Author Archives: Marc

Een kind kan de was doen

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It’s as simple as that [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

The literal translation of "Een kind kan de was doen" is "A child can do the laundry". This expression is often an addition to an instruction for an activity or action at hand. It stresses the fact that the action is childlishly simple. Eenkindkandewasdoen

Examples:
– "Je sluit de webcam aan op de laptop en de installatie gaat vanzelf! Een kind kan de was doen!" 
("You connect the webcam to the laptop and the installation is done automatically! It’s as simple as that!")

– "Ik stop de afwas in de afwasmachine en een uur later is alles schoon…een kind kan de was doen…" 
("I put the dishes in the dishwasher and after an hour everything is clean…it’s as simple as that…")

– "Het is nu ook mogelijk om on-line belastingaangifte te doen. Een kind kan de was doen."  – "Echt niet, ook on-line blijft het een vervelende klus."
("It’s possible now to do your tax report on-line. It’s as simple as that." – "Really no! Also on-line, it’s still an annoying job.")

Expressions:
– "Eitje": piece of cake.
– "Appeltje-eitje": a piece of cake. Lit.: little apple, little egg. An extended version the expression "eitje".
– "Een fluitje van een cent": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little whistle of a cent.
– "Een inkoppertje": a piece of cake.
– "Een peuleschil": a piece of cake. Lit.: a bean’s peel.

Example:
– "Deze kruiswoordpuzzel is echt geen peuleschil, level ‘Goeroe’ is in feite onbegonnen werk…"
("This crossword puzzle is really not a piece of cake, level "Guru" is in fact a hopeless task…")

– "Een koud kunstje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a cold little trick.
– "Een abc’tje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little a-b-c.

Related words:
– Kind: child [noun] [het kind, de kinderen].
– Was: wash, washing, laundry [noun] [de was , <no plural>].
– Doen: to do [verb] [deed, gedaan].

Kapot

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broken, cracked, torn, gone to pieces, out of order [adjective] [ka-pot] Iconspeaker_3

"Kapot" is used as a qualification for a general dysfunctional state. This goes for both objects and persons, physically as well as mentally. "Kapot" can be used in conjunction with a various number of verbs, which will lead to various translations, but all will somehow refer to a dysfunctional state.

You will hear the synonymous "stuk" a lot as well.Kapotte_lamp

Examples:
– "De lamp is kapot." 
("The lamp is broken.")

– "Mam, ik heb de vaas laten vallen, en nu is hij stuk…" 
("Mum, I’ve dropped the vase, and now it’s gone to pieces…")

– "Laat me een keer slapen, want ik ga kapot." 
("Let me sleep just one time, because I’m going to pieces." Line from a song by famous Dutch 80s band Doe Maar)

Expressions:
– "Zich kapot lachen": to laugh one’s ass off.
– "Zich kapot schrikken": to be scared to death.

Example:
– "Frank ziet er slecht uit…ik heb me kapot geschrokken…"
("Frank is looking awful…I was scared to death (by it)…")

– "Zich kapot werken": to work oneself to death.
– "Ergens kapot van zijn": <positive> to be (really) impressed by something, to (really) love something.

Example:
– "Wat vind je van de nieuwe CD van Duffy?" – "Ik ben er helemaal kapot van!"
("What do you think of Duffy’s new CD?" – "I really love it!)

– "Ergens kapot van zijn": <negative> to be dreadfully cut up by something.

Example:
– "Hoe lang is het al uit?" – "Zes maanden, maar ik ben er nog steeds kapot van."
("It’s been how long since the breakup?" – "Six months, but I’m still heart-broken.")

Related words:
– Stuk: broken [adjective].
– Uitgeput: exhausted [adjective].

Dak

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roof [noun] [het dak, de da-ken] Iconspeaker_3

Dak
Examples:
– "Het dak lekt…" 
("The roof is leaking…")

– "Kom van dat dak af!" 
("Get off that roof immediately!" See Extra.)

– "Ons huis heeft een plat dak." 
("Our house has a flat roof.")

– "Zal er dit jaar met Kerst sneeuw op de daken liggen?" 
("Will there be snow on the roofs with Christmas this year? ")

Expressions:
– "Onder één dak wonen": to live in the same house / under the same roof.
– "Het viel me koud op mijn dak": "I was quite unprepared for it".
– "Uit je dak gaan": to go wild.

Example:
– "Hoe was het concert?" – "Man, ik ging helemaal uit mijn dak!!"
("How was the concert?" – "Man, I went completely wild!!")

Related words:
– Dakpan: roof tile [noun] [de pan, de pannen].
– Regenpijp: (d)rain pipe [noun] [de pijp, de pijpen].
– Schoorsteen: chimney [noun] [de steen, de stenen].
– Ladder: ladder [noun] [de ladder, de ladders].

Extra:
In the late 50s, a Dutch rock ‘n’ roll song became very popular and is now one of the Dutch rock ‘n’ roll classics. The song is called "Kom van dat dak af" and was performed by "Peter en zijn Rockets": lead singer Peter Koelewijn and his band "De Rockets". You can listen to the song here, or watch Peter sing his biggest hit again in 2007…

Eitje

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piece of cake [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

"Eitje" is the diminutive of "ei", and literally translates to "(little) egg"… Apart from its literal use, "eitje" is used as an expression to say that it is very easy to a perform a certain activity, in other words: to say that something is a piece of cake. Ei

There are a number of equivalent expressions, all translating to "a piece of cake", see Expressions.

Examples:
– "Hoe ging je examen Nederlands?" – "Eitje."
("How did your Dutch exam go?" – "Piece of cake.")

– "Ben je niet helemaal uitgeput na 10 kilometer rennen?" – "Nee man, eitje!"
("Aren’t you totally exhausted after running 10 kilometres?" – "No dude, piece of cake!")

– "Ik zit nu al een half uur naar deze sudoku te koekeloeren, maar ik kom niet verder…"  – "Kom hier, deze is echt een eitje."
("I’m staring at this sudoku for half an hour now already, but I can’t seem to get any further…" – "Come here, this one’s really a piece of cake.")

Expressions:
– "Appeltje-eitje": a piece of cake. Lit.: little apple, little egg. An extended version the expression "eitje".
– "Een fluitje van een cent": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little whistle of a cent.
– "Een inkoppertje": a piece of cake.
– "Een peuleschil": a piece of cake. Lit.: a bean’s peel.

Example:
– "Deze kruiswoordpuzzel is echt geen peuleschil, level ‘Goeroe’ is in feite onbegonnen werk…"
("This crossword puzzle is really not a piece of cake, level "Guru" is in fact a hopeless task…")

– "Een koud kunstje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a cold little trick.
– "Een abc’tje": a piece of cake. Lit.: a little a-b-c.

Related words:
– Ei: egg [noun] [het ei, de eieren].

Beroerd

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miserable, nasty, rotten, awful [adjective] Iconspeaker_3

"Beroerd" is synonymous to "belabberd". It also indicates an opposite state of well-being. Like "belabberd", "beroerd" can be used for mental and physical state, situations and performance.

Sickdog

Examples:
– "Ik heb flinke keelpijn, ik voel me erg beroerd." 
("My have a very sore throat, I feel really miserable.")

– "Vanochtend had ik een gigantische kater, ik heb me nog nooit zo beroerd gevoeld…"
("This morning I had a terrible hangover, I’ve never felt so miserable…")

– "De situatie in Congo is beroerd nu de oorlog tussen de Hutu’s en de Tutsi’s weer begonnen is." 
("The situation in Congo is nasty now the war between the Hutus and the Tutsis has started again.")

– "10 km in twee en een half uur? Dat is een beroerde prestatie van Frank…" 
("10km in two and a half hour? That’s a lousy achievement of Frank….")

Expressions:
– "De beroerdste niet zijn": to be not that difficult. (Used to indicate one’s flexible attitude)

Example:
– "Liefie, wil jij de afwas doen?" – Tuurlijk scheetje, ik ben de beroerdste niet."
("Sweetie, do you want to do the dishes?" – "Of course my little darling, I’m not that difficult.")

Related words:
– Belabberd: lousy, miserable [adjective].
– Slecht: bad [adjective].