Dutch and German: 37 words that are the same
Among the two thousand words each language uses most, these are written identically and carry the same meaning in both. If you have one of the two, this is the part you do not have to learn.
Dutch German
A shared word is not proof of a shared root. Two languages can land on the same spelling by borrowing from a third — that is all tren and bomba are — and a word that looks the same can still be said quite differently. What this list is good for is the head start.
| Word | In English | Dutch | German |
|---|---|---|---|
| weg | away | #97 | #128 |
| geld | money | #176 | #190 |
| oh | oh | #179 | #84 |
| niemand | nobody, no one | #184 | #301 |
| idee | idea | #230 | #426 |
| morgen | tomorrow | #298 | #174 |
| minuten | minute | #377 | #389 |
| vier | four | #392 | #509 |
| baby | baby | #422 | #367 |
| nacht | night | #457 | #215 |
| dollar | dollar | #471 | #634 |
| verloren | to lose | #614 | #455 |
| acht | eight | #705 | #885 |
| beide | both | #835 | #315 |
| hotel | hotel | #848 | #916 |
| boot | boat | #911 | #1,121 |
| oma | grandma, granny, nan | #944 | #1,588 |
| arme | poor | #951 | #986 |
| lachen | to laugh | #974 | #841 |
| beiden | both | #1,005 | #567 |
| liegen | to lie | #1,010 | #909 |
| brief | letter | #1,023 | #1,053 |
| sheriff | sheriff | #1,088 | #1,277 |
| tante | aunt | #1,118 | #1,128 |
| liegt | to lie | #1,144 | #440 |
| held | hero | #1,163 | #1,676 |
| links | on the left | #1,180 | #1,140 |
| professor | professor | #1,185 | #1,186 |
| energie | energy | #1,242 | #1,512 |
| glas | glass | #1,257 | #1,337 |
| rechts | on the right | #1,296 | #1,246 |
| bier | beer | #1,353 | #987 |
| restaurant | restaurant | #1,376 | #1,725 |
| jagen | to hunt | #1,695 | #1,689 |
| kunst | art | #1,732 | #1,958 |
| interesse | interest | #1,848 | #1,538 |
| high | high | #1,901 | #1,974 |
The overlap is the easy part.
The rest comes from using it with someone who speaks it.