| Confusibles |
|
|
|
Geheugen and herinnering Both correspond to English 'memory', but geheugen is the capacity to remember, or the place where we store memories, while herinnering is something we remember. Compare Ik heb een goed geheugen 'I have a good memory', and Ik heb goede herinneringen aan hen 'I have fond memories of them'. Computers have a geheugen. Leven and wonen Both correspond to English 'to live'. Leven means 'to be alive, to lead one's life', as in Leven je ouders nog? 'Are your parents still alive?', Ik probeer gezond te leven 'I try to live healthily'. Wonen means 'to dwell, to live (somewhere)' as in Ik woon in de Hoofdstraat 'I live in Main Street'. Mens and man Mens means 'human being'. Mensen are 'people', mensheid is 'humanity', menselijk is 'human'. Also note mensaap 'ape'. Man denotes the 'male human being', but is also the usual word for 'husband'. Mannelijk means 'male' or 'masculine'. Varken and zwijn Varken is the normal word for '(domestic) pig' (compare the Afrikaans aardvark). Varkensvlees is 'pork'. Colloquially, zwijn is either the wild boar (also everzwijn), or a swearword applied to male humans. Vers and fris Both correspond to English 'fresh', but they are not used in the same contexts. Fris normally refers to things which are cool and/or refreshing, such as frisse lucht 'fresh air', een fris windje 'a fresh breeze', een frisse smaak 'a fresh taste'. Vers is usually used for food and drink, as in verse melk 'fresh milk', verse groenten 'fresh vegetables', verse vis 'fresh fish', versgebakken 'freshly baked'. [to be expanded] © DutchToday 2007 |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
