Author Archives: Dutch Gurus

Borrelpraat

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twaddle [noun] [bor-rel-praat] Iconspeaker_3

“Borrelpraat” is composed of “borrel” and “praat”. Traditionally,
“borrel” refers to a strong alcoholic drink, but it is also often used
to describe a drink with colleagues or friends to celebrate a certain
event (graduation, Christmas (the so-called “kerstborrel“),
or your birthday). “Praat” means “talk” or “story”. Hence, “borrelpraat”
refers to the conversations people have at a “borrel”. As you’ll all
understand, these conversations often lead nowhere but are very
enjoyable. The more alcohol is consumed, the more “borrelpraat” can be
heard.

Examples:
– “Luister maar niet naar die borrelpraat; als je nuchter bent is het niet te volgen.”
(“You’d better not listen to that twaddle; if you’re sober it’s impossible to follow.”)Borrel_2

– “Moeten jullie nog werken of kunnen we gaan borrelen om het weekend te vieren?” 
(“Do you still have work to do or can we go and have a drink to celebrate the weekend?”)

– “Kom eens met ons borrelen.”
(“Join us for a informal drink.”)

– “Je gelooft die roddels toch niet; het is gewoon borrelpraat.”
(“You don’t believe that gossip, do you; it’s just twaddle.”)

Related words:
– Borrel: drink, informal reception [noun] [de borrel, de borrels].
– Borrelen: drink and talk [verb] [borrelde, geborreld].
– Praat: talk [noun] [no singular, de praat].

Geschiedenis

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1. history [noun] [de geschiedenis, de geschiedenissen] Iconspeaker_3

Every Dutch newspaper will probably use this word today when referring to the Barack Obama’s presidential election victory. For more words related to elections, check DWOTD’s "verkiezing" or "peiling".

Examples:
– "Obama wordt de eerste Afro-Amerikaanse president in de geschiedenis van de Verenigde Staten." 
("Obama will become the first Afro-American president in the history of the United States." Please note that the United States of AmeOude_kaartrica ("Verenigde Staten van Amerika") are often abbreviated to "VS" in Dutch. Also the term "Afro-Amerikaans" is more commonly used than ‘Afrikaans-Amerikaans’.)

– "De geschiedenis van China begint 6.000 jaar geleden." 
("The history of China starts 6,000 years ago".)

– "Hij heeft geschiedenis gestudeerd aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam." 
("He has studies history at the University of Amsterdam".)

– "Onze vaderlandse geschiedenis leert ons over het heden en de toekomst van Nederland." 
("Our country’s history teaches us about the present and the future of the Netherlands." Please note that the literal translation for the slightly outdated "vaderland" is "fatherland".)

Expressions:
– Geschiedenis schrijven: to write history.

Example:
– "Obama schrijft geschiedenis door de eerste Afro-Amerikaanse president van de Verenigde Staten te worden." 
("Obama writes history by becoming the first Afro-American president of the United States.")

– De geschiedenis herhaalt zich: history repeates itself.

Example:
– "De geschiedenis herhaalt zich keer op keer." 
("History repeats itself again and again.")

Related words:
– Verleden: the past [noun] [het verleden, no plural].
– Heden: the present [noun] [het heden, no plural].
– Toekomst: the future [noun] [de toekomst, no plural].

2. story, tale [noun] [de geschiedenis, de geschiedenissen] Iconspeaker_3

"Geschiedenis" can also be used when referring to a story of tale. This translation is much more uncommon than the one explained above and is rather old-fashioned.

Examples:
– "Hij vertelde me dat hij wakker werd en niet meer wist hoe hij aan het geld kwam. Wat een vreemde geschiedenis."
("He told me that he woke up and he didn’t remember how he got the money. What a strange story".A more common way to say "Wat een vreemde geschiedenis" would be "Wat een raar verhaal".)

Related words:
– Verhaal: the story [noun] [het verhaal, de verhalen].