Author Archives: Sander

Bloed

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blood [noun] [‘bloed‘] Iconspeaker_3

This
morning I entered my office and thought: "het is hier bloedheet!": "it’s
sweltering hot in here!" Or if you prefer, "bloody hot". So there we go, today’s word is "bloed".

Examples:
Bloedcellen
– "Ik kan niet goed tegen bloed, jij wel?"
("I can’t really stand blood, can you?")

– "Ken jij mensen die regelmatig bloed geven?"
("Do you know people who donate blood regularly?" Note that we either say "doneren" or "geven", but the latter only in case of blood.)

– "Kijk jij wel eens naar operaties op tv?" – "Nee, ben je gek, mij te veel bloed!"
("Do you ever watch (medical) operations on TV?" – "No, are you crazy, too much blood for me!" Note that the initial meaning of ‘operatie’ that comes to the Dutch mind is that of a medical one. We however also use the word for other types of operations, such as military.)

– "Ik zie geen sporen van bloed Grissom, weet je zeker dat het slachtoffer hier gestorven is?"
("I don’t see any traces of blood Grissom, are you sure the vic died here?")

– "Na veel bloed, zweet en tranen lukte het de bouwvakkers om het dak te repareren."
("After a lot of blood, sweat and tears, the construction workers succeeded in repairing the roof." Note the use of "het lukte (x) om (y)": "(x) succeeded in (y)".)

Expressions:
– "Bloed vergieten": to shed/spill blood.
– "Kwaad bloed zetten": to create bad blood, to stir up ill-will.
– "Het zit hem in het bloed": it is/runs in his blood, this is what he is made for.

Example:
– "Muziek zit Marc in het bloed."
("Marc is made for music.")

Related words:
– "Bloedheet": sweltering/bloody hot.
– "Bloedmooi": very beautiful.
– "Bloederig": bloody.
– "Bloedbroeders": blood brothers.
– "Bloedcellen": blood cells.
– "Bloeddonor": blood donor.
– "Vampier": vampire.

Terras

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pavement/sidewalk/outdoor café, terrace, patio [noun] [het terras, de terrassen] [‘te-ras‘] Iconspeaker_3

Plein_terrasjes_3
Most
common usage of the word ‘terras’ is in combination with having a drink
in an outdoor café. The Dutch have the tendency
to, as soon as there is a hint of sunlight at the beginning of spring,
go downtown and populate the outdoor cafés, provided by the equally
enthusiastic bar owners.

Your home might have a ‘terras’ – the word is also used for the paved sitting-area of
a garden (especially in the case that it’s all the garden you have!)

Examples:
– "Ik kan niet wachten totdat de terrassen weer geopend zijn!"
("I can’t wait till the outdoor cafés are open again!")

– "Zullen we wat gaan drinken op een terras?"
("Shall we have a drink in an outdoor café?")

– "Ik heb de hele middag op een terras gezeten met een boek, heerlijk!"
("All afternoon I have sat in a pavement café with a book, wonderful!")

– "De bediening op dit terras is niet om over naar huis te schrijven!"
("The service in this outdoor café is lousy." Literally: "The service on this terrace is not to write home about!")

– "Bij mooi weer is het Plein in Den Haag voor de helft gevuld met terrasjes!"
("When the weather is nice, half of ‘het Plein’ in the Hague is filled with outdoor cafés!")

– "Op vakantie gaan is slechts verplaatsing van het terras!"
("Going on holiday is just relocation of the (garden) terrace!" (Sander’s father’s view on going on holiday).)

Expression:
– "Een terrasje pikken": to have a drink in an outdoor café.

Example:
– "Zullen we vanmiddag een terrasje pikken?" – "Ja, gezellig!"
("Shall we have a drink in an outdoor café this afternoon?" – "Sure, sounds like fun!")

Related words:
– "Dakterras": roof terrace, sun roof.
– "Balkon": balcony.
– "Binnenplaats": (inner) courtyard.