I don’t know! / How should I know? [Dutch phrase of the week]

“Weet ik veel” is a phrase that is used a lot by youth in the sense of “I don’t care”, “I don’t know” , or “how am I supposed to know”. Literally, it can be translated by “do I know a lot” or ” I know a lot”. Most people use it when they are getting a little bit annoyed by an event of a question. It’s quite an informal expression so don’t use it to your boss or people you don’t know very well.

Examples:
– “<Leraar:> Hoe schrijf je jouw naam in het Arabisch?” “<Leerling:> Weet ik veel!” 
(“<Teacher:> How do you write your name in Arabic?” “<Student:> How am I supposed to know?” )

– “Wil je dat McCain wint of ben je voor Obama? ” Weet ik veel, ik weet niks van politiek.”
(“Do you want McCain to win or are you in favour of Obama?” “I don’t know, I don’t know anything about politics.” Lit. “…, I know nothing of politics.”)

– “Hij zegt dat ik het geheugen van de computer moet vergroten maar weet ik veel hoe dat moet!”
(“He tells me to increase the computer’s memory but how should I know how to do that!”)

– “Weet ik veel hoeveel vitaminen ik moet eten op een dag, ik ben toch geen dokter!”
(“How should I know how many vitamins I should eat every day, I’m not a doctor, am I!”)

Related words:
– Weten: to know [verb] [knew, known].
– Veel: much, a lot [adverb/adjective].
– Weinig: little, not a lot [adverb/adjective].
– Niks: nothing [adverb].

It’s like this [Dutch phrase of the week]

"Dat zit zo" is literally translated with "That sits like this", which does not really make a lot of sense 🙂 In Dutch however, it is a common expression for an introduction to a narrative explanation. You may also see the alternative "het zit zo".

"Dat zit zo" can be used after the question "hoe zit dat?" or "hoe zit het met […]?", resp. translating to "how is that?" and "what’s the deal on […]?" See the Examples.

Examples:
– "Hoe zit dat?" – "Dat zit zo:"
("How is that?" – "It’s like this:")

– "Hoe zit het met de reiskostenvergoeding bij dit bedrijf?" – "Dat zit zo:"
("What’s the deal on this company’s compensation of travel expenses?" – "It’s like this:"

– "Hoe zit het met dat gedoe tussen jou en Frank?" – "Nou, dat zit zo…"
– "What’s up with the fuss between you and Frank?" – Well, it’s like this…"

– "Makker, kijk jij naar mijn vriendin? Hoe zit dat??" – "Dat zie je verkeerd. Het zit zo…"
("Dude, are you checking out my girlfriend? What’s up with that??" – "You got it wrong. It’s like this…")

What do I care! / I can’t  be bothered! [Dutch phrase of the week]

This phrase is used when you convince yourself that you shouldn’t care, don’t want to care, or just don’t care when making a decision.

Alternative versions of this phrase are “wat kan mij het ook schelen!” or “wat kan mij dat nou schelen!”, the latter also suitable to use as a response to a claim, much the same way as “lekker belangrijk!“.

In this phrase “schelen” has the meaning of “to be of concern” or “to
matter”. You will also hear the verb used in the translation of “to
differ” or “to make a (financial) difference”.
(Photo: Francis Barton (flickr.com) – some rights reserved.)

Examples:
– “Wat kan mij het schelen, ik parkeer gewoon op de stoep!”
(“What do I care, I’ll just park on the pavement/side walk!”)

– “Ik ga vandaag een uur eerder naar huis, wat kan mij het schelen!”
(“I’m going home an hour early today, what do I care!”)

– “Nou, dan ga je toch niet mee vanavond. Wat kan mij dat nou schelen!”
(“Well, then stay at home tonight. As if I care!” Literally “dan ga je toch niet mee” translates as “then you don’t come along” with “toch” emphasizing that it is contrary to what was expected/agreed.)

– “Meneer, dit pak staat u echt geweldig!” – “Het is eigenlijk boven mijn budget, maar wat kan mij het ook schelen, ik doe het!”
(“Sir, this suit looks great on you!” – “It is in fact above budget, but what do I care, I’ll take it!)