that suits me fine, that fits in very well [Dutch phrase of the week]

“Dat komt goed uit” is literally translated as “that comes good out” 😉 The verb in the phrase is “uitkomen” which has several meanings, such as “to end up, to lead to, to come out, to be disclosed”. “Dat komt goed uit” is used when two events luckily coincide, making things easier for the people involved. Since it is often used as a reply to a proposition, people might add “me”: “dat komt me goed uit”, or “that suits me fine” or “that is very convenient for me”.

Examples:
– “Ik heb volgende week alleen op dinsdagmiddag nog vrij in mijn agenda.” – “Dat komt goed uit, dat is ook de enige middag dat ik kan.”
(“I only have a free space in my calendar on Tuesday afternoon next week.” – “That fits in very well, that’s the only afternoon that would be possible for me.”)

– “Het komt goed uit dat je Italiaans spreekt, anders hadden we nooit dat vakantiehuisje kunnen regelen.” 
(“It comes in handy that you speak Italian, otherwise it would have been impossible to arrange that holiday cottage.”)

– “Ik heb zo’n zin in winterkost!” – “Dat komt goed uit want ik heb net stamppot gemaakt.”
(“I really feel like winter food!”- “That’s very convenient, because I have just made mashed potatoes and cabbage.” See picture for a version of “stamppot” called “boerenkool met worst”.)

– “Ik voel me niet zo lekker vandaag maar hoef niet te werken dus dat komt goed uit.”
(“I don’t feel very well today but I don’t have to work so that suits me fine.”)

– “Wil je een lift naar huis? Ik moet toch die kant op dus dat komt goed uit.”
(“Do you want a ride home? I have to go that direction anyway so that fits in very well.”)

Related words:
– Uitkomen: to end up, to come out, to lead to, to be disclosed [verb] [kwam uit, uitgekomen]

Once is enough / Never again [Dutch phrase of the week] 

In this phrase “eens” has the meaning of “once” or “one time only”. You will also hear “Dat is/was eens maar nooit meer”. And… I now realize that this phrase is very close to “Eén keer nooit meer!” that we have already covered, so I guess the phrase does not apply to this post 😉

Examples:
– “Ik ben op zaterdagmiddag naar de Mediamarkt in Den Haag gegaan. Nou dat was eens maar nooit meer!” 
(“I went to Mediamarkt in the Hague on Saturday afternoon. Well, never again I say!”)

– “En, ben je nog naar dat restaurant geweest dat ik had voorgesteld? Ja, en het was eens maar nooit meer!”
(“And, did you go to the restaurant that I suggested? Yes, and once was enough!”)

– “Ga je ooit nog trouwen? Nee, ik denk dat het eens maar nooit meer is.”
(“Will you ever get married again? No, I think one time was enough!”

Related words:
– Eenmaal: once, one time only [adverb].
– Nooit: never [adverb].

Not so fast! / Now just a minute! / Hold it right there! [Dutch phrase of the week]

The word "ho" is an interjection. You can use it when you want to say "stop!". It is the typical thing to say to a horse if you want it to stop, but if you don’t ride a horse, you can use it when somebody is pouring you wine and you have had enough. Not that I ever do so 😉

"Ho eens even" is typically used when somebody is going to fast, literally or figuratively, or when you want somebody to realize that this is not how things are done.

Examples:
– "Ho eens even meneer, u hebt nog niet betaald!" 
("Hold it right there sir, you haven’t paid yet!")

 – "Ho eens even, nu draaf je door; de kredietcrisis heeft hier niets mee te maken!" 
("Now just a minute, you are rattling on. The financial crisis has nothing to do with this!")

– "Mevrouw, ho eens even! Ik sta al veel langer in de rij te wachten dan u!" 
("Not so fast madam! I have been waiting in line / queueing a lot longer than you (have)!")

Related words:
– Ho!: stop! [interjection].
– Stoppen: to stop [verb] [stopte, gestopt].
– Doorgaan: to continue [verb] [ging door, doorgegaan].