Author Archives: Laura

Volledig

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complete(ly), full(y), entire(ly) [adverb/adjective] [vol-le-dig] Iconspeaker_3

"Volledig" consists of two words: "vol" (meaning "full") and "ledig" (the old-fashioned word for "leeg" which means "empty"). So it seems to be a contradictio in terminis: what does it mean, full or empty? "Volledig" means full. A more often used synonym of "volledig" is "helemaal".

Related noun is "volledigheid": completeness, entirety.

Examples:
– "Dacht je dat ik jouw werk zou afmaken? Sorry, dat heb je volledig verkeerd begrepen!"
("Did you think that I would finish your work? I’m sorry, you completely misunderstood.")

– "Hij is volledig blut na zijn reis naar de casino’s in Macau." 
("He is completely broke after his trip to the casinos in Macau.")

– "Heb je de volledige route naar van Amsterdam naar Santiago de Compostela gelopen?"
("Did you walk the entire way from Amsterdam to Santiago de Compostela?")

– "Voor de volledigheid zal ik de doelstellingen van het project nogmaals toelichten." 
("For the sake of completeness I will explain the objectives of the project once more." Please note that "volledigheid" is often used in a formal setting.)

– "Haar vakantie was volledig verziekt door de aanslag in Mumbai."
("Her vacation was totally ruined because of the attack in Mumbai.")

– "Zoek je een gedeeltelijk of volledig gemeubileerd appartement?"
("Are you looking for a partly or fully furnished apartment?")

– "Deze auto is volledig uitgerust om door de bergen te rijden."
("This car is fully equipped to drive through the mountains.")

– "Maak je geen zorgen, je kunt hem volledig vertrouwen."
("Don’t worry, you can trust him completely.")

Related words:
– Volledigheid: completeness [noun] [de volledigheid, de volledigheden].
– Vol: full [adverb/adjective].
– Totaal: total [adverb/adjective].
– Heleboel: a (whole) lot, (quite) a lot, lots [noun] [de heleboel, <no plural>].
– Leeg: empty [adverb/adjective].

Kaal

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bald, bare [adjective] [kaal] Iconspeaker_3

"Kaal" can refer to a landscape without trees, a head without hair, a room without furniture, a piece of worn out fabric or a bare wall. Check out this DWOTD for an example of an expression referring to the meaning "bald".

Examples:
– "Wat een kaal, kleurloos landschap, er is geen boom of grassprietje te zien."
("What a bare, colourless landscape, there’s not even one tree or tiny blade of grass.")

– "Als je in het leger gaat, scheren ze je hoofd kaal."  Kaal_2
("If you join the army, they’ll shave your head.")

– "Val jij op kale mannen of mannen met een flinke haardos?"
("Do you fancy bald men or men with a head of hair?")

– "Veel kale vrouwen dragen een pruik." 
("Many bald women wear wigs.")

– "Ik ben net verhuisd dus mijn nieuwe appartement ziet er nog wat kaal uit."
("I’ve just moved so my new apartment still looks a bit empty.")

– "Ik ga een grote spiegel aan die kale muur hangen."
("I’m going to put up a large mirror on that bare wall.")

– "Je kunt die jas echt niet meer aan, hij is helemaal kaal op de ellebogen."
("You really cannot wear that coat anymore, it’s all bare on the elbows.")

Related words:
– Kaalheid: baldness [noun] [de kaalheid, <no plural>].
– Kalend: getting bald [adjective].
– Haardos: hair of head [noun] [de haardos, de haardossen].
– Pruik: wig [noun] [de pruik, de pruiken].

Dat komt goed uit!

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that suits me fine, that fits in very well [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

netherlands-674698_1280“Dat komt goed uit” is literally translated as “that comes good out” 😉 The verb in the phrase is “uitkomen” which has several meanings, such as “to end up, to lead to, to come out, to be disclosed”. “Dat komt goed uit” is used when two events luckily coincide, making things easier for the people involved. Since it is often used as a reply to a proposition, people might add “me”: “dat komt me goed uit”, or “that suits me fine” or “that is very convenient for me”.

Examples:
– “Ik heb volgende week alleen op dinsdagmiddag nog vrij in mijn agenda.” – “Dat komt goed uit, dat is ook de enige middag dat ik kan.”
(“I only have a free space in my calendar on Tuesday afternoon next week.” – “That fits in very well, that’s the only afternoon that would be possible for me.”)

– “Het komt goed uit dat je Italiaans spreekt, anders hadden we nooit dat vakantiehuisje kunnen regelen.” 
(“It comes in handy that you speak Italian, otherwise it would have been impossible to arrange that holiday cottage.”)

– “Ik heb zo’n zin in winterkost!” – “Dat komt goed uit want ik heb net stamppot gemaakt.”
(“I really feel like winter food!”- “That’s very convenient, because I have just made mashed potatoes and cabbage.” See picture for a version of “stamppot” called “boerenkool met worst”.)

– “Ik voel me niet zo lekker vandaag maar hoef niet te werken dus dat komt goed uit.”
(“I don’t feel very well today but I don’t have to work so that suits me fine.”)

– “Wil je een lift naar huis? Ik moet toch die kant op dus dat komt goed uit.”
(“Do you want a ride home? I have to go that direction anyway so that fits in very well.”)

Related words:
– Uitkomen: to end up, to come out, to lead to, to be disclosed [verb] [kwam uit, uitgekomen]

Glad

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1. smooth, slippery [adjective/adverb] Iconspeaker_3

In general, "glad" refers to an object which is not rough. It is often used when warning for slippery roads in wintertime, or to describe objects with a smooth surface.

Examples:
– "Het tijdschrift heeft een glanzende, gladde voorkant."
("The magazine has a shiny, smooth cover.")

– "Puisterige pubers gebruiken clearasil om een gladde huid te krijgen."  Glad
("Teens with pimples use clearasil to get a smooth skin.")

– "Mijn fietsbanden hebben bijna geen profiel meer; ze zijn helemaal glad."
("My bicycle-tyres don’t have any tread left; they’re all bald.")

– "De gladde wegen leidden tot lange files op de snelwegen." 
("The slippery roads resulted in long traffic jams on the highways.")

– "De sneeuw maakte de weg spiegelglad." 
("The snow made the road as slippery as glass.")

Expressions:
– "Iets glad vergeten": to totally forget something.

Example:
– "Het spijt me heel erg, maar ik ben je verjaardag glad vergeten." 
("I’m so sorry, but I totally forgot your birthday.")

Related words:
– Spiegelglad: as slippery as glass [adjective/adverb].

2. slick [adjective/adverb] Iconspeaker_3

"Glad" can also refer to boys or men. If so, it is seldomly used as a compliment. Someone is "glad" when he’s not to be trusted. I suspect the origin of the word has something to do with an apparent correlation between untrustworthy men and the exuberant amounts of hair gel that these men tend to use to create their slick hairdo. Slightly old-fashioned words for such a type of man are "gladjakker" and "gladjanus".

Examples:
– "Ik zou mijn auto niet van die autohandelaar kopen; hij is veel te glad."
("I wouldn’t buy my car from that car dealer; he’s way too slick.")

– "Kijk maar uit voor die gladde jongens met hun gladde praatjes."
("You’d better watch out for those slick guys with their slick stories.")

Related words:
– Gladjanus: slicker [noun] [de gladjanus, de gladjanussen].
– Gladjakker: slicker [noun] [de gladjakker, de gladjakkers].

Traag

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slow [adjective/adverb] Iconspeaker_3

"Traag" refers to the slowness of events, people, internet and so on. A more often-used synonym of "traag" is "langzaam". The difference between the two words is that people will choose "traag" if they are starting to get a bit annoyed, whereas "langzaam" can also be a good thing.

Examples:
– "Hij loopt zo traag als een slak hoewel er niets mis is met zijn conditie." 
("He walks like a snail although there’s nothing wrong with his fitness.")

– "Ik kom echt traag op gang elke dag, vooral nu het nog steeds donker is als ik opsta ‘s ochtends." 
("I really get off to a slow start every day, especially now it’s still dark when I get up in the morning.")

– "Zij is een beetje traag van begrip vandaag omdat ze maar drie uur heeft geslapen vannacht." 
("She’s a bit slow-witted today since she’s only slept three hours last night.")

– "Internet is zo traag vandaag, is er een technische storing ofzo?"  Traag_3
("Internet is so slow today, is there a technical malfunction or something?")

– "<Plaatje:> Graag traag (rijden)".
(" ("<Picture:> (Drive) slowly please.")

– "De bestuurder in de auto voor ons rijdt zo traag als een oma." 
("The driver in the car before us drives as slow as a grandma.")

Related words:
– Langzaam: slow [adjective/adverb].
– Snel: fast [adjective/adverb].
– Traagheid: slowness, tardiness [noun] [de traagheid, no plural].