Norwegian.

[Fragony]

Let me show you a fun one, also in the wisdom teeth thread.

wisdom teeth has to come from dutch, we say 'verstandskies' which would translate to wisdom teeth, but the proper name for these baby's is 'verre stand kies' which refers to it's position in the mouth, they are positioned far in the mouth thus 'verre stand'.

TA If you are looking for some truly hilarious dutch screw-ups buy 'I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and also my wives bottom'. Recommended to all flemish for obvious reasons. Most dutch aren't all that good in English, my favorite has to be a college professor telling a foreign student he was trying to lead them around the garden, got him a sausage 'worst teacher award' (worst is dutch for sausage)

[Louis VI the Fat]

TA If you are looking for some truly hilarious dutch screw-ups buy 'I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and also my wives bottom'.

This calls for the classic:

Then again, from what we've learned of ski-instructors, for all we know it isn't a mistaken translation.



Marie qui se masse, all the world!

[Fragony]

This calls for the classic:

Then again, from what we've learned of ski-instructors, for all we know it isn't a mistaken translation.



Marie qui se masse, all the world!

The best is found in a bathroom in Thailand 'to avoid drip turn cock', can't find pic sadly

A recent classic, Oogheelkunde naturally means Eyehealing

[Subotan]

This is true, but with 6-10 times the vocabulary as other languages, and the need to master complex syntax in order to have the flexability of an inflected language. So, a native speaker probably uses more brain-space for his first language if that language is English.

What is "brain-space"? And besides, those could easily be turned on their head, as by already having this huge vocabulary, we don't need to memorize whole sets of foreign synonyms.

I understand Welsh sounds like a Scandanavian Language to Germans, apparently.

Haha, that's actually funny. When I showed my exchange partner Welsh, she was visibly shaken.

Where are you from? Because I always thought you were Bavarian...

I wish. I'm from Lancashire.

[Kadagar_AV]

Louis,

Then again, from what we've learned of ski-instructors, for all we know it isn't a mistaken translation.

I'd say the chance is 50/50


Centurio Nixalsverdrus,

Habèderè, i bî da Pèda und kimm vo Minga

I have spent way to much time among hillbilly germans... I actually have no problem understanding that...




One word that always irritated me is smell. For me it feels very unnatural to use the same word for something that can go both ways, smells good, smells bad. I know you can specify it, however, most English people don't.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

One word that always irritated me is smell. For me it feels very unnatural to use the same word for something that can go both ways, smells good, smells bad. I know you can specify it, however, most English people don't.

It's exactly the same for a sight or sound though, isn't it?

[miotas]

One word that always irritated me is smell. For me it feels very unnatural to use the same word for something that can go both ways, smells good, smells bad. I know you can specify it, however, most English people don't.

If it's unspecified then it always means it's a bad smell. If some just says "that smells" then they always mean "that smells bad".

[Kralizec]

One mistake in English I often seem to make is forgetting the extra O in, for example, "too large". Or misspelling a word in English because the same word exists in Dutch but with a slightly different spelling, like succes(s). Kind of embarrassing. When I found out that mafia is spelled with only one "f" in English, it killed me

As for grammar, I probably wouldn't be able to explain basic grammar rules in either English or Dutch even if my life depended on it. Generally speaking, I instinctively apply them the right way...or not.

Let me show you a fun one, also in the wisdom teeth thread.

wisdom teeth has to come from dutch, we say 'verstandskies' which would translate to wisdom teeth, but the proper name for these baby's is 'verre stand kies' which refers to it's position in the mouth, they are positioned far in the mouth thus 'verre stand'.

TA If you are looking for some truly hilarious dutch screw-ups buy 'I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and also my wives bottom'. Recommended to all flemish for obvious reasons. Most dutch aren't all that good in English, my favorite has to be a college professor telling a foreign student he was trying to lead them around the garden, got him a sausage 'worst teacher award' (worst is dutch for sausage)

Teh wiki disagrees with you...