False friends – 08: brand vs brand

Transcript of the video lesson – brand vs brand:

Hi, welcome to learndutch.org’s false friends.

Words from different languages that sound or look the same, but with a different meaning. Today the Dutch word: “brand”, and the english “brand”. Totally not the same. They are false friends!

“brand” in English, is what we call “een merk” in Dutch. And here you see some of the most famous globally known Dutch brands. Oh, wait, I think we forgot one…

Oh, yeah… of course.

“een brand” in Dutch, is this. It is what we call in English “a fire”. Now there is also the word “vuur”, which means fire as well. The difference between “vuur” and “brand”: “vuur” is more like the flames it self, like one of the elements earth, air, water and fire. “Een brand” is when something is burning. For example, when the forest is on fire, we say “bos-brand”.

If someone steps up to you, and he says he has “een brandende auto”. Then you now know, it’s not that he is boasting about a car with an expensive brand; it’s rather that his car is on fire.

So now you understand the difference! The Dutch “brand” and and the English “brand” are false friends!

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