dream [noun] [de droom, de dromen] [‘droom‘]

Just like in English the Dutch word "droom" is used both literally and figuratively. The related verb is "dromen".

Examples:
– "Gelukkig was het maar een droom!"
("Luckily it was just a dream!")

– "Mijn droom is om – later als ik groot ben – beroemd te worden."
("It’s my dream to become famous when I’m a grown-up." Literally: "My dream is to – later when I am tall – become famous.")

– "Ik heb vannacht een onwijs bizarre droom gehad!"
("I had a truly bizarre dream last night!" The word "onwijs" is a bit informal.)

Expressions:
– "Dromen zijn bedrog": dreams are lies. Literally: dreams are deception. Check out the song "Dromen zijn bedrog" by the popular Dutch singer Marco Borsato.

– "… van mijn dromen": … of my dreams. For example: meisje, man, huis, baan (girl, man, house, job).

– "Iemand uit de droom helpen": to disillusion someone, to open someone’s eyes. Literally: "to help someone out of the dream."

Related words:
– "Dromen": to dream.
– "Nachtmerrie": nightmare.
– "Remslaap": REM sleep.
– "Natte droom": wet dream.
– "Klaasvaak": Dutch name for the character that helps you fall asleep. We haven’t seen him in quite a while 🙂 What is the English equivalent?
– "Dagdromen": to daydream.
– "Fantasie": fantasy.

to mumble, to mutter [verb] [mompelde, gemompeld] [‘mom-pu-lun’]

Examples:
– "Je moet niet zo mompelen, maar duidelijk praten!"
("Don’t mumble like that, speak up clearly!" Lit.: "You must not mumble like that, but talk clearly!")

– "Kon jij Frank verstaan? Hij zat echt onverstaanbaar te mompelen tijdens de vergadering…"
("Could you hear what Frank was saying? He was mumbling really unintelligibly during the meeting…")

– " ‘Ik heb hier helemaal geen zin in’, mompelde Hermelien zachtjes, toen ze de kamer van professor Sneep binnenstapte."
(" ‘I really don’t want to do this’, muttered Hermione quietly, when she entered professor Snape’s room.")

Related words:
– "Articuleren": to articulate.
– "Binnensmonds spreken": to speak inarticulately (lit. "to speak within/inside the mouth").

1. wood(s), forest [noun] [het bos, de bossen] [‘bos‘]

The Netherlands do not have many big woods or forests anymore. Still, there are some woods left, sometimes even in cities, like the “Haagse Bos” and the “Scheveningse Bosjes” in the Hague. “Bosje” literally translates to “little forest”, but usually “bush” will be a better translation, see the Examples.

Examples:
– “Laten we een wandeling in het bos gaan maken!”
(“Let’s go for a walk in the woods!” Lit.: “Let’s go make a walk…”)

– “Hans en Grietje waren verdwaald in het grote bos.”
(“Hansel and Gretel were lost in the big forest.”)

– “Overdag zijn de Scheveningse Bosjes erg mooi, maar ‘s avonds moet je er niet komen.”
(“During the day, the Scheveningse Bosjes are really nice, but don’t go there at night.” Lit.: “…but at night you must not come there.”)

– “De kleine Nina had zich voor haar ouders verstopt in een bosje.”
(“Little Nina hid herself from her parents in a (little) bush.”)

Expressions:
– “Door de bomen het bos niet meer zien”: to not see the wood for the trees anymore. Lit.: not see the forest through the trees anymore.
– “Iemand het bos in sturen”: to send someone off with a tall story. Lit.: to send someone into the woods.

Related words:
– “Bebost gebied”: a wooded area.
– “Boswandeling“: literally a walk/stroll through the forest, this is also a name for a specific alcoholic drink. It is a mix of Pisang Ambon, Pinacolada, Orange juice, Malibu and a bit of banana liquer.

2. bundle, bunch [noun] [de bos, de bossen] [‘bos‘]

In this context, “bos” is used to describe a collection of objects. You will mostly see “bos” applied to a collection of flowers: a bouquet. Mind that in this case “bos” has the article “de”.

Examples:
– “O wat een mooie bos bloemen! – Ach, je wordt maar één keer 32, schat!
(“Oh what a nice bouquet! – Well, you turn 32 only once in your life, honey!”)

– “Ik ben mijn sleutelbos verloren, nu kan ik mijn huis en mijn auto niet in…”
(“I’ve lost my bunch of keys, now I can’t go into my house or my car…”)

– “Hij heeft een mooie bos haar op zijn hoofd.”
(“He’s got a great head of hair.”)

Expression:
– “Een flinke bos hout voor de deur hebben”: informal expression to say that a woman is bosomy / chesty. Lit.: “to have quite a bundle of wood in front of the door.”