Category Archives: Dutch word of the day

Dobbelsteen

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Grammar: <dobbel> <steen> [noun] [de dobbelsteen, de dobbelstenen].

Translates to: dice (game).

A synonym for "dobbelsteen" is "teerling", but it is never used other than in one expression (see below).

Example:
<in a game:> "Het is jouw beurt om de dobbelsteen te gooien."
("It is your turn to throw the dice.")
See also "DWOTD (5): Beurt".

Expression:
"De teerling is geworpen."
("The die is cast.")

Related words:
1. "Dobbelen": to (play) dice (usually to gamble).
2. "Steen": stone.

Extra:
The novel ‘Les jeux sont faits’ by Jean-Paul Sartre is known in Dutch by the title ‘De teerling is geworpen’. Read more about this novel at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_jeux_sont_faits

Kletsen

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to chat, to chatter, to gossip, to talk nonsense/rubbish, to splash, to throw/hit with a splashing sound [verb] [kletste, gekletst]

Although “kletsen” has more than one meaning, it is mostly used as a form of talking.

Examples:
1. “Laat ze maar kletsen.”
(<indifferently:> “Let them talk/gossip.”)

2. “Kinderen, niet kletsen in de klas! – sprak de juf.”
(“Children, no talking/chatting during class! – the teacher/nanny said.”)

3. “De regendruppels kletsten op de stoep.”
(“The raindrops were splashing on the pavement.”)

Expressions:
1. “Uit je nek kletsen.”: to talk nonsense. (Literally: to talk out of your neck).

Example:
“Frank zat weer behoorlijk uit z’n nek te kletsen tijdens de vergadering.”
(“Frank was really talking nonsense again during the meeting.”)

2. “Iemand de oren van het hoofd kletsen.”: to talk the hind leg off
a donkey / to talk really much. (Literally: to talk the ears off
someone’s head).

Related words:
1. “Bijkletsen” : to chat with a person in an informal way in order to update eachother on what has been going on in eachother’s lives (“to catch up”).

Example:
“We moeten binnenkort maar weer eens gezellig bijkletsen.”
(“We should catch up / have a nice little chit chat soon.”)

2. “Kletskous” : chatterbox, a person who is chatting/gossiping all the time. A “kous” is a “stocking”.

3. “Ouwehoeren”: to chatter / to go on, more or less synonymous to “kletsen” but very informal. (Literally: to old-whore…)

4. “Dijenkletser”: a really good joke. (Literally: a thigh splasher. Obviously it refers to the sound that is heard when you slap your upperlegs with your flat hands when hearing a really good joke…)

Behangen

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to wallpaper, to hang wallpaper, to hang/drape/cover with
[verb]
[be-han-gen, be-hing, be-han-gen]

The noun that goes with “behangen” is “behang”: wallpaper.

Examples:
1. “Dat is leuk behang!”
(“That is nice wallpaper!”)

2. “Sander heeft zijn woonkamer behangen.”
(“Sander has wallpapered his living room.”)

3. “De wand was volledig met schilderijen behangen.”
(“The wall was completely hung with paintings.”)

Expression:
“Iemand/iets achter het behang willen stoppen.”
(“To put somebody/thing behind the wallpaper.”)

This expression is used when you have had enough / are sick of somebody or something.

Example:
“Na 55 jaar huwelijk wilde de vrouw haar man achter het behang stoppen.”
(“After 55 years of marriage the woman wanted to put her husband behind the wallpaper.”)

Emmer

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Grammar: <emmer> [noun] [de emmer, de emmers].

Translates to: bucket.

You can turn "emmer" into a verb by adding -en. The verb "emmeren" translates to "to yack (on) / to whine (on)", and has a bit of a negative connotation.

Examples:
1. "Hij had een emmer met warm water gevuld om de auto te wassen."
("He had filled a bucket with warm water to wash the car.")

2. "Het regent alsof het met emmers uit de hemel gegooid wordt."
("It rains really hard". Literally: "It rains like it is thrown out of the sky by buckets.")

3. Frank zat weer enorm te emmeren tijdens de vergadering over dat ene puntje."
("Again, Frank was whining on about that one little issue during the meeting.")

Related words:
1. "Spons" : sponge.
2. "Zeuren" : to nag / to whine, synonymous to "emmeren".

Expression:
"Dat is de druppel die de emmer doet overlopen! / dat is de druppel!"
(That’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back! / that’s the last straw! Literally: "That’s the drop that makes the bucket flow over!")

Extra:
The Dutch news show on the public channels, a.k.a. the "NOS Journaal", once had an achorman called Fred Emmer. Fred Emmer was famous for never making a slip of the tongue and his very formal way of presenting. He left the NOS Journaal in 1988, but was never forgotten. During the celebration of the NOS Journaal 50th anniversary in 2006, Fred Emmer was notably absent. Invited though, he declined the honour. His reason: he didn’t want to look back… For some, Fred Emmer has a cult status.

Beer

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bear [noun] [de beer, de beren]

Not to be confused with "bier", which means "beer" (in English). To distinguish between the pronunciation of the Dutch words "beer" and "bier" is often found difficult by non-Dutch.

Example:
– "De beer vangt een zalm in de rivier."
("The bear catches a salmon in the river.")

Expressions:
1. "Beresterk": strong as a lion/ox (literally: strong as a bear).

2. "Een ongelikte beer": a rude guy (literally: an unlicked bear).

3. "Hij is een beer van een vent, zeg!"
("Say, he’s really a strong big guy!" Literally: "He’s really one bear of a guy!")

4. "Frank ziet altijd veel beren op de weg."
("Frank always sees a lot of obstacles on the way ahead / Frank always has a pessimistic view on things." Literally: "Frank always sees a lot of bears on the road").

5. "Je moet de huid niet verkopen voordat de beer geschoten is."
One should not promise something if one doesn’t have control over it yet or if it’s not at one’s disposal yet. (Literally: "You should not sell the hide before the bear has been shot.")

Related words:
1. "Teddybeer": teddy bear.
2. "IJsbeer" : polar bear, see also DWOTD IJsbeer.