Here's a breakdown of the lexical similarity:
* Core vocabulary: Many fundamental words like "house", "water", "bread", "day", and "night" are recognizable between the two languages.
* High proportion of cognates: Estimates vary, but around 60-70% of English vocabulary has cognates in Dutch. This is much higher than the average percentage shared between Germanic languages.
* Pronunciation similarities: While Dutch pronunciation can be challenging for English speakers, the two languages have a similar sound system with many shared vowels and consonants.
* Borrowed words: Both languages have borrowed words from other languages, including Latin, French, and Greek. Some of these borrowed words are shared, while others are unique.
However, some differences also exist:
* Grammatical differences: While the core sentence structures are similar, there are significant differences in grammar, such as verb conjugation, word order, and noun declension.
* False cognates: Some words look similar but have different meanings. For example, "gift" in English means "poison" in Dutch.
* Idioms and slang: English and Dutch have distinct idioms and slang expressions that can be difficult to understand for speakers of the other language.
Overall, the lexical similarity between English and Dutch is quite high. This makes it easier for speakers of one language to learn the other, particularly for vocabulary acquisition. However, the grammatical differences and the presence of false cognates can pose challenges for learners.