Author Archives: Sander

Dat is vaste prik

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that happens regularly, that’s certain
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[dat is vas-te prik] 

When something is ‘vaste prik’ in Dutch it means that something happens with a certain regularity, or something happens so often and regularly that it has become a certainty. The phrase is also used in the form ‘[subject/topic] is vaste prik’.

The phrase apparently dates back to the practice of tax collectors to carry a stick that they punctured or made small cuts in to help them determine the amount of tax paid (as a counting aid). Such a stick is called ‘kerfstok’ in Dutch (for which I can’t find a translation).

Examples:
– “Op wie wachten we nu nog?” – “O, op Frank, dat is vaste prik met hem op vrijdag, dan is hij altijd te laat.” 
(“So who are we still waiting for?” – “Oh, for Frank, it’s always the same thing with him, on Fridays he’s late.”)

– “In het begin ging ik af en toe hardlopen in het weekend, maar nu is het inmiddels vaste prik.” 
(“At first I used to go running in the weekends every now and then, but by now it has become a habit.”)

– “Het is tegenwoordig vaste prik voor alle professionele atleten; na elke wedstrijd is er dopingcontrole.” 
(“Nowadays it is certain that professional athletes have to undergo a dope/drug test after a match/game.”)

– “Toeristen die niet uitkijken bij het oversteken, vaste prik in Amsterdam, vormen vaak een gevaar voor zichzelf.” 
(“Tourists who do not watch out when crossing the street, almost a given in Amsterdam, often pose a danger to themselves.”)

– “Voor Sheldon Cooper is pizza vaste prik op donderdagavond.” 
(“Thursday night is pizza night for Sheldon Cooper.”)

Related words:
– Prik: prick, prod, injection/inoculation [noun] [de prik, de prikken]. ‘Prik’ is also the Dutch word for ‘pop/fizz’.
– Prikken: to prod/puncture/pin, to inject/inoculate, to set/fix a date [verb] [prikte, geprikt].

Example:
– “Het is met werkende mensen altijd lastig om een datum te prikken.”
(“It is always difficult to fix a date with people who work / have jobs.” In this meaning of ‘prikken’ the verb is probably derived from marking a date on a calendar with a pin.)

– Frequent: frequent(ly) [adjective/adverb].
– Regelmatig: regular(ly) [adjective/adverb].
– Altijd: always [adverb].
– Zeker: certain, absolute(ly) [adjective/adverb].

Voorraad

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stock, store supply, supplies, quantity
[noun]
[de voor-raad, de voor-ra-den] 

In Dutch the noun ‘voorraad’ is used for supply/stock that is available for sale, supplies you may have at home,  or general supply/quantity available for use.

Examples:
– “Ja hoor, dit product is uit voorraad leverbaar, dus u kunt langskomen wanneer u wil.” 
(“Yes no problem, this product is available off the shelf, so you can stop by whenever you want.”)

– “Helaas, ik moet u teleurstellen, ik heb deze lamp niet meer in voorraad.” 
(“I’m afraid I have to disappoint you, I am sold out of this lamp.” Lit. “Alas, … , I don’t have this lamp in stock anymore.” Note it is also common to use ‘op voorraad’ instead of ‘in voorraad’.)

– “De korting geldt zolang de voorraad strekt.” 
(“The discount is available as long as supplies last.”)

– “We vullen de voorraad ‘s nachts aan zodat de klanten er geen last van hebben.” 
(“We replenish the stock at night so that our customers are not bothered by it.” I’m afraid this sentence is not often said out loud in the Netherlands 😉 .)

– “De voorraad strooizout blijkt elk jaar weer ontoereikend te zijn.” 
(“Every year again it turns out that the supply of ‘strooizout’ is insufficient.” ‘Strooizout’ is the salt that one uses for icy roads. The verb ‘strooien’ means ‘to scatter’ or ‘to sow’ (in case of seeds).”)

– “Mijn oma heeft thuis een hele voorraad toiletpapier aangelegd; dat krijgt ze nooit meer op in haar leven!” 
(“My grandmother has stored up a lot of toilet paper in her home; she will never be able to finish it during her lifetime!”)

– “Jongens, we zijn door de voorraad bier heen, wie gaat er even naar de avondwinkel?” 
(“Guys, the beer supply has run out, who’s going out to the ‘avondwinkel’?” The ‘avondwinkel’ is the late-night neighbourhood mini-supermarket. With Albert Heijn staying open to 22PM or later in the cities these days, the traditional ‘avondwinkel’ is losing ground.”)

Related words:
– Hamsteren: to hoard up [verb] [hamsterde, gehamsterd]. Derived from the behaviour of hamsters. Dutch supermarket Albert Heijn organizes annual ‘hamsterweken‘ during which you can buy two for the price of one (for selected products).
– Voorradig: in stock/store [adjective].

Example:
– “We hebben dit artikel in diverse kleuren voorradig.”
(“This product is available / in stock in all colours.”)

– Bevoorraden: to provision, to supply , to stock up [verb] [bevoorraadde, bevoorraad].

Opleuken

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to liven up, to brighten up
[verb]
[op-leu-ken, leuk-te op, op-ge-leukt] 

‘Leuk’ is the Dutch adjective for ‘nice’ or ‘pleasant’. It’s also the Dutch adjective for ‘funny, amusing, charming, attractive, pretty’ and even ‘jolly’, but we will ignore that for now 😉

‘Opleuken’ is an example of the Dutch tendency to create verbs whenever we have a need for one; the use of ‘op’ (which can mean ‘up’) in this case indicates that an improvement is the result.

Examples:
– “Zo, ik zie dat jullie de woonkamer opgeleukt hebben, gezellig hoor!” 
(“Hey, I see you (guys) have livened up the living room, really nice!”)

– “Ik geef een feestje komend weekend, wil je me helpen om de boel een beetje op te leuken?” 
(“I’m throwing a party this weekend, will you help me brighten things up?”)

– “Mijn kantoor is niet bepaald een warme omgeving.” – “Kun je het niet met wat planten opleuken?” 
(“My office is not really a warm environment.” – “Can’t you liven it up with a few plants?” Note that ‘kantoor’ in Dutch can mean both office (room) and office building.)

– “Ik heb het helemaal niet naar mijn zin in mijn nieuwe huis; ik vind het er maar kil!” – “Niet zo zeuren, kom op zeg, leuk het een beetje op en dan valt het heus wel mee!” 
(“I don’t feel good at all in my new house; I think it’s rather bleak!” – “Stop whining, come on, liven it up a bit and it won’t be all that bad!”)

Expressions:
– “Het gezellig maken”: to (physically) improve the atmosphere, to make it more pleasant / cosier.

Example:
– “O, wat heb je het hier gezellig gemaakt! En dat ondanks de grote ruimte!”
(“Oh, you have created such a nice atmosphere here! And that despite the big space!”).

Related words:
– Leuk: nice, pleasant [adjective].
– Gezellig: pleasant, enjoyable, nice, fun, good atmosphere, cosy [adjective/adverb].
– Verbeteren: to improve [verb] [verbeterde, verbeterd].
– Mooi maken: to beautify, to adorn, to pretty up [verb] [maakte mooi, mooi gemaakt].

In een handomdraai

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in (less than) no time
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[in een hand-om-draai] 

HandLiterally ‘in the turn of a hand’ this says that something can be done quickly and without effort, with one move of the hand… So, let’s do this DWOTD in een handomdraai!

Examples:
– “Ik moet een knoop van mijn jas vastzetten, pff…” – “We vragen het wel aan mijn moeder, die doet dat in een handomdraai!” 
(“I have to fasten one of the buttons of my jacket, pff…” – “We’ll ask my mother, don’t worry, she does that in no time!”)

– “Het is ongelofelijk mensen, koop nu de Ultra-200 Magic Mop en uw vloer is brandschoon in een handomdraai!” 
(“It’s incredible people, purchase the Ultra-200 Magic Mop right now and your floor will be spotless in less than no time.” Note the adjective ‘brandschoon’: spotless; literally ‘burning clean’.)

– “Het ziet er leuk uit dat spul van Apple, maar die Airport express krijg ik echt niet aan de praat!” – “Laat mij maar, ik configureer dat ding in een handomdraai!” 
(“Those Apple goodies all look great, but I just can’t get that Airport express to work!” – “Let me take a look, I’ll configure the thing in no time!” Note the expression ‘iets aan de praat krijgen’; literally ‘to get something to talk’ this is exclusively used for ‘trying to make or get something to work’ (equipment, machinery etc.))

Related words:
– Hand: hand [noun] [de hand, de handen].
– Omdraaien: to turn (around) [verb] [draaide om, omgedraaid].
– Snel: quick(ly), fast [adjective/adverb].
– Makkelijk: easy [adjective/adverb].

Verlengen

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to extend, to prolong, to lengthen
[verb]
[ver-len-gen, ver-leng-de, ver-lengd] 

‘Verlengen’ means ‘to make longer’ in the broadest sense of the word. It’s also commonly used when renewing a contract. In some cases it can also mean ‘to enlarge’ if enlarging is realized by lengthening. Use it as you see fit 🙂

Examples:
– “Vanwege de bezuinigingen is de kans groot dat je contract niet verlengd wordt…” 
(“Due to the budget cuts the probability is high that your contract will not be renewed.”)

– “Als er na 90 minuten nog niet gescoord is, wordt de wedstrijd verlengd.” 
(“When after 90 minutes no one has scored a goal, the game will go in extra time.” The verb ‘scoren’ is used in general for ‘to score a goal’.)

– “Binnenkort kan ik mijn contract bij T-mobile verlengen en een nieuwe telefoon uitzoeken.” 
(“Soon it will be possible for me to extend my contract with T-mobile and choose/select a new phone.”)

– “Er is daar geen stopcontact dus we moeten het snoer verlengen.” 
(“There is no power socket over there so we have to extend the (power) cord.”)

Related words:
– Verlenging: extension, lengthening, overtime/extra time (of sports games) [noun] [de verlenging, de verlengingen].
– Verlengsnoer: extension cord [noun] [het verlengsnoer, de verlengsnoeren].
– Inkorten: to shorten [verb] [inkortte, ingekort].
– Beëindigen: to end [verb] [beëindigde, beëindigd].

Example:
– “We hebben het vaak opnieuw geprobeerd maar uiteindelijk was het het beste om de relatie te beëindigen.”
(“We have tried many times but eventually it was best to end the relationship.”)

– Vernieuwen: to renew [verb] [vernieuwde, vernieuwd].