Category Archives: Dutch word of the day

Houden van

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to love, to like [verb] [hield, gehouden]

Today's word is the elementary "houden van", which can also be applied in a non-romantic context, for example when talking about food.

Examples:
– "Ik hou van jou!"
("I love you!" For those of you who study Dutch grammar, in the case of the verb "houden", the "d" can be omitted in the first person and is in fact more common than "ik houd". Don't ask us why this is the case 😉 )

– "Maar… Hou je dan niet meer van me?"
("But… Don't you love me anymore (then)?" You can substitute "je" by "jou" "jij" and "me" by "mij" in case you want to emphasize.)

– "Hier, neem maar een hapje!" – "Nee bedankt, ik hou niet van witlof."
("Here, take a bite!" – "No thanks, I do not like chicory.")

– "Zij houdt heel erg van sla!"
("She loves lettuce!" If you leave out the "heel erg" ("very much"), it will translate to just "she likes lettuce". An alternative is to use the expression "gek zijn op" (see below).)

– "Ga je nog skieën dit jaar?" – "Misschien, maar ik hou sowieso meer van snowboarden."
("Do you have plans to go skiing this year? – "Maybe, but I am more into snowboarding anyway." Literally: "Are you (still) going to ski this year?" The word "sowieso" is adopted from German.)

Related expressions:
– "Lekker vinden": to find something tasty (in this context).

Example:
– "Als kind vond Sander witlof niet lekker."
("When he was a child, Sander did not like chicory." Literally: "As child …")

– "Gek zijn op": to be crazy about something/somebody, to (really) love something/somebody.

Example:
– "Ik ben gek op chocola!"
("I love chocolate!" You will sometimes also hear "ik ben dol op…")

Extra:
The Dutch are not generous with "I-love-you's". In general "houden van" is used amorously (but not until a relationship has evolved seriously). It can be used among friends, or between children and parents, but this is not done on a frequent basis, contrary to what seems to be the case in the U.S. (at least that is the impression we get from watching U.S. movies 😉 )

Knuffelen

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to cuddle, to hug [verb] [knuffelde, geknuffeld]

The noun that goes with "knuffelen" is "knuffel", which translates to "hug" or "cuddle" (see ‘Related words’).
Mind that in the Dutch language the "k" is always pronounced!

Examples:
– "Ik heb zin om jou te knuffelen!"
("I feel like cuddling you!")

-"Waarom knuffelen wij nooit meer?"
("Why do we never cuddle anymore?")

– "Sommige mannen houden niet van knuffelen."
("Some men do not like to cuddle.")

– "Het verliefde stelletje zat te knuffelen op een bankje in het park."
("The amorous couple was cuddling on a (little) bench in the park.")

– "Baby’s die veel geknuffeld worden, worden later heel sociaal."
("Babies that are cuddled a lot, become very social later on.")

Related words:
– "Knuffelbeer": teddy bear.
– "Knuffel": hug, cuddle.

Example:
– <at the end of an e-mail:> "Dikke Knuffel!"
("Big hug!")

– "Knuffel": soft/cuddly toy (if clear from context).

Examples:
– "Mijn dochtertje is verdrietig, want zij heeft haar knuffel verloren."
("My daughter is sad, because she lost her cuddly toy." Notice here that the diminutive form of "dochter" is functional. )

– <one lover to the other lover:> "Hoi knuffeltje, ik ben wat later thuis vanavond!"
("Hi honey, I’m home a bit later tonight!" Literally it says: "Hi little cuddly toy, …" 🙂 )

– "Omhelzen": to embrace.

Zoenen

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to kiss [verb] [zoende, gezoend]

There’s another verb in Dutch that also translates to “to kiss”,
which is “kussen”. There’s a slight difference between the two, though
very subtle. “Zoenen” is more informally used, and “kussen” in a more
formal, theatrical way. Two characters in a play of Shakespeare would
engage in “kussen”, where a guy and girl on the dancefloor would engage
in “zoenen”. The respective nouns “zoen” en “kus” both translate to “kiss”.When ending written communication, it would be more common to end with
“kusjes” (“little kisses”) than with “zoentjes” which is never used.
However one can end with “dikke zoen” (“fat kiss”) and with “dikke kus”
between close friends (not between men though). A single “kus” would be
more intimate. The usage of the x’s is also very common (the Dutch
don’t do the o’s for hugs)).

Examples:
– “Zullen we zoenen?”
(“Shall we kiss?”)

– “Heb je zin om te zoenen?”
(“Do you feel like kissing?” or “Do you want to kiss?”)

– “Sorry, maar ik zoen niet in het openbaar!”)
(“I’m sorry, but I don’t kiss in public!”)

– “Het verliefde paartje stond aan de bar te zoenen.”
(“The amorous couple was kissing at the bar.”)

– “Bij het afscheid gaf Frank zijn schoonmoeder drie zoenen op de wang.”
(“When he left, Frank gave his mother in law three kisses on the cheek.” Literally: “At the departure, …”)

– “De jonge moeder gaf haar kind een dikke smakzoen.”
(“The young mother gave her child a big smacking kiss.” From the verb “smakken”: to smack (one’s lips).)
Related words:
– “Tongzoenen”: French kissing.
– “Klapzoen”: smacking kiss, from the verb “klappen”: to clap.
– “Negerzoen”: marshmellow on biscuit base covered in chocolate. This
word is found polically incorrect by some, since it literally
translates to “negro’s kiss”. However, a negative connotation is absent
in Dutch.
Extra: on the Dutch kissing policy
With greeting and leaving, Dutch people
kiss good friends and relatives on the cheek. And when they do it, they give three kisses, usually starting on the left cheek (as seen from the initiator’s point of  view).
It is sometimes difficult to decide whether or not you should kiss
people on the cheek if you don’t know them very well. There are no real
rules and this often leads to awkward situations, where one initiates
the kisses and the other holds back.
If you wonder whether or not it would be appropriate to kiss people on
the cheek, well, if you don’t know the person, you should not kiss. If
you however have had a mutually pleasant social interaction you can exchange
3 kisses when saying goodbye.
In general if you don’t want to kiss, keep a distance and only extend the hand. This usually works.Some people in the Netherlands are opposed to the 3 kisses on the
cheeks. They either don’t want it at all, or believe that 1 or 2 is
enough (there’s even this guy who created badges that you can wear that
express your kissing policy).
Some people have the deal that they kiss good friends only once, which paradoxically is then more intimate then 3 kisses.Men kissing each other on the cheek is very uncommon, however women kissing each other on the cheek is very common.

Blauwtje

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rejection (in love) [noun] [het blauwtje, de blauwtjes]

"Blauwtje" is the diminutive form of "blauw", which translates to
"blue" (the colour). Hence, "blauwtje" literally translates to "little
blue one" and is in fact only used in the expression "een blauwtje
lopen". This expression is the informal equivalent of "to be turned
down/to be rejected" in the romantic sense. It literally translates to
"to walk a little blue one" (which does not make any sense, we admit).

Examples:
– "Toen Frank de Valentijnskaart op de bus deed, wist hij nog niet dat hij een blauwtje zou lopen."
("When Frank posted the card for Valentine, he did not know yet that he would be turned down.")

"Op de bus doen" is an expression for posting/mailing a letter (in
this context, "bus" is short for "brievenbus": postbox/mailbox.)

– "Sommige mannen vinden het niet erg om een blauwtje te lopen, en spreken op een avond tien vrouwen aan."
("Some
guys don’t mind to be turned down, and hit on ten women a night." The
verb "aanspreken" is used for approaching and talking to the person.)

– "De hemel is vandaag strak blauw."
("There’s not a cloud in the
sky today." The word "strak" literally means "tight" but in the
figurative sense it can also mean "flawless" or "immaculate".)

Related words:
– "Afwijzing": rejection.
–
"Liefdesverdriet hebben": to be disappointed in love (to feel
sad/depressed after a break-up) (literally: to have love’s sorrow).

Aanbidder

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admirer, worshipper [noun] [de aanbidder, de aanbidders]

"Aanbidder" is derived from the verb "aanbidden": to admire, or to worship. Literally "aanbidden" means "to pray at/to" derived from praying to a statue while kneeling.
It is however also commonly used when you adore somebody. In the context of the latter, "aanbidder" translates to "admirer", which of course is the translation of choice for this week 🙂 However, it is not romantic by definition!

Examples:
– "Het lijkt mij leuk om een stille aanbidder te hebben! Hé, misschien heb ik er wel een…"
("I think it would be nice to have a secret admirer! Hey, perhaps I have one…" Literally: "It seems nice to me to have…")

– "Morgen is het Valentijnsdag. Ik zal wel geen kaartjes van stille aanbidders ontvangen… :-("
("Tomorrow it’s Valentine’s day. I will probably receive no cards from secret admirers… :-(" The use of "wel geen" is a bit confusing, since "wel" is the opposite of "geen". However, "wel" can also mean "probably" which is the case in this construction.)

Expressions:
Quite a few expressions related to "aanbidden" exist. Here are a few:

– "Iemand op handen dragen": to like someone very much. Literally "to carry someone on hands" as in liking somebody so much that you lift him/her with your hands (like what sometimes happens in sports).

– "Weglopen met iemand": to like someone very much. Literally: "to walk away with someone", as in liking somebody so much that you just want to walk away with that person!

– "Iemand op een voetstuk plaatsen": to put somebody on a pedestal.

Related words:
– "Adoreren": to adore.
– "Vereren": to worship, adore. Also used in relation to God.
– "Verafgoden": idolize.