Category Archives: Dutch word of the day

Lekkage

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leak, leakage Click to listen
Lekkage
[noun]
[de lek-ka-ge, de lek-ka-ges]

A "lekkage" is a leakage. "Lekkage" is typically used in case of a pipe, tube or other container leaking water.

The related "lek" translates as a noun also to "leak" in general, or as an adjective to "leaky/punctured".

Examples:
– "Marcs kantoor is dit weekend getroffen door een flinke waterlekkage." – "Daar is hij mooi klaar mee!" 
("Marc's office has been struck by quite a water leakage this weekend." – "A fine state of affairs!")

– "De bovenburen hebben lekkage en nu loopt het water bij ons langs de muur naar beneden…" – "Jeetje, het is bij jullie altijd kommer en kwel…" 
("The upper neighbours have a leak and now the water is running down our wall…" – "Oh my, you guys are always in a miserable situation…" Note the use of 'jeetje'; this is a variant of 'jee' which is in its turn derived from 'Jezus'.)

Expressions:
– "Het loopt de spuigaten uit": it's getting out of hand.
– "In het water vallen": to fall through, to be cancelled. Lit.: to fall into the water

Example:
–
"Het is mijn verwachting dat Franks plannen vrij snel in het water zullen vallen."
("I expect Frank's plans to fall through quite quickly." Lit.: "It is my expectation that Frank's plans will fall through quite quickly.")

Related words:
– Lek: 1. leak [noun] [het lek, de lekken]. 2. leaky, punctured [adjective].

Example:
– "Eerst had ik wind tegen, daarna kreeg ik een lekke band, en toen begon het te regenen." –
"Jongen, wat een ellende!"
("First I had the wind against me, then I got a flat tyre, and then it
started to rain…" – "Dude, what a distress!")

– Lekken: to leak [verb] [lekken, lekte, h. gelekt].
– Loodgieter: plumber [noun] [de loodgieter, de loodgieters].

Verwachting

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expectation, anticipation Click to listen
Verwachting
[noun]
[de ver-wach-ting, de ver-wach-ting-en]

"Verwachting" contains "-wacht-" from "wachten": to wait. Related verb is "verwachten": to expect. When a woman is "in verwachting", she's expecting (a baby), lit.: in expectation/anticipation…

Examples:
– "De verwachtingen ten aanzien van het Nederlandse elftal zijn erg gespannen: de oranjekoorts is weer toegeslagen…" 
("The expectations regarding the Dutch soccer team are very tense: the 'orange fever' has struck again…")

– "Ik had niet zo'n hoge verwachting van mijn nieuwe chef, maar hij valt erg mee." 
("I didn't think much of my new chef, but he's pretty all right." Lit.: "I didn't have such a high expectation of my new chef, …")

Expressions:
– "In (blijde) verwachting zijn": to be expecting. Lit.: to be in (happy) expectation.
– "Boven/buiten verwachting": beyond expectation(s). Lit.: above/outside expectation.

Example:
– "Franks presentatie is buiten verwachting interessant! Normaal is hij heel saai…"
("Frank's presentation is interesting, which is beyond my expectation! Normally he's really boring…")

– "Beneden de verwachtingen blijven": to fall short of one's expectations. Lit.: to stay below the expectations.
– "Tegen alle verwachtingen (in): against all odds.

Related words:
– Gespannen: tense [adjective].
– Hoop: hope [noun] [de hoop, <no plural>].

Example:
– "Geef mij nu je angst, ik geef je er hoop voor terug."
("Hand over your fear to me now, I'll give you back hope.")

– Wachten: to wait [verb] [wachten, wachtte, h. gewacht].
– Weersverwachting: weather forecast [noun] [de weersverwachting, de weersverwachtingen].
– Zenuwachtig: nervous [adjective].

Slachtoffer

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victim Click to listen
Slachtoffer
[noun]
[het slacht-of-fer, de slacht-of-fers]

"Slachtoffer" is composed of "slacht" and "offer", which respectively translate to "slaughter" and "sacrifice"…a "slachtoffer" is not doing very well…

Examples:
– "Ten minste twaalf doden door treinongeval Spanje." 
("At least twelve victims dead in train accident Spain.")

– "Sally is het slachtoffer geworden van een billenknijper." 
("Sally has fallen victim to a bottom squeezer.")

– "De verdediger werd het slachtoffer van de schwalbe van de aanvaller: de scheidsrechter gaf hem onterecht een rode kaart." 
("The defender became the victim of the striker's fake dive: the referee gave him an undeserved red card.")

Expressions:
– "Het kind van de rekening zijn": to be the victim, to suffer, to pay the piper, to carry the can.

Example:
– "Polici kletsen veel, en doen niks. De gewone man is het kind van de rekening."
("Politicians talk a lot of nonsense, and do nothing. The man in the street is suffering." Lit.: …the common man…".)

Related words:
– Offer: sacrifice [noun] [het offer, de offers].
– Slager/slachter: butcher [noun] [de slager, de slagers].
– Slachten: to kill, to slaugther [verb] [slachten, slachtte, h. geslacht].

Example:
– "Argentinië – Noord-Korea 7-0…een slachtpartij…"
("Argentina – North-Korea 7-0…a massacre…" Lit.: "…a slaughter party…")

Schwalbe

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fake dive, diving, simulation Click to listen Schwalbe
[noun]
[de schwal-be, de schwal-bes] 

"Schwalbe" is one of those few German words that are used in the Dutch language. A "schwalbe" is the act, performed by a soccer player, of deliberately taking a dive with the objective of obtaining a free kick or penalty. We do have also a Dutch equivalent – "fopduik" (lit.: fake dive) – but "schwalbe" is far more popular…

Difference with the German Schwalbe is that it's not written with a capital (like all German nouns), except when it's the first word of the sentence, and that its plural form is "schwalbes", and not "Schwalben", like in German.

Examples:
– "Dat was echt een schwalbe!" – "Valt mee dat de scheids het gezien heeft…" 
("That was really a fake dive!" – "Luckily the ref's seen it…")

– "Dat was geen schwalbe!" – "Wedden van wel?!" 
("That wasn't a fake dive!" – "You wanna bet?!")

Related words:
– Aanstellen: 1. to appoint [verb] [aanstellen, stelde aan, h. aangesteld]. 2. to put up a drama act, to put on an air [verb] [aanstellen, stelde aan, h. aangesteld].
– Aansteller: drama queen [noun] [de aansteller, de aanstellers].
– Overtreding: foul [noun] [de overtreding, de overtredingen].

Example:
– "Wat een verschrikkelijke overtreding! Dat moet een rode kaart zijn."
("What a terrible foul! That has to be a red card.")

Extra:
For an overview of German words used in the Dutch language, check out Wikipedia.

Wedden

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to bet (on), to wager Click to listen
[verb]
[wed-den, wed-de, ge-wed]

Paardenrennen 'Wedden' has nothing to do with 'to wed' 🙂 which would be 'trouwen' or 'huwen'. When the bet is more a gamble (casino) we use the verb 'gokken'.

Examples:
– "Ik wed dat Frankrijk doorgaat naar de volgende ronde!" 
("I bet that France will go through to the next round!")

– "Volgens mij durft Sander niet!" – "O nee? Wedden van wel?!" 
("I think Sander doesn't dare / is too scared! – "Is he now? I bet he is not!" Note the use of the infinitive 'wedden'; you can also say 'Ik wed van wel!')

– "Ok jongen, wedden we om geld of om de eer?" – "Om de eer!" – "Om de eer? Lafaard!" 
("Ok man, are we betting for money or for the honour?" – "For the honour!" – "Honour? You coward!")


WeddenDat1986-JosBrink-SandraReemer – "Ik durf te wedden dat jij niet het antwoord weet op de volgende vraag: wie was de presentator van het populaire Nederlandse tv-programma 'Wedden, dat..?' in de jaren tachtig?" 
("I bet you do not know the answer to the following question: who was the presenter of the popular Dutch TV show 'Wedden, dat..?' in the eighties?")

– "Ik wed om 10 euro dat Frank vandaag wederom te laat zal zijn." 
("I'll bet you 10 euros that Frank will be late today once again.")

– "Nou, ik wed van niet!" – "Nou, ik wed van wel!" 
("Well, I bet he is not!" – "Well, I bet he is!" Note that it depends on context whether to use 'it/she/he'.)

Expressions:
– "Op twee paarden wedden": literally 'to bet on two horses' this is to say that you are hedging/covering your bets.

Related words:
– Weddenschap: bet [noun] [de weddenschap, de weddenschappen].
– Een weddenschap winnen/verliezen: to win/lose a bet [verb] [won/verloor, gewonnen/verloren].

Example:
– "Marc heeft de weddenschap verloren en dus moet hij op een etentje trakteren."
("Marc lost the bet and hence he has to treat to dinner." Note the informal use of 'etentje'; the formal word is 'diner'.)

– Een weddenschap aangaan: to place/make a bet [verb] [ging aan, aangegaan].
– Gokken: to gamble [verb] [gokte, gegokt].