verkeerd

Verkeerd is a Dutch adjective meaning incorrect or wrong. It describes statements, beliefs, actions, directions, or results that do not meet what is correct or expected. It can modify a noun, as in verkeerde richting (the wrong direction) or verkeerde beslissing (the wrong decision), and it can be used predicatively, as in Het is verkeerd gegaan (It has gone wrong). The adverbial sense is also present in phrases such as het is verkeerd om zo te doen (it would be wrong to do it this way).

Etymology and sense development: Verkeerd is formed with the prefix ver- and a root related to turning, from the idea of turning the wrong way. Over time its meaning broadened from “turned the wrong way” to a general sense of incorrect or mistaken.

Usage and nuance: Verkeerd is often contrasted with synonyms such as fout (mistake, error) and onjuist (formal or technical incorrect). Fout tends to emphasize a concrete error or fault, while onjuist can be more precise or formal. Verkeerd stresses deviation from what is correct and is commonly used in everyday language as well as in more figurative expressions. Common collocations include de verkeerde kant op, een verkeerde inschatting, verkeerde spelling, and een verkeerde keuze. Grammatically, the adjective agrees with the noun it modifies (de verkeerde kant, het verkeerde antwoord; een verkeerde keuze). In fixed expressions, it can also function as an adverb in the sense of “wrongly.”

Related terms: Verkeerdheid refers to erroneousness or a mistaken belief; in some contexts it can imply deceit or a state of being wrong rather than a simple error.

Translations: The primary English equivalents are wrong, incorrect, and mistaken.