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In Dutch, as an example we have a word called zoetwater - which if you translate it literally, is "sweet water". But it is the word for 'freshwater' in English
by deafpolygon 4y ago
In Dutch, as an example we have a word called zoetwater - which if you translate it literally, is "sweet water". But it is the word for 'freshwater' in English [as opposed to saltwater], not some kind of sweet water. Even though zoetwater could be literally translated, no one really knows it means freshwater in English. There is advertisement for 'fris water' or 'vers water', which means fresh water correctly.
- zirgs 4y agoTurns out that we aren't the only ones that call freshwater "sweet water".
- aden1ne 4y ago"fris" is closer to "chilly", tho.
- deafpolygon 4y agoYea, that's true - in the sense that it's "chilled", or "cool" (i.e. a frisdrank) but not in the sense that it's cold (koud) or chilly outside.
- englishrookie 4y agoWell, you can say "het is fris buiten", meaning "it's chilly outside".
- culebron21 4y agoSame in Romance languages: it acqua dolce vs acqua salata, es agua dulce/salada, pt agua doce/salada (all meaning sweet/salt water).
- pja 4y agoFresh, non-salt water used to be called sweet in English too, but that term has fallen out of use for some reason.
- deafpolygon 4y agoTIL. Thanks, I wasn't aware of that.
- kseistrup 4y agoFun fact: If you follow an extreme lowcarb diet (e.g., Atkinson, where you aim at getting 25g of carbs or less daily) for a long time, some things that didn't have a sweet taste before get a sweet tinge. One of them is water. I remember thinking “Oh, that's why it's called ‘zoetwater’ in Dutch!”