Author Archives: Dutch Gurus

329. Piek

Posted on by

peak, summit, top [noun] [de piek, de pieken] [‘piek‘]

It is possible that you will hear the word "piek" in a completely different context, that is a monetary context. Before the Euro was introduced in the Netherlands the popular synonym for a guilder was a "piek", similar to words like "quid" or "buck". The plural "pieken" was informally used for money in general. Some people are using "piek" now as a synonym for a Euro, but this is of course not the real thing 🙂

Related to the normal meaning of "piek" is the verb "pieken": to reach a maximum, to be at its best / highest point, see the Examples.

By the way, since it is Christmas time, a "piek" can also be the top ornament of a Christmas tree.

Examples:
– "Kan ik wat geld van jou lenen, ik heb geen pieken bij me."
("Can I borrow some money from you, I do not have any money (on me).")

– "Gisteravond hebben we de kerstboom versierd. Alleen, we zijn de piek kwijt!"
("Last night we decorated the Christmas tree. It’s just that we have lost the top ornament!")

– "Helaas, geen baanrecord dit keer! Het lijkt alsof Rintje Ritsma te vroeg heeft gepiekt dit seizoen."
("Too bad, no track record this time! It appears as if Rintje Ritsma was at his best too early in the season!")

– "De statistieken laten aan het einde van het jaar altijd een enorme piek in de werkdruk zien!"
("Statistics always show an enormous peak in pressure of work at the end of the year!")

Related words:
– "Haarpiek(en)": wisp(s) of hair.
– "Piekeren": to worry.
– "Piekerig": worrysome, but also "piekerig haar": wispy hair.
– "Top": top, maximum. Also "great", "super".

328. Cadeau

Posted on by

gift, present [noun] [het cadeau, de cadeaus] [‘ka-do‘]

"Cadeau" is an example of a word that we stole from the French 🙂 You will also encounter the Dutch spelling "kado" but that is officially incorrect. Note that the plural form takes the -s, not the French -x. 

Examples:
– "Vandaag hebben Marc en Sander een cadeau gekregen van Iris en David!"
("Today Marc and Sander received a gift from Iris and David!")

– "Wij zijn erg blij met dit cadeau!"
("We are very happy/pleased with this present!")

– "Denk jij dat je veel kerstcadeaus krijgt?"
("Do you think that you will receive many Christmas gifts?")

Expressions:
– "Iets cadeau krijgen": to get something for nothing/free. You will also hear the negation of this expression: "iets niet cadeau krijgen", which is used to say that you have to make an effort to realize something.
– "Wat een cadeautje!": related to "iets cadeau krijgen" this – or a variant – is said when you have quick success with zero effort, usually because somebody else did all the work or made a mistake of which you benefit.

Example:
– "Ja ja, Van Nistelrooij scoort 1-0! Wat een cadeautje van de Noorse verdediging!"
("Yep, Van Nistelrooij scores 1-0! What a present from the Norwegian defence!")

Related words:
– "Cadeaupapier": gift-wrap paper.
– "Cadeauverpakking": gift wrapping/packing.
– "Cadeautje": small present.
– "Cadeaubon": gift voucher.

Soep

Posted on by

soup [noun] [de soep, de soepen] [‘soep‘]

If you work for a Dutch company in the Netherlands and have lunch in the canteen at the office, you might have seen the thick “erwtensoep” (pea soup) on display. Did it look attractive? Probably not! Nevertheless it is a very popular soup in the winter, especially the “rookworst” (“smoked sausage”) bits are scooped out first, so if you want to have some, make sure you are among the first! 🙂

Nieuwjaarsduik_2
On new year’s day the tradition of the “Nieuwjaarsduik” (“New year’s dive”) attracts quite a number of crazy daredevils. They are rewarded with a cup of “erwtensoep”, provided by Unox; one of the bigger Dutch brands.

Examples:
– “Welke soep hebben ze vandaag in de kantine?” – “Volgens mij is het erwtensoep.”
(“What soup do they serve in the cafeteria today?” – “I think it’s pea soup.” Lit.: “… have they today…” The word “kantine” is only used for office or sports club cafeterias.)

– “Lekker! Vandaag tomatensoep met balletjes!!”
(“Tasty/Nice! Tomato soup with (little) meatballs today!!” Lit. “…little balls…” Like with the “rookworst” in “erwtensoep” the meatballs in the tomatosoup are also quickly gone.)

– “Erwtensoep wordt in Nederland ook wel snert genoemd.”
(“Pea soup is also called “snert” in the Netherlands.”)

– “Ober, er zit een vlieg in mijn soep.”
(“Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup.”)

Expressions:
– “Dat is niet veel soeps!”: that is of low quality.
– “In de soep lopen”: to become a mess. Lit.: “to walk/run in the soup”.
– “In de soep laten lopen”:  to make a mess .
– “Dat is linke soep…”: That’s a risky / dicey / shakey business …
– “De soep wordt nooit zo heet gegeten als ze wordt opgediend”: things are never as black / bad as they seem / look. Lit.: “The soup is never eaten as hot as it is served.”

Related words:
– “Lepel”: spoon.
– “Kop”: cup.

Extra:
A popular brand for instant soup is Cup-a-soup. The tv-commercials have the theme “Vier uur, Cup-a-soup! Dat zouden meer mensen moeten doen” (4 PM, Cup-a-soup! That’s something more people should do.) They usually revolve round the same theme of somebody making a mistake because he or she is tired and needs some energy (as opposed to the successful people that take cup-a-soup). Below are a few links to such commercials.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZRYPyl-yoyE&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LIG8RI_EpWc&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=umnQALZ8M_M&feature=related

326. Dank je de koekoek!

Posted on by

"Koekoek" is the Dutch word for the cuckoo, the bird with the characteristic sound, which you will also hear in the famous cuckoo clock.

But… after checking the dictionary, "koekoek" is also an obsolete word for "devil", "hell" or "deuce"… So we too learn something new about Dutch every once in a while 🙂

Instead of "Dank je de koekoek" you may also see the variations "Dat dank(t) / haal(t) je de koekoek!". All literally translate to something like "That thanks/gets you the devil!". The phrase can be used in two contexts, see 1. and 2.

1. I bet! / I daresay …! [Dutch phrase of the week]

Examples:
– "Ik heb koude handen…" – "Dank je de koekoek! Het vriest buiten en je hebt geen handschoenen aan!"
("My hands are cold…" – "I bet! It’s freezing outside and you’re not wearing gloves!")

– "Ik voel een lichte paniek opkomen." -" Dank je de koekoek! Een speech voor 1000 mensen geven is niet niks!"
("I feel a mild panic breaking through." – "I daresay you do! Giving a speech in front of a 1000 people is really something." Lit.: "…in front of a 1000 people is not nothing!")

2. Not on your life! / you won’t catch me doing that! / no way! [Dutch phrase of the week]

Example:
– "Liefie, wil jij even sigaretten halen?" – "Ja dank je de koekoek! Het regent pijpenstelen!"
("Sweetie, will you go get me some cigarettes?" – "No way, it’s raining cats and dogs!")

325. Computeren

Posted on by

to use the computer for recreational purposes [verb]
[computerde, gecomputerd] [‘kom-pjoei-tu-run’]

The verb "computeren" is a
typical example of a verb that is derived from an English word. The usage of
such verbs, or English words in general, is prevalent in technical areas. Some
Dutch language purists have tried to replace such English words by Dutch words,
but this was never really picked up. An example of this is the word "rekenaar",
a literal translation of "computer". You do however encounter this word in
South-African.

What is remarkable about the verb "computeren" is that it has taken on the
meaning of recreational usage of a computer, mainly what you do at home (when
not working). The usage of a pc for work purposes is usually described as
"bureauwerk" ("desk work" where the pc is implied), "met een computer/pc werken"
("work with a computer/pc"), "achter een pc werken" ("work behind a pc" (or in
front of, depending how you look at it) ) or "computerarbeid" ("computer
work").

Examples:
– "Mijn vriend zit de hele avond te computeren. Ik kan er
net zo goed niet zijn!"
("My boyfriend is behind his computer all evening. I
might as well not be there!")

– "Tegenwoordig zijn er ook veel senioren die thuis
computeren."Computeren_na_50_2
("Nowadays there are also many seniors who use the computer at
home.")

– "De passie van Sanders vader was computeren. Hij deed niets anders dan de
hele dag gamen!"
("The passion of Sander’s father was (to use) his computer.
He did nothing else than gaming all day long!" Here the verb "gamen" is derived
from the English "game" and pronounced similarly.)

Related words:
– "Spelletje": a game. Also "computerspelletje" to
disambiguate.
– "Computerspelletjes spelen": to play computer games.
–
"Muis": mouse.
– "Keyboard": keyboard. You will also hear "toetsenbord".