1. excellent, outstanding [adjective] [‘uit-stee-kunt’] 
Literally, “uitstekend” translates to “sticking out” (see 2). It is however frequently used in its figurative meaning: “outstanding” or “excellent”.
Examples:
– “Hoe gaat het?” – “Uitstekend, dank je!”
(“How are you?” – “Excellent, thank you!”)
– “Uitstekend Smithers, uitstekend…”
(“Excellent Smithers, excellent…”)
– “Rosalie heeft gisteren een uitstekende presentatie gehouden.”
(“Rosalie gave an outstanding presentation yesterday.” Note that in Dutch the verb “houden” (to hold/keep) is used, but you can also use “geven”.)
– “Te koop: Peugeot 306, 1999, in uitstekende staat.”
(“For sale: Peugeot 306, 1999, in excellent condition.”)
Related words:
– “Schitterend”: brilliant.
– “Voortreffelijk”: excellent, superb.
– “Prima”: terrific, excellent, great.
2. sticking out, protruding [adjective] [‘uit-stee-kunt’]
“Uitstekend” comes from the verb “uitsteken”: to stick/put out. For some reason, when using it in its literal context, the emphasis shifts from the second syllable (see 1.) to the first…
Examples:
– “Pas op voor dat uitstekende randje.”
(“Watch out for that (little) edge sticking out.” Note the emphasis on the first syllable. If you would say: “…uitstekende randje” this would translate to “…excellent little edge” 🙂 )
– “Het buitenaardse wezen had allerlei rare uitstekende knobbels op zijn hoofd.”
(“The extraterrestial/alien had all kinds of weird protruding knobs on its head.” Lit.: “The extraterrestrial being…”)
Expression:
– “Zijn nek uitsteken”: to stick one’s neck out.
Related words:
– “Uithangen”: to hang out, to put out.
– “Uitsteken”: to protrude, to stick/put out.
Example:
– “Op 30 april steekt iedereen de vlag uit, want die dag is het Koninginnedag!”
(“Everybody puts out the flag on April 30th, because that day it’s Queen’s Day!”)
