Your say - False friends 2q556j
Horny banana (English/Dutch) 6k5f4
You have to be very careful in Dutch as to English speakers certain sounds sound very similar. The Dutch word for 'yellow' is geel, pronounced 'ghayl'. If you pronounce it the English way 'geel' it turns into the Dutch word geil, meaning 'horny' or 'randy'. I embarassed myself in a Dutch lesson by saying 'It is a horny banana', rather than a 'yellow' banana!
Sent by: Gemma
Comments 682840
To make it more complicated, there are parts in the Netherlands where 'geel' is pronounced as 'geil' (The Hague for instance)
'Geil' by the way can also mean 'juicy' - yes, the link with 'horny' is obvious - for instance in the connotation 'geil gras' fresh, highly nutricious grass, in springtime for lifestock for instance.
Well, I did something similar. I wanted to tell my father-in-law that what he needs is gel. I only did not notice that would be one of the few cases where the "g" is not pronounced as "ch". So I just told him that he needs to be a bit horny.
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