False friends

Some Norwegian words look like English words but mean something else. Here are the most common traps.

We teach Bokmål, the written standard most people in Norway use.

In short: False friends are words that look like words in another language but have a different meaning.

Rules

Eventuelt: means 'possibly, if needed', not 'eventually' (= til slutt). Vi kan eventuelt møtes på mandag.
Aktuell: means 'relevant now' or 'being considered', not 'actual' (= faktisk). Hun er aktuell for jobben.
Konsekvent: means 'consistent', not 'consequent'. Han er konsekvent i oppdragelsen.
Rar: means 'strange', not 'rare' (= sjelden). Det var en rar film.
Glad: means 'happy', and «være glad i» means 'to love, be fond of'. Jeg er glad i deg.
Gift: means 'married' and 'poison' – never 'a present' (= en gave). Hun er gift. Soppen inneholder gift.
Frokost, lunsj, middag: frokost = breakfast, lunsj = lunch, and middag = the main hot meal around 5 p.m., not 'midday'.
Slåss: means 'to fight (each other)', while slå means 'to hit'. Guttene sloss i skolegården.
Får: can be the verb få, 'get' (Jeg får et brev), or the noun et får, 'a sheep'.
Sist: means 'last time' or 'last (in order)'. For 'last week' say «forrige uke». Sist jeg var der, regnet det.
Magasin: usually means 'magazine' or 'storehouse'; an ordinary shop is «butikk». Hun leser et magasin om interiør.
Tip: When a word looks too familiar, check it in a dictionary.

Typical mistake: «Hun ga meg en gift» means 'She gave me a poison'. A present is «en gave».

Vi kan eventuelt utsette møtet til neste uke.We could possibly postpone the meeting until next week.
Temaet er svært aktuelt etter valget.The topic is very relevant after the election.
Det er rart at hun ikke har svart.It's strange that she hasn't replied.
Hun har vært gift i tjue år.She has been married for twenty years.
Vi spiser middag klokka fem hver dag.We have dinner at five o'clock every day.
Barna er veldig glad i bestemoren sin.The children love their grandmother very much.
Sist vi snakket sammen, var du i Bergen.The last time we talked, you were in Bergen.
Han er konsekvent og holder alltid det han lover.He is consistent and always keeps his promises.