91Èȱ¬

Taking the douche (Dutch/English)

A pretty embarrassing false friend is 'douche'. In Dutch the word for 'shower' is 'douche', which is an English word as well. So it is common for Dutch women to say "I'm going to take a douche" several times a week or even a day. Since the act is usually done in private in the bathroom, it might take a while before the women's host knows what she actually means.

Sent by: BertBert

Comments

Kyle, Colchester 2011-01-03

My mum gave me an alarming look once when she saw the name of the shower gel I used when living in Rotterdam - dubbel douche - no doubt also a play on the English term, Double Dutch.

Flag this comment

Share this page

Open/close

Related Links

On bbc.co.uk/languages

12-weeks email tips

Quick fix phrases 36 languages

Teachers and tutors

On bbc.co.uk

91Èȱ¬ Schools

91Èȱ¬ Learning

91Èȱ¬ World Service Learning English

Elsewhere

The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites

91Èȱ¬ iD

91Èȱ¬ navigation

91Èȱ¬ © 2014 The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.