1. to vomit, to throw up, to be sick
[verb]
[o-ver-ge-ven, gaf o-ver, o-ver-ge-ge-ven]

When the food you’ve eaten tries to leave your body via your mouth, you can use the word "overgeven" (after having wiped your mouth with a tissue of course 😉 ).

Synonymous to "overgeven" is "braken", or the more informal "kotsen", see the Related words.

Examples:
– "Ik ben misselijk, ik denk dat ik moet overgeven…" 
("I’m (feeling) nauseous…I think I’m going to be sick…")

– "Als je overgeeft, is de kater daarna minder erg." 
("If you throw up, the hangover is less severe afterwards.")

Expressions:
– "Over je nek gaan": to vomit, to be sick. Lit.: to go over one’s neck.

Related words:
– Braken: to vomit, to throw up, to be sick [verb] [braakte, gebraakt].
– Kotsen: to puke [verb] [kotste, gekotst].
– Misselijk: sick, nauseous [adjective].

2. to hand over, to pass
[verb]
[o-ver-ge-ven, gaf o-ver, o-ver-ge-ge-ven]

If an object is transferred from one person to another, you can use "overgeven", literally: to give over. A frequently used synonym is "doorgeven": to pass on.

Examples:
– "De sprinter gaf het stokje over aan zijn teamgenoot." 
("The sprinter handed over the stick to his teammate.")

– "Kun je de pindakaas overgeven, alsjeblieft?" 
("Can you hand over the peanut butter, please?")

Related words:
– Geven: to give [verb] [geven, gaf, gegeven].
– Over: over [adverb/preposition].
– Doorgeven: to pass on [verb] [doorgeven, gaf door, doorgegeven].

Example:
– "De liefde voor het vak wordt van generatie op generatie doorgegeven."
("The love for the trade is passed on from generation to generation.")

3. to surrender (oneself), to give (oneself) up
[reflexive verb]
[zich o-ver-ge-ven, gaf zich o-ver, heeft zich o-ver-ge-ge-ven]

In the context of surrendering oneself, the verb becomes reflexive: "zich overgeven".

Examples:
– "Handen omhoog!" – "Niet schieten! Ik geef me over!" 
("Hands up!" – "Don’t shoot! I surrender!")

– "Na een lange onderhandeling hebben de piraten zich aan de marine overgegeven." 
("After a long negotiation, the pirates surrendered to the navy.")

Expressions:
– "Zich gewonnen geven": to give up, to surrender.

Related words:
– Winnen: to win [verb] [winnen, won, gewonnen].
– Verliezen: to lose [verb] [verliezen, verloor, verloren].

Example:
– "Waar ben je bang voor, wat heb je te verliezen?"
("What are you afraid of, what have you got to lose?")

– Opgeven: to give up [verb] [opgeven, gaf op, opgegeven].

4. to indulge in, to surrender oneself to
[reflexive verb]
[zich o-ver-ge-ven, gaf zich o-ver, heeft zich o-ver-ge-ge-ven]

In the context of surrendering oneself to something, the verb is also reflexive, with the preposition "aan" added to it: "zich overgeven aan".

Examples:
– "Kate gaf zich over aan haar chocolade verslaving. Na een uur moest ze overgeven…" 
("Kate surrendered herself to her chocolate addiction. After an hour she had to vomit…")

– "Frank geeft zich altijd over aan zijn melancholische buien."
("Frank always indulges in his melancholy moods.")

Related words:
– Toegeven: to admit [verb] [toegeven, gaf toe toegegeven].

explanation, clarification
[noun]
[de uit-leg, <no plural>]

If you don’t understand what someone is saying, you’d better ask him/her for an explanation ("uitleg"). The core task of a teacher is "uitleg geven" ("give an explanation") or "uitleggen" ("explain"). You typically explain something to someone (see below for example sentences).

Examples:
– "De oppositie eiste een uitleg van de minister over de torenhoge bonussen van woningcorporaties." 
("The opposition demanded an explanation from the minister on the sky-high bonuses of housing corporations.")

– "Ik snapte helemaal niet wat er aan de hand was totdat zij het me uitlegde." 
("I didn’t have a clue what was going on until she explained it to me.")

– "Kun je me uitleggen waarom er lippenstift op je shirt zit? Ga je soms vreemd?" 
("Can you explain to me why you have lipstick on your shirt? Are you cheating on me?")

– "Op de verpakking stond uitgelegd hoe de verf te gebruiken." 
("On the packaging it was explained how to use the paint.")

Expressions:
– "Tekst en uitleg": a full explanation.

Example:
– "Zij gaf me tekst en uitleg over de discussies tijdens de conferentie."
("She gave me a full account of the discussions during the conference.")

Related words:
– Uitleg geven: to give an explanation [verb] [gaf, heeft gegeven].
– Uitleggen: to explain [verb] [legde uit, heeft uitgelegd].
– Snappen: to understand, to grasp [verb] [snapte, heeft gesnapt].
– Begrijpen: to understand [noun] [begreep, heeft begrepen].

to paint, to dye
[verb]
[ver-ven, verf-de, ge-verfd]

The Dutch don´t distinguish between giving your door a colour (to paint), or your hair (to dye). "Verven" can be used for the both of them. Note that the stem ends with an "f", which changes into a "v" in the infinitive and present plural.

The related noun is "verf": paint. Its plural is "verven".

Examples:
– "Ik heb vandaag de voordeur groen geverfd." 
("I’ve painted the front door green today.")

– "Weet jij of Frank zijn haar verft?" 
("Do you know if Frank dyes his hair?")

– "Kijk! Die man heeft zijn auto paars geverfd, met roze strepen….beetje vreemd…" 
("Look! That man has painted his car purple, with pink stripes…a bit strange…")

Expressions:
– "Uit de verf komen": to stand out clearly, to get properly off the ground.

Example:
– "Johns presentatie kwam niet uit de verf."
("John’s presentation didn’t get properly off the ground.")

– "Een verfje nodig hebben": to be in need of a lick of paint.
– "Een rare/vreemde kwast": a strange fellow. Lit.: a strange brush.

Related words:
– Verf: paint [noun] [de verf, de verven].
– (Verf)kwast: (paint)brush [noun] [de (verf)kwast, de (verf)kwasten].
– Verflaag: coat of paint [noun] [de verflaag, de verflagen].
– Kleur: colour [noun] [de kleur, de kleuren].

strange, weird
[adverb/adjective]
[vreemd]

A synonym for "vreemd" is "raar". Other common words based on "vreemd" that you might encounter are "vreemdeling" and "vreemdgaan" (see below).

Examples:
– "Ik kan mijn sleutels nergens vinden… vreemd…" 
("I can’t find my keys anywhere… strange…")

– "Ik heb er een vreemd gevoel bij, en jij?"
("It gives me a weird feeling, what about you?")

– "Ik vind het zelf ook een beetje vreemd, maar ik zweer het je, dat is wat ze zei!" 
("I, too, believe it is a bit strange, but I swear, that is what she said!" Note that we say "I swear it to you" :-).)

– "Nu ik weet wat zij hem geflikt heeft, vind ik het niet zo vreemd dat hij is vreemdgegaan!" 
("Now that I know what kind of trick she pulled on him, I don’t think it is that strange that he cheated on her!" Note that "vreemdgaan" implies having sex.)

– "Meneer, ik vind dit een vreemde gang van zaken. Volgens mij hadden wij een afspraak!" 
("Sir, this is not the way to do business. I believe we had a deal!" Literally: "I think this is a strange way of ‘things happening’ ". See DWOTD "Gang".)

– "Een beetje vreemd, maar wel lekker." 
("A bit weird, but tasty (nonetheless)." Marketing slogan in the 90s for the soft drink "Rivella".)

Expressions:
– "Hij is de vreemde eend in de bijt": he is the odd one out, he does not belong here… The noun "bijt" is not used anymore other than in this expression and means "opening in the ice" similar to the Dutch word "wak".
– "Hij is een vreemde vogel": he is a strange fellow. Literally "vogel" translates to "bird".

Related words:
– Raar: strange, weird [adjective/adverb].
– Vreemdgaan: to cheat (on your partner by having sex with somebody else) [verb] [ging vreemd, vreemdgegaan].
– Vreemdeling: stranger, alien [noun] [de vreemdeling, de vreemdelingen].