Category Archives: Dutch phrase of the week

D.w.z. / Dat wil zeggen

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i.e., that is (to say) Iconspeaker_3 Datwilzeggen

[Dutch
phrase of the week]

"D.w.z." is the abbreviation of "dat wil zeggen", literally: "that wants to say". English equivalent is "i.e." or "that is (to say)". "I.e." (which is of course an abbreviation of the Latin "id est") is also used in Dutch.

Related acronym is "m.a.w.": "met andere woorden", which translates to "in other words".

Examples:
– "Die uitleg is te vaag, dat wil zeggen, ik snap het gewoon niet…" 
("That explanation is too vague, that is, I just don’t get it…")

– "De lucht klaart op, dat wil zeggen, ik kan de zon af en toe zien." 
("The sky is clearing up, that is, I can see the sun now and then.")

– "Ik vind Raymond bijzonder geschikt, d.w.z. hij laat zijn handen wapperen." 
("I think Raymond is especially suited, i.e. he puts his shoulder to the wheel.")

Expressions:
–
"M.a.w. / met andere woorden": in other words.

Example:
– "Ik ben te laat opgestaan, met andere woorden: ik heb me verslapen."
("I got up too late, in other words: I overslept.")

Related words:
– Zeggen: to say [verb] [zeggen, zei, h. gezegd].

Example:
– "Wat ik nu ga zeggen, zul je misschien vervelend vinden."
("What I’m going to say now, you may find annoying.")

Ik heb met hem te doen

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I feel sorry for him Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]

5344612871_40eaf88962_z“Met iemand te doen hebben” does not translate as “to have to do with somebody” but as “to feel sorry for somebody” and implies you feel empathy for that person. Today’s phrase with “hem” is just an example of its usage, see the examples below for more. It’s quite common to emphasize with the word “echt”: I feel really sorry for him.

Note that the Dutch also use the word “sorry”, but then as an “excuse me” or a weak “I apologize”. Infamous is the “sorry hoor!” 🙂
(Photo: The Pug Father (flickr.com) – some rights reserved.)

Examples:
– “Simons vriendin heeft het uitgemaakt en nu zit hij in de put. Ik heb echt met hem te doen.” 
(“Simon’s girlfriend broke up with him and now he feels really down. I really feel sorry for him.” Lit.: “and now he sits in the pit/hole/well.)

– “Annelies had net een nieuw fietsje gekregen en toen werd het direct dezelfde dag gestolen! Ik had zo met haar te doen…” 
(“Annelies just got a new bicycle and then it got stolen the exact same day! I felt really sorry for her.” Note that the use of “fietsje” implies that Annelies is a child.)

– “Al die gestrande reizigers op het vliegveld… Je zou er maar 4 nachten moeten slapen; ik heb met ze te doen.” 
(“All those stranded travellers at the airport… Imagine having to spend 4 nights there; I feel sorry for them.” Literally “je zou” translates as “you should” but is also often used as in this example.)

– “Na al die jaren nog steeds geen promotie, het is een schande, ik heb met je te doen hoor!” 
(“After all these years still no promotion, it is a disgrace, believe me I feel sorry for you!”)

Related words:
– Medelijden: pity [noun] [het medelijden, <no plural>].
– Meeleven: to feel for, to empathize with [verb] [leefde mee, meegeleefd].

Example:
– “Wij hebben enorm met de slachtoffers meegeleefd.”
(“We really empathized with the victims.”)

Je handen laten wapperen

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to be busy, to engage in physical work Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Je handen laten wapperen" literally means "to let your hands flutter" or "to let your hands move". Someone "laat zijn handen wapperen" when he is busy with physical work. The weak regular verb "wapperen" means "to flutter" and is also used to describe a flag that is blown by the wind.

Examples:Klussen_4
– "Als we allemaal even onze handen laten wapperen is het eten zo klaar." 
("If we all do something, dinner will be served in no time.")

– "Kom eens uit die stoel en laat je handen wapperen!" 
("Get out of that chair and so something!")

– "Verhuizen is een eitje als iedereen zijn handen even laat wapperen." 
("Moving is a piece of cake if everyone helps to do it.")

– "De vlag wapperde in de wind." 
("The flag was blowing in the wind.")

Expressions:
– De handen uit de mouwen steken: to put one’s shoulder to the wheel. Lit.: to stick one’s hands out of
the sleeves.

Related words:
– Wapperen: to flutter, to wave, to blow, to snap [verb] [wapperde, gewapperd].
– Hand: hand [noun] [de hand, de handen].

Extra:
Although not mentioned in the Dutch dictionary "Van Dale" (and therefore not eligible for dwotd) but widely used is the expression "losse handjes hebben" which literally means "to have loose hands" and relates to aggressive people who start a fight fast / hitting others fast.

Laten we wel wezen

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let’s be fair/honest (now) Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]

“Laten we wel wezen” is used when you want to skip the chit-chat and say how it really is. Literal translation would be let’s be well. “Wezen” is an alternative infinitive form of the verb “zijn” (to be) that is used in colloquial speech.

Examples:
– “Laten we wel wezen, Frank sloeg tijdens die vergadering een enorme flater.” 
(“Let’s be honest now, Frank made a huge ass out of himself during that meeting.”)

– “Laten we wel wezen, onze buurt zit vol met schorriemorrie…de straten liggen vol met troep…verschrikkelijk!” 
(“Let’s be fair now, our neighbourhood is full of trash people…the streets are covered with junk…terrible!”)

– “Ik snap dat je Daniel gelooft, maar laten we wel wezen, hij kan goed ouwehoeren.” 
(“I understand you believe Daniel, but let’s be honest, he’s good at talking crap.”)

Expressions:
– “Laten we mekaar geen mietje noemen”: <slightly vulgar> (lit.: let’s not call each other a pussy) let’s be honest (about it now).

Example:
– “Laten we mekaar geen mietje noemen, maar je bent een ongelofelijk watje als je dat lekker ding niet mee uit vraagt!” – “Lekker belangrijk…”
(“Let’s be honest, but you’re an unbelievable sissy if you don’t ask that sexy thing out!” – “Like I care…”)

Related words:
– Eerlijk: fair, honest [adjective].

Example:
– “Eerlijk is eerlijk: het ligt voor de hand dat mensen gaan staren naar zo’n voorgevel…” -“Dat slaat nergens op, je bent gewoon een varken!”
(“Fair is fair: it’s obvious that people will stare at such a bosom…” – “That’s a load of crap, you’re just a pig!”)

Mensenkinderen

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goodness gracious/me Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase
of the week]

Mensenkinderen
Probably not used much by today’s youth, this somewhat old-fashioned expression allows you to express your amazement or discomfort in a decent way. It is composed of "mensen" (people) and "kinderen" (children). Perhaps it was originally used to address the people around you before sharing your amazement with them 🙂 Why the two words are now combined into one I don’t know.

Examples:
– "Mensenkinderen wat een weer!" 
("Goodness me, this weather is crazy!")

– "Mensenkinderen, moet je die rij zien!" 
("Oh my, look at that queue!")

– "Mensenkinderen…" 
("Goodness gracious…")

– "Mensenkinderen… Dit is toch niet te geloven… Sterker nog, het is te bezopen voor woorden!" 
("Goodness me… I can’t believe it… No wait, it is insane!!" Literally: ‘This is not to be believed… To put it stonger…’ Note the expression "te bezopen voor woorden": ‘bezopen’ is the state of being drunk.)

Related words:
– Hoofdschuddend: shaking one’s head [adverb].
– Verbazing: amazement, surprise [noun] [de verbazing, <no plural>].
– Ongelofelijk: unbelievable [adjective/adverb].
– Jeetje: oh my [interjection]. This is actually derived from ‘Jezus’. You will also hear ‘Jee’, but as you know, we turn (almost) anything into a diminutive 🙂