Author Archives: Dutch Gurus

Iemand

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someone, anyone [indefinite pronoun] Iconspeaker_3

You’ll come across "iemand" meaning "someone" or "anyone" very frequently in the Dutch language. It is also very often used in personal interviews when the interviewee describes himself (please see "Extra"). Related to "iemand" is "niemand", which means "nobody" or "no one".

Examples:
– "Ik heb het iemand horen zeggen, maar ik weet niet meer wie." 
("I heard someone say this, but I can’t remember who.")

– "Ik dacht dat er iemand aanbelde, maar toen ik de deur opendeed, zag ik niemand." 
("I thought that someone rang the doorbell, but when I opened the door, I didn’t see anyone." Lit.: "…, I saw no one".)

– "Ik zoek een klusjesman, weet je iemand?" 
("I’m looking for a handyman, do you know anyone?")

– "Ik heb ook geen zin om de badkamer te poetsen, maar iemand moet het doen!" 
("I don’t feel like cleaning the bathroom either, but someone has to do it!")

– "Ken jij iemand die zijn geld bij Icesave heeft gezet?" 
("Do you know anyone who put his money on the Icesave bank?")

Expressions:
– "Iemand zijn": to be someone (special, important).

Example:
– "Sinds hij een BN’er is geworden, denkt hij echt dat hij iemand is."
("Since he has become a Dutch celebrity, he really thinks he’s very important.")

Example:
– "Kijk uit wat je zegt, hij is niet zomaar iemand."
("Mind your words, he’s not just anybody.")

Extra:
In interviews, people often start their sentence with "ik ben iemand die…" which means "I am someone who…" followed by features of their character.

Example:
– "<Interviewer:> – Wat voor persoon ben je? <Geïnterviewde:> Ik ben iemand die niet makkelijk opgeeft."
("<Interviewer:> – What type of person are you? <Interviewee:> I am someone who does not give up easily.")

Related words:
– Niemand: nobody, no one [indefinite pronoun].

Prachtig

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beautiful, gorgeous, splendid, exquisite [adjective, adverb]  Speaker

"Prachtig" means "beautiful" and can apply to almost everything:
people, an event or experience, feelings, and things (but not, for
instance, to food which is " lekker" or "heerlijk").Prachtig_3
Please note that "mooi" also means beautiful. "Prachtig" however is
even better than mooi and has no comparative or superlative.

Examples:
-"Wat een prachtige zonsondergang!" 
("What a beautiful sunset!")

-"Ik heb prachtige schoenen gekocht bij Massimo Dutti!" 
("I bought beautiful shoes at Massimo Dutti.")

– "Heb je ooit zo’n prachtige vrouw gezien? Ik ben tot over mijn oren verliefd op haar!" 
("Have you ever seen such a beautiful woman? I’m head over heels in love with her!")

– "Uitverkoop? Nederlanders vinden het prachtig! Kijk maar naar de ‘Drie Dwaze Dagen’ in de Bijenkorf…die zijn vandaag weer begonnen…" 
("Bargain
sale? The Dutch just love it! Just take a look at the ‘Drie Dwaze
Dagen’ at Bijenkorf…they’ve started again today…")

– "Ik vind Rio de Janeiro een prachtige stad."  – "Vind je? Ik vind Buenos Aires mooier." 
("I find Rio de Janeiro a beautiful city." – "Do you think so? I think Buenos Aires is more beautiful.")

– "Ik zag ‘Adam’ van Barnett Newman laatst in het Tate museum; wat een prachtig schilderij!" 
("I saw ‘Adam’ by Barnett Newman in the Tate museum the other day; what an exquisite painting!")

– "Zie ik er mooi uit?" – "Je ziet er prachtig uit!" 
("Do I look beautiful?" – "You look gorgeous")

– "Wat vond u van de dansvoorstelling?" – "Prachtig, prachtig! Ik heb nog nooit zo’n prachtige choreografie gezien!"
("What did you think of the ballet performance?" – "Marvellous, marvellous!! I’ve never seen such a magnificent choreography")

Related words:
– Mooi: beautiful [adjective, adverb] [comparative: mooier, superlative: mooist].

Begin

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start, beginning [noun] [het begin, no plural] Speaker

"Begin" is used very frequently in Dutch. The related verb is
"beginnen" ("to start") and someone who is just starting at something
is called a "beginner" or, slightly more old-fashioned, a
"beginneling". Check out the Examples on how to begin!

Examples:
– "In het begin voelde ik me niet erg thuis in Nederland, maar na een tijdje begon ik het leuk te  vinden."
("In the beginning I didn’t feel very much at home in The Netherlands, but after a while I started to appreciate it".)

– "Het begin van de wedstrijd was ongelofelijk saai maar in de tweede helft scoorde Manchester United twee keer."
("The start of the match was incredibly boring but in the second half Manchester United scored twice.")

– " Ik heb je zoveel te vertellen na al die jaren, ik weet niet waar ik moet beginnen!" – "Begin maar bij het begin! "
("I have so much to tell you after all these years, I don’t know where to start!" – "Why don’t you start at the beginning!")

– "Ga je eind of begin december op vakantie? – Ik ga begin december; kerst vier ik liever thuis."
("Are
you going on a vacation in the end or in the beginning of December? –
I’m going early December; I prefer to celebrate Christmas at home.")

– "Volg je de talencursus Spaans voor beginners of voor gevorderden?" Begin_2_3
("Are
you taking the beginner or advanced Spanish language course?" Lit.:
"Are you following the language course Spanish for beginners or
advanced students?")

– "Bedankt voor je hulp! Ik weet niet wat ik zonder jou had moeten beginnen!"
("Thanks for your help! I don’t know what I should have done without you!")

– "Iedere Amerikaanse zakenbank redden van faillisement? Nee, daar kunnen we echt niet aan beginnen!"
("Saving every US investment bank from bankruptcy? No, there’s no way we can do that!")

– "Er is niks met hem te beginnen, hij wil per se niet meer naar school gaan."
("He’s unmanageable, he insists he won’t go to school anymore.")

Expressions:
– "Alle begin is moeilijk."
("The first step is the hardest". Lit.: "All beginning is difficult".)

– "Een goed begin is het halve werk."
("The first blow is half the battle". Lit.: "A good start is half the work".)

Related words:
– Beginner: starter [noun] [de beginner, de beginners]
– Beginneling: beginner [noun] [de beginneling, de beginnelingen]
– Beginnen: to start [verb] [begon, begonnen]
– Gevorderd: advanced [adjective, adverb]

Zwerver

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tramp, vagabond, hobo, homeless person [noun] [de zwerver, de zwervers] Speaker_2

Zwerver
The word "zwerver" can also be translated with "drifter" or "wanderer", the associated verbs being "zwerven" or "rondzwerven" (see Related words). However, usually the meaning is more negative: "tramp" or "homeless person".

In the Netherlands we are not doing too badly in preventing people from becoming homeless. However, we do have our fair share of "zwervers" in the bigger cities. The situation seems to have improved in the last decade and one is not confronted with beggars as much as for example in the 80s.

Examples:
– "De zwerver probeerde wat geld te verdienen voor een slaapplaats door op straat liedjes te zingen."
("The tramp tried to make some money for a sleeping-place by singing songs on the street.") 

– "Ach moet je die zwerver zien, echt zielig…"
("My, look at that hobo, how sad/pitiful…")

– "Je hebt ook mensen die er voor kiezen om zwerver te zijn."
("There are people who choose to be homeless.")

– "In Italië lopen overal zwerfkatten."
("In Italy, stray cats are everywhere.") 

Related words:
– Zwerven: to wander, float, drift [verb] [zwierf, gezworven].
– Rondzwerven: to wander/roam about [verb] [zwierf rond, rondgezworven].

Examples:
– "Wie laat zijn kinderen nou zo laat op straat rondzwerven?"
("Who would let his children wander on the streets this late?")

– "We gaven de rondzwervende huisdieren wat eten en water."
("We gave the stray pets some food and water.")

– Bedelaar: beggar [noun] [de bedelaar, de bedelaars].
– Bedelen: to beg [verb] [bedelde, gebedeld].
– Dakloos: homeless [adjective]. Literally: "roofless".
– Dakloze: homeless person [noun] [de dakloze, daklozen].
– Verslaafd: addicted [adjective].
– Opvang: shelter [noun] [de opvang, no plural]. Usually this implies food and a bed.

Bierbuik

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beer belly [noun] [de bierbuik, de bierbuiken] Speaker

"Bierbuik" is the Dutch word for "beer belly". It’s definitely not a
nice thing to say that someone has a beer belly. "Buik" is used in many
other ways (see DWOTD "Buik") and the Dutch even use it as part of a verb (see "Extra").

Examples:
– "Als je zo doorgaat met bier drinken heb je op je 30e een bierbuik!"
("If you continue drinking beer like that you’ll have beer belly when you’re 30!" Note that in Dutch the word "beer" translates to "bear".) Buikje_2

– "Ondanks zijn bierbuik is het hem gelukt de marathon van New York uit te lopen!"
("Despite his beer belly, he managed to finish the New York marathon!")

– "Hij gaat elke week naar de sportschool om zijn bierbuik weg te krijgen, hij traint net zolang tot hij een wasbordje heeft."
("He goes to the gym every week to get rid of his beer belly, he will
train until he has six pack abs." Please note that "wasbordje"
literally means "washboard", the board that was used by your
grandmother to wash clothes on.)

Related words: 
– "Buikspreker": ventriloquist [noun] [de buikspreker, de buiksprekers].
– "Buikpijn": stomachache [noun] [de buikpijn, no plural].
– "Buikje": little belly [noun] [het buikje, de buikjes].
– "Uitbuiken": digest your food comfortably [verb] [uitbuikte, uitgebuikt].

Extra:
Buikje_3_3When you sit back and relax after a lavish dinner, this is called
"uitbuiken" in Dutch. Literally, it means something like "to stomach
out", or give your stomach some room. Typically, people who are in the
event of "uitbuiken" will stretch their legs and lean backwards on the
couch or a chair to give their stomach some space.

Example:
– "Pff, ik heb zoveel gegeten, even uitbuiken!"
("Pff, I ate so much, let’s sit back and relax!")