This is a Swadesh list of words in Dutch, compared with definitions in English.
American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.
No. | English | Dutch Nederlands |
IPA pronunciation |
---|---|---|---|
1 | I | ik | ɪk |
2 | you (singular) | jij, je (informal), u (formal) | jɛi, jə, y |
3 | he | hij | hɛi |
4 | we | wij, we | ʋɛi, ʋə |
5 | you (plural) | jullie | ˈjʏli |
6 | they | zij, ze | zɛiː, zə |
7 | this | deze, dit | ˈdeːzə, dɪt |
8 | that | die, dat | di, dɑt |
9 | here | hier | hiːr |
10 | there | daar | daːr |
11 | who | wie | ʋi |
12 | what | wat | ʋɑt |
13 | where | waar | ʋaːr |
14 | when | wanneer | ʋɑˈneːr |
15 | how | hoe | hu |
16 | not | niet | nit |
17 | all | al, alle | ɑl, ˈɑlə |
18 | many | veel, menig | veːl, ˈmeːnəx |
19 | some | enkele, sommige | ˈɛŋkələ, ˈsɔməɣə |
20 | few | weinig | ˈʋɛinəx |
21 | other | ander | ˈandər |
22 | one | een | eːn |
23 | two | twee | tʋeː |
24 | three | drie | dri |
25 | four | vier | viːr |
26 | five | vijf | vɛif |
27 | big | groot | ɣroːt |
28 | long | lang | lɑŋ |
29 | wide | breed, wijd | breːt, ʋɛit |
30 | thick | dik | dɪk |
31 | heavy | zwaar, hevig | zʋaːr, ˈheːvəx |
32 | small | klein | klɛin |
33 | short | kort | kɔrt |
34 | narrow | smal | smɑl |
35 | thin | dun | dʏn |
36 | woman | vrouw | vrɔu |
37 | man (male) | man | mɑn |
38 | man (human) | mens | mɛns |
39 | child | kind | kɪnt |
40 | wife | vrouw, echtgenote | vrɔu, ˈɛxtxənoːtə |
41 | husband | man, echtgenoot | mɑn, ˈɛxtxənoːt |
42 | mother | moeder | ˈmudər |
43 | father | vader | ˈvaːdər |
44 | animal | dier | diːr |
45 | fish | vis | vɪs |
46 | bird | vogel | ˈvoːɣəl |
47 | dog | hond | hont |
48 | louse | luis | lœys |
49 | snake | slang | slɑŋ |
50 | worm | worm | ʋɔrm |
51 | tree | boom | boːm |
52 | forest | woud | ʋɔut |
53 | stick | stok | stɔk |
54 | fruit | fruit, vrucht | frœyt, vrʏxt |
55 | seed | zaad | zaːt |
56 | leaf | blad | blɑt |
57 | root | wortel | ˈʋɔrtəl |
58 | bark (of a tree) | schors | sxɔrs |
59 | flower | bloem | blum |
60 | grass | gras | ɣrɑs |
61 | rope | touw, koord | tɔuw, koːrt |
62 | skin | huid | hœyt |
63 | meat | vlees | vleːs |
64 | blood | bloed | blut |
65 | bone | been | beːn |
66 | fat (noun) | vet | vɛt |
67 | egg | ei | ɛi |
68 | horn | hoorn | ˈhoːrn |
69 | tail | staart | staːrt |
70 | feather | veer | veːr |
71 | hair | haar | haːr |
72 | head | hoofd, kop | hoːft, kɔp |
73 | ear | oor | oːr |
74 | eye | oog | oːx |
75 | nose | neus | nøːs |
76 | mouth | mond | mɔnt |
77 | tooth | tand | tɑnt |
78 | tongue | tong | tɔŋ |
79 | fingernail | vingernagel | ˈvɪŋərˈnaːɣəl |
80 | foot | voet | vut |
81 | leg | been, poot | beːn, po:t |
82 | knee | knie | kni |
83 | hand | hand | hɑnt |
84 | wing | vleugel | ˈvløːɣəl |
85 | belly | buik | bœyk |
86 | guts | darmen | ˈdɑrmə |
87 | neck | nek, hals | nɛk, hɑls |
88 | back | rug | rʏx |
89 | breast | borst | bɔrst |
90 | heart | hart | hɑrt |
91 | liver | lever | ˈleːvər |
92 | to drink | drinken | ˈdrɪŋkə |
93 | to eat | eten | ˈeːtə |
94 | to bite | bijten | ˈbɛitə |
95 | to suck | zuigen | ˈzœyɣə |
96 | to spit | spuwen | ˈspywə |
97 | to vomit | braken, overgeven | ˈbraːkə, ˈoːvərɣeːvə |
98 | to blow | blazen | ˈblaːzə |
99 | to breathe | ademen | ˈaːdəmə |
100 | to laugh | lachen | ˈlɑxə |
101 | to see | zien | zin |
102 | to hear | horen | ˈhoːrə |
103 | to know | weten | ˈʋeːtə |
104 | to think | denken | ˈdɛŋkə |
105 | to smell | ruiken | ˈrœykə |
106 | to fear | vrezen | ˈvreːzə |
107 | to sleep | slapen | ˈslaːpə |
108 | to live | leven | ˈleːvə |
109 | to die | sterven | ˈstɛrvə |
110 | to kill | doden | ˈdoːdə |
111 | to fight | vechten | ˈvɛxtə |
112 | to hunt | jagen | ˈjaːɣə |
113 | to hit | slaan, raken | slaːn, ˈraːkə |
114 | to cut | knippen, snijden | ˈknɪpə, ˈsnɛidə |
115 | to split | splijten | ˈsplɛitə |
116 | to stab | steken | ˈsteːkə |
117 | to scratch | krabben | ˈkrɑbə |
118 | to dig | graven | ˈɣraːvə |
119 | to swim | zwemmen | ˈzʋɛmə |
120 | to fly | vliegen | ˈvliɣə |
121 | to walk | lopen, stappen | ˈloːpə, ˈstɑpə |
122 | to come | komen | ˈkoːmə |
123 | to lie (as in a bed) | liggen | ˈlɪɣə |
124 | to sit | zitten | ˈzɪtə |
125 | to stand | staan | staːn |
126 | to turn (intransitive) | draaien | ˈdraːjə |
127 | to fall | vallen | ˈvɑlə |
128 | to give | geven | ˈɣeːvə |
129 | to hold | houden | ˈhɔudə |
130 | to squeeze | knijpen | ˈknɛipə |
131 | to rub | wrijven | ˈʋrɛivə |
132 | to wash | wassen | ˈʋɑsə |
133 | to wipe | vegen | ˈveɣə |
134 | to pull | trekken | ˈtrɛkə |
135 | to push | duwen | ˈdywə |
136 | to throw | werpen, gooien | ˈʋɛrpə, ˈɣoːjə |
137 | to tie | vastmaken, binden | ˈvɑstmaːkə, ˈbɪndə |
138 | to sew | naaien | ˈnaːjə |
139 | to count | tellen | ˈtɛlə |
140 | to say | zeggen | ˈzɛɣə |
141 | to sing | zingen | ˈzɪŋə |
142 | to play | spelen | ˈspeːlə |
143 | to float | drijven | ˈdrɛivə |
144 | to flow | vloeien | ˈvlujə |
145 | to freeze | vriezen | ˈvrizə |
146 | to swell | zwellen | ˈzʋɛlə |
147 | sun | zon | zɔn |
148 | moon | maan | maːn |
149 | star | ster | stɛr |
150 | water | water | ˈʋaːtər |
151 | rain | regen | ˈreːɣən |
152 | river | rivier | riˈviːr |
153 | lake | meer | meːr |
154 | sea | zee | zeː |
155 | salt | zout | zɔut |
156 | stone | steen | steːn |
157 | sand | zand | zɑnt |
158 | dust | stof | stɔf |
159 | earth | aarde | ˈaːrdə |
160 | cloud | wolk | ʋɔlk |
161 | fog | mist, nevel | mɪst, ˈneːvəl |
162 | sky | lucht, hemel | lʏxt, ˈheːməl |
163 | wind | wind | ʋɪnt |
164 | snow | sneeuw | sneːw |
165 | ice | ijs | ɛis |
166 | smoke | rook | roːk |
167 | fire | vuur | vʏːr |
168 | ash | as | ɑs |
169 | to burn | branden | ˈbrɑndə |
170 | road | weg | ʋɛx |
171 | mountain | berg | bɛrx |
172 | red | rood | roːt |
173 | green | groen | ɣrun |
174 | yellow | geel | ɣeːl |
175 | white | wit | ʋɪt |
176 | black | zwart | zʋɑrt |
177 | night | nacht | nɑxt |
178 | day | dag | dɑx |
179 | year | jaar | jaːr |
180 | warm | warm | ʋɑrm |
181 | cold | koud | kɔut |
182 | full | vol | vɔl |
183 | new | nieuw | niːw |
184 | old | oud | ɔut |
185 | good | goed | ɣut |
186 | bad | slecht | slɛxt |
187 | rotten | rot | rɔt |
188 | dirty | vuil | vœyl |
189 | straight | recht | rɛxt |
190 | round | rond | rɔnt |
191 | sharp (as a knife) | scherp | sxɛrp |
192 | dull (as a knife) | stomp, bot | stɔmp, bɔt |
193 | smooth | glad | ɣlat |
194 | wet | nat | nɑt |
195 | dry | droog | droːx |
196 | correct | juist, correct | jœyst, kɔˈrɛkt |
197 | near | dichtbij | dɪxtˈbɛi |
198 | far | ver | vɛr |
199 | right | rechts | rɛxts |
200 | left | links | lɪŋks |
201 | at | aan, te, bij | aːn, tə, bɛi |
202 | in | in | ɪn |
203 | with | met | mɛt |
204 | and | en | ɛn |
205 | if | als, indien | ɑls, ɪnˈdin |
206 | because | omdat | ɔmˈdɑt |
207 | name | naam | naːm |
The pronunciation shown is the standard pronunciation ("AN", formerly named "ABN"). Depending on the speakers and the area, the actual pronunciation may differ, more or less significantly, from the pronunciation shown.