Author Archives: Dutch Gurus

Koken

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to cook, to prepare dinner, to boil [verb] [kookte, gekookt]

Examples:
1. "Kookt het water al?"
("Is the water boiling already?")

2. "Kook de rijst gedurende 8 minuten."
("Let the rice boil for 8 minutes.")

3. "Hij maakte een goede indruk door voor haar te koken."
("He made a good impression by cooking for her.")

4. "Frank kookte van woede."
("Frank seethed with rage". Literally: "Frank was boiling out of anger.")

Related words:
1. "Gaar": (well) done, cooked (through).

Example:
"De aardappels zijn gaar."
("The potatoes are cooked/done/ready.")

2. "Afgieten": to drain, to pour off.

Example:
"Als de aardappels gaar zijn, kun je ze afgieten."
("When the potatoes are ready, you may drain them.")

Expressions:
1. "Gaar zijn": to be exhausted (literally: to be cooked).

This expression is often used in the construction: "Ik ben zo gaar als een …" ("I’m cooked like a …").

Example:
"Ik ben zo gaar als een konijn/aardappel."
("I’m cooked like a rabbit/potato.")

Anything that can be cooked can be filled in but the version "Ik ben zo gaar als boter" ("butter") is very common.

2. "Iemand in zijn eigen sop gaar laten koken/worden": no longer interfering with someone (because that someone is conceited). (Literally: "to let somebody boil/stew in his own juice").

3. "Nu zijn de rapen gaar!"
(There you will have it! The situation will get out of control now!" Literally: "Now the turnips are cooked!")

Horloge

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(wrist) watch [noun] [het horloge, de horloges]

"Horloge" is an example of a French word that made it into the Dutch language. Although one might say that it is not very difficult for a word to make it into the Dutch language, French words are abundant and we will see more of them in future DWOTDs.

Although "horloge" in French translates to the more general "clock", in Dutch it translates to wrist watch by default but one can emphasize the wrist if necessary (see ‘Examples’).

Examples:
1. "Zakhorloge": pocket watch.
2. "Polshorloge": wrist watch.
3. "Horlogemaker": watchmaker, watch repairer/mender.

4. "Hoe laat is het?" – "Sorry, ik heb geen horloge."
("What time is it?" – "I’m sorry, I do not have a watch.")

Related word:
"Klok": clock.

Extra:
Learn more about watches at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watch .

Ruimte

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space, room [noun] [de ruimte, de ruimtes]

"Ruimte" is used to describe definite and indefinite space or room.

Examples:
1. "Heb je al woonruimte gevonden?"
("Have you found a place to live yet?")

Here "ruimte" is indefinite. Same in the following three examples:

2. "Is er vergaderruimte beschikbaar?"
("Are there any meeting facilities available?")

3. "Lange mensen hebben vaak gebrek aan beenruimte in een vliegtuig."
("Tall people often have lack of space for their legs in an airplane.")

4. "De regels laten niet veel ruimte over voor een creatieve oplossing."
("The rules do not offer much space/room for a creative solution." Literally: "…do not leave…")

The following two examples show the definite use of "ruimte":

5. "Frank miste de projectvergadering omdat hij in de verkeerde vergaderruimte zat."
("Frank missed the project meeting because he was in the wrong meeting room.")

6. "Isabelle heeft altijd al gedroomd van reizen door de ruimte."
("Isabelle has always dreamt of travelling through (outer) space.")

Related words:
1. "Zaal" : room, hall.
"Zaal" is always definite and is typically used for large rooms in which people gather for some kind of activity.

Examples:
a. "Concertzaal": concert/music hall.
b. "Balzaal": ball room.
c. "Ontbijtzaal": breakfast room.
d. "Gymzaal": sports hall.
e. "Vergaderzaal": meeting room.

When talking about a small meeting room, use "vergaderzaaltje". One can also use the word "spreekkamer" ("speaking room") when the group is very small (say about 4 people or less).

2. "Heelal" : universe (literally: "the very/whole all").

Expression:
"Dat is gelul in de ruimte!".
("That’s loose talk!")

"Gelul" comes from the verb "lullen" which is more or less synonym to "kletsen", but much more informal (!) and usually translates to "to talk nonsense". See DWOTD "Kletsen".

Where a Dutchman shouts "gelul!", an American might shout "bull!" 🙂

Dobbelsteen

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Grammar: <dobbel> <steen> [noun] [de dobbelsteen, de dobbelstenen].

Translates to: dice (game).

A synonym for "dobbelsteen" is "teerling", but it is never used other than in one expression (see below).

Example:
<in a game:> "Het is jouw beurt om de dobbelsteen te gooien."
("It is your turn to throw the dice.")
See also "DWOTD (5): Beurt".

Expression:
"De teerling is geworpen."
("The die is cast.")

Related words:
1. "Dobbelen": to (play) dice (usually to gamble).
2. "Steen": stone.

Extra:
The novel ‘Les jeux sont faits’ by Jean-Paul Sartre is known in Dutch by the title ‘De teerling is geworpen’. Read more about this novel at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_jeux_sont_faits

Kletsen

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to chat, to chatter, to gossip, to talk nonsense/rubbish, to splash, to throw/hit with a splashing sound [verb] [kletste, gekletst]

Although “kletsen” has more than one meaning, it is mostly used as a form of talking.

Examples:
1. “Laat ze maar kletsen.”
(<indifferently:> “Let them talk/gossip.”)

2. “Kinderen, niet kletsen in de klas! – sprak de juf.”
(“Children, no talking/chatting during class! – the teacher/nanny said.”)

3. “De regendruppels kletsten op de stoep.”
(“The raindrops were splashing on the pavement.”)

Expressions:
1. “Uit je nek kletsen.”: to talk nonsense. (Literally: to talk out of your neck).

Example:
“Frank zat weer behoorlijk uit z’n nek te kletsen tijdens de vergadering.”
(“Frank was really talking nonsense again during the meeting.”)

2. “Iemand de oren van het hoofd kletsen.”: to talk the hind leg off
a donkey / to talk really much. (Literally: to talk the ears off
someone’s head).

Related words:
1. “Bijkletsen” : to chat with a person in an informal way in order to update eachother on what has been going on in eachother’s lives (“to catch up”).

Example:
“We moeten binnenkort maar weer eens gezellig bijkletsen.”
(“We should catch up / have a nice little chit chat soon.”)

2. “Kletskous” : chatterbox, a person who is chatting/gossiping all the time. A “kous” is a “stocking”.

3. “Ouwehoeren”: to chatter / to go on, more or less synonymous to “kletsen” but very informal. (Literally: to old-whore…)

4. “Dijenkletser”: a really good joke. (Literally: a thigh splasher. Obviously it refers to the sound that is heard when you slap your upperlegs with your flat hands when hearing a really good joke…)