really, awfully, terribly,
fantastically [adverb] [‘hart-sti-ku’] 


"Hartstikke"
is one of those words that start to sound really strange when you
repeat it a few times. But it is in fact a strange word that has
nothing to do with its usage today. Around 1600 the expression
"hartstikke dood" was used when somebody had died as a result of a stab
in the heart. "Hartstikke" was derived from "hertsteken": to pierce the
heart with iron.
At one point, when the origin of the expression was not well-known
anymore, one started to use "hartstikke" as an adverb to intensify.
This lead to the current usage of "hartstikke".

Note that, probably due to its origin, you can only use "hartstikke"
as an adverb and not as an adjective, contrary to the suggested
translations above.

"Hartstikke" is a very common adverb, try to use it!

Examples:
– "Hoe was je vakantie?" – "Heel erg ontspannend, maar het was hartstikke warm!"
("How were your holidays?" – "Very relaxing, but it was terribly warm!")

– "Is jouw baan niet enorm saai?" – "Nee, juist niet, mijn baan is hartstikke leuk!"
("Isn’t your job terribly boring?" – "No, on the contrary, my job is absolutely wonderful!")

– "We hebben hartstikke lekker gegeten bij restaurant Rozemarijn, maar de bediening was vrij slecht."
("The
food at restaurant Rozemarijn was really very tasty, but the service
was pretty bad." Literally: "We have eaten very tastefully…")

– "Mag ik jou complimenteren met het resultaat? Hartstikke goed gedaan!" – "Nou, hartstikke bedankt dat je dat zegt!"
("May I compliment you on the results? Very well done!" – "Well, thank you very much indeed for telling me this!")

Related words:
– "Enorm": enormous(ly).
– "Verschrikkelijk": terrible/y.
– "Fantastisch": fantastic.
– "Uitermate": very.

ghost, phantom [noun] [het spook, de spoken] [‘spook‘] 

A
common Dutch expression is "spoken bestaan niet": ghosts do not exist.
It is used when there should really be a rational explanation for a strange phenomenon. Other than in this expression, you may come across a "spook" or "spoken" in fairy tales, cartoons or the Dutch translation of Harry Potter. However, if you
are driving on Dutch motor/highways and there is a warning for a
"spookrijder" on the radio, then pay attention as somebody might be driving on the
wrong side of the road (and hopefully it’s not you).

Examples:
-"Mamma, ik zie een spook voor het raam!" – "Nee joh gekkie, spoken bestaan niet!" 
("Mom, I see a ghost in front of the window!" – "No you silly goose / dummy, ghosts do not exist!" Note that "gekkie" is the informal diminutive of "gek". It is friendlier than "gek" – the noun for madman or lunatic or fool etc. – and usually used in the meaning of "dummy".)

– "Wat is eigenlijk het verschil tussen een spook en een geest?"
("Now what is actually the difference between a ghost and a spirit?")

– "Ik keek vroeger naar Scooby-Doo, maar het spook bleek dan
altijd nep te zijn. Meestal was het gewoon de burgemeester ofzo!"
("I used to watch Scooby-Doo, but the ghost always appeared to be fake. Usually it was just the mayor or something!")

Expressions:
– "Overal spoken zien": to see ghosts everywhere, to be paranoid.
– "Spoken bestaan niet": ghosts do not exist; used when there should really be a rational explanation for a strange phenomenon.
– "Door het huis spoken": to prowl about in the house late at night.

Related words:
– "Spoken": to haunt (by ghosts).
– "Spookhuis": haunted house.
– "Spookverhaal": ghost story.
– "Spookrijder": motorist driving against the traffic on motor/highways.
– "Spookachtig": ghostly, spooky.
– "Geest": spirit.

to travel [verb] [reisde, gereisd] [‘rei-zun’]

You will also encounter the word "reizen" as the plural of the noun
"reis": trip, journey or travel. Instead of "reizen" the Dutch will
also say "op reis zijn" and "op reis gaan": "to be on a trip / the go" and "to go on a trip".

A word that sounds the same but has a completely different meaning is "rijzen": to rise (up), to arise. To distinguish between the ‘ij’ and ‘ei’, that sound the same, the Dutch often speak of the ‘lange ij‘ and the ‘korte ei’, depending on the presence of the "long" ‘j’. Grammatically speaking however, there is no such thing as a ‘korte ei’, as ‘ei’ is a vowel combination and not a letter.

Examples:
– "Moet jij vaak reizen voor het werk?"
("Do you have to travel for work often?" We also commonly say "moet jij vaak op reis voor het werk?")

– "Veel mensen in Nederland reizen elke dag op en neer tussen woon -en werkplaats."
("A
lot of people in the Netherlands commute to work every day." Note the
expression "op en neer reizen": "to commute / travel up and down".)

– "Sinds Frank een consultant is, reist hij heel de wereld rond."
("Ever since Frank became a consultant, he travels all around the world.")

– "Mijn oma heeft niet veel gereisd toen zij jong was. Maar ja, het
is tegenwoordig veel makkelijker om te reizen dan vroeger, toch?"
("My
grandmother has not travelled much when she was young. But hey,
nowadays it is a lot easier to travel than in the old days, isn’t it?")

Related words:
– "Op reis zijn": to be on the road / the go, to be in the act of travelling.

Example:
– "Ik heb Laura al een tijd niet gezien!" – "Dat kan kloppen, zij is op reis!"
("I haven’t seen Laura for quite some time!" – "That may be the case, she’s travelling!"

– "Op reis gaan: to go on a trip.
– "Reiziger": traveller.
– "Reizen met de/het …": to travel by … .
– "Reizen per …": to travel by … .
– "Wereldreis": trip around the world.
– "Forensen": to commute (also see second example above).
– "Pendelen": to commute, to shuttle.
– "Reis": trip, journey, travel.

Example:
"Goede reis!"
("Have a good trip!")

– "Reisgids": travel guide.
– "Reislustig": fond of travelling, keen on travelling.
– "Vakantie": holiday.
– "Ticket": plane ticket.

game [noun] [het spelletje, de spelletjes] [‘spe-lu-tju’] 

A “spel” is a game, but “spellen” is “to spell”. “Spelen” is “to play (a game)”, “spelling” is “spelling”, but “speling” is “margin” or “leeway”. And a “spell” in Dutch, well that’s something completely different. Tired of this silly “woordspelletje”? Then let’s move on to the examples!

(But do mind that the diminutive “spelletje” is mostly used for recreational games whereas “spel” is the more general word for “game”.)

Examples:
– “Hebben jullie zin om een spelletje te doen?”
(“Do you feel like playing a game?”)

-“Nou, hou je van me of speel je soms een spelletje (met me)?” 
(“Well, do you love me, or are you playing a game (with me)?” Note that “soms” translates to “sometimes” but when used as in this example it takes on the meaning of “potentially/possibly”.)

– “Ken je Lingo? Leuk spelletje hè?!
(“Do you know Lingo? Fun game, isn’t it?” As of 2014 the game Lingo is no longer on Dutch television.)

Expressions:
– “Een gevaarlijk spelletje spelen”: to play a dangerous game.
– “Het spel is uit”: game over.
– “Het spel meespelen”: to play along (with somebody).
– “Iets op het spel zetten”: to risk losing something.

Related words:
– “Gezelschappspel”: party game, round game. “Gezelschap” translates to “company” (around you).
– “Bordspel(letje)”: board game.
– “Woordspel(letje)”: word game.
– “Kaartspel(letje)”: card game.
– “Woordspeling”: pun (note: only one ‘l’ !)
– “Seksspelletje”: sex/bed game.
– “Computerspelletje”: computer game.
– “Buitenspel”: off-side (football/soccer).
– “Spelen”: to play.