egg [noun] [het ei, de eieren]

When it comes to pronunciation, this word is like the little brother of ‘ui’. Not nearly the same sound, but again very hard to pronounce for the non-native Dutch speaker.

Note that:
– the plural form of ‘ei’ ends in ‘eren’. However, the general rule is that a plural form ends in ‘en’ or ‘s’.
– the Dutch vowel ‘ij’ sounds the same as ‘ei’ and often leads to spelling errors.

Examples:
1. Well known Dutch beer brand with ‘ei’ in it: "Heineken".

2. "Eiersalade" : egg salad/spread (also see DWOTD "Sla").

3. "Een (zacht/hard) gekookt eitje." : "A (soft/hard) boiled egg."

4. "Twee gebakken eieren." : "Two fried eggs."

5. <expression> "Het was een eitje!".
Translates to: "It was a piece of cake!"

Example:
"Hoe ging je examen wiskunde? Man het was een eitje!"
("How did your maths exam go? Man, it was a piece of cake!")

Related words:
1. "Kip" : chicken.

Example:
"De kip legt een ei."
("The chicken lays an egg.")

2. "Haan" : cock/rooster.

3. "Uitsmijter" : typically Dutch breakfast order in cafes or restaurants. Consists of two fried eggs served on slices of bread (or toast) with slices of ham and/or cheese.

Caution: ‘Uitsmijter’ is the noun derived from the verb ‘uitsmijten’, which means ‘to throw out’, specifically when it comes down to throwing people out of clubs or bars, hence: ‘uitsmijter’ also means ‘bouncer’.

onion [noun] [de ui, de uien]

This word, that is no more than a vowel sound, is notoriously difficult
to pronounce for the non-native speakers. Here you really have to ask
the local Dutch guru 🙂

Examples:
1. "Uiensoep" : onion soup.
2. "Peen en uien" : carrot and onions (together with potatoes these are
the basic ingredients of a traditional Dutch winter dish called ‘hutspot‘).

Many Dutch words exist that have ‘ui’ as their core and I am sure we
will come across them in future DWOTDs. Here are a few examples so you can practise the ‘ui’ sound:
1. "Lui" : lazy.
2. "Uil" : owl.
3. "Trui" : sweater/jumper.
4. "Bui" : mood, rain shower.

Example:
"Hij was in een slechte bui vanwege de hevige buien."
("He was in a bad mood because of the severe(/heavy) rain showers.")

hallway/corridor, mud room, course (meal), pace, walk (way of) [noun] [de gang, de gangen]

Examples:
1. De kasten staan op de gang.
("The lockers/cabinets are in the corridor.")

2. We kunnen u een drie-gangenmenu aanbieden voor 35 Euro.
("We can offer you a three course meal for 35 Euro.")

3. Hij doet alles met een slakkengangetje!
("He does everything with the gait of a snail!")

4. Hij heeft de gang van een oude man.
("He walks like an old man.")

5. Question: "Hoe gaat het?" ("How are things?").
Answer: "Z’n gangetje".

Expression:
– "Het gaat zijn (z’n) gangetje".
This is an informal expression to indicate that things are going their normal way/routine.
– "Gang van zaken". Literally: "Way of business".

Examples:
a) "De gang van zaken is als volgt": The procedure is as follows.
b) "De dagelijkse gang van zaken": The daily routine.
c) "Het is een trieste gang van zaken!": It’s a sad state of affairs!

Caution: the English noun "gang" (criminal) in Dutch translates to "bende", but "bende" can also mean "mess" (in its meaning of a
disorganised state).

(pair of) glasses [noun] [de bril, de brillen]

Examples:
1. "Zonnebril" : sunglasses.
2. "Zwembril(letje)" : swimming goggles.
3. "Leesbril" : reading glasses.
4. "Brilslang" : cobra (snake). (Cobra is also a common word to use in Dutch.)
5. "Wc-bril" : toilet seat.

6. "Hij is brildragend."
("He wears glasses.") (medical statement)

7. "Ik heb liever lenzen dan een bril."
("I prefer contacts to glasses.")