monkey [noun] [de aap, de apen]

Even though there is not a single "aap" to be found in the Netherlands (other than in zoos obviously), there is a lot of "aap" related vocabulary. I don’t think this DWOTD is complete, so readers are invited to comment 🙂

Note that although there is a distinction between a "monkey" and an "ape", it is common in spoken Dutch to refer to both as "apen". If you want to be specific, say "mensaap" in the case of an "ape".

Examples:
– "Heb jij wel eens een aap in het wild gezien?" 
("Have you ever seen a monkey in the wild?")

– "Aap, noot, mies…" 
("Monkey, nut, mies." First three words of the traditional reading board ("leesplankje") used in the Netherlands end of the 19th century till mid 20th century (is my guess). See the picture above.)

– "Een aap die geen bananen eet." 
("A monkey that does not eat bananas." This is a memory aid to help you tune your (regular 6 string) guitar. Take the first letter of each word: E-A-D-G-B-E.")

– "Madelon is gek op apekoppen." 
("Madelon really likes ‘apekoppen’." Dutch people in general like liquorice ("drop") and many different kinds are for sale, for example ‘apekoppen’ ("monkey heads"). Note that one should write "apenkoppen" according to the most recent spelling rules.)

– "Apen maken handig gebruik van lianen." 
("Monkeys make clever use of lianes.")

Expressions:
– "Daar komt de aap uit de mouw": the truth is revealed, the real intentions become clear, etc.. Literally "there the monkey comes out of the sleeve".
– "Voor aap staan": to be made a fool of, to look a right monkey. When you do this to somebody, the expression becomes "iemand voor aap zetten".
– "In de aap gelogeerd zijn": to be in a fix, to be up the creek (shit creek without a paddle if you so prefer 🙂 ). Allegedly, there once was an inn called "de aap" in Amsterdam, and it was really really bad. (The verb "logeren" means "to stay (at), to spend the night".)
– "Brutale/lelijke aap!": literally ‘cheeky/ugly monkey’, this is used to address (very) insolent children.

Related words:
– Mensaap: ape [noun] [de mensaap, de mensapen].
– Na-apen: to imitate, mimic [verb] [aapte na,nageaapt].

Extra:
There is a zoo in the Netherlands near the town of Apeldoorn that is dedicated to monkeys and apes. It is called the "Apenheul" and is a popular family-with-kids outing.

company, firm, enterprise, business [noun] [het bedrijf, de bedrijven]

The most common translation of "bedrijf" is "company". You will less often encounter it in its meaning of an "act" in a play. It also has a meaning in the context of machinery, see the Expressions.

Examples:
– "Ken jij het bedrijf Twofish in Amsterdam?" – "Nee, maar het komt me wel bekend voor!" 
("Do you know the business Twofish in Amsterdam?" – "No, but it does sound familiar!")

– "Ik wil een eigen bedrijf beginnen, dus ik heb vrijdag een afspraak bij de Kamer van Koophandel." 
("I want to start my own company, so I have an appointment at the Chamber of Commerce this Friday.")

– "Mijn dochter studeert bedrijfskunde en ze vindt het erg leuk." 
("My daughter studies business administration and she enjoys it very much.")

– "Wist je dat TomTom een Nederlands bedrijf is?" 
("Did you know that TomTom is a Dutch company?")

Expressions:
– "Tussen de bedrijven door": as one goes along, in between times/jobs/tasks.

Example:
– "Sander schrijft deze DWOTD tussen de bedrijven door."
("Sander writes this DWOTD in between other activities.")

– "Buiten bedrijf zijn": to be out of operation, to be out of order.

Example:
– "Deze automaat is buiten bedrijf."
("This machine is out of order.")

Related words:
– Bedrijfsuitje: company outing [noun] [het uitje, de uitjes]. You will also hear "personeelsuitje" ("personnel outing"). See the Extra.
– Bedrijfsvoering: (operational) mangement [noun] [de bedrijfsvoering, no plural].
– Collega: colleague, co-worker [noun] [de collega, de collega’s].
– Bestuur: board of directors, management [noun] [het bestuur, de besturen].
– Aandeel: share, stock [noun] [het aandeel, de aandelen].

Extra:
"Bedrijfsuitjes" are common in the Netherlands and usually you will have one once a year. The purpose is obvious: have a (hopefully) good time with the co-workers, which will then (hopefully) improve the working climate and hence make things more efficient. These days one tries to make the company outings more exciting, and there are even companies that specialize in company outings. Check out this video from youtube, which is a dubbed scene from ‘Der Untergang’, in which Hitler and his generals discuss what to do for the next company outing ("personeelsuitje"). Hitler wants to go bowling. They also discuss the family fun park "Drievliet" which is located along the river "de Vliet" between the cities of The Hague and Delft.