stroke of a clock
[noun]
[de klok-slag, de klok-sla-gen]

"Klokslag" is composed of "klok" and "slag", which respectively translate to "clock" and "strike/stroke/blow. "Klokslag" is therefore the stroke of a clock.

You will encounter "klokslag" mostly though in the idiom "klokslag [t] uur" or "klokslag half [t]", where t can be any hour of the day. It is best translated with "at exactly [t] o’clock".

The English idiom "at the stroke of midnight" cannot be literally translated with "klokslag middernacht". This would be "precies om middernacht".

Examples:
– "Dat is gek, het is nu drie uur, en ik hoor vier klokslagen…" 
("That’s funny, it’s three o’clock now, and I hear four strokes now…")

– "Om klokslag zes uur zal een zwarte auto het geld oppikken. Volg deze niet." 
("At exactly six o’clock a black car will pick up the money. Do not follow.")

– "Precies om middernacht verandert Frank in een kikker." 
("At the stroke of midnight, Frank will change into a frog.")

Expressions:
– "Haastige spoed is zelden goed": haste makes waste.

Related words:
– Horloge: watch [noun] [het horloge, de horloges].
– Wijzer: pointer [noun] [de wijzer, de wijzers].

Example:
– "Als de grote en de kleine wijzer samenvallen, is het twaalf uur."
("If the hour and the minute pointer are aligned, it’s twelve o’clock.")

– Klok: clock [noun] [de klok, de klokken].
– Slag: strike, blow [noun] [de slag, de slagen].

to be in doubt, to have doubts
[verb]
[dub-ben, dub-de, ge-dubd]

"Dubben" has nothing to do with "dubbing a movie", which would be "nasynchroniseren" in Dutch. ("Dubbing" is, by the way, never done in the Netherlands, except for some commercials and children’s movies, but in case of the latter you can still see the original if you want). "Dubben" is a bit informal and usually does not imply a strong doubt.

Examples:
– "Heeft Frank al een flatscreen gekocht?" – "Misschien, maar volgens mij dubt hij er nog over." 
("Has Frank already bought a flatscreen tv?" – "Maybe, but I think he is still in doubt.")

– "Sander is aan het dubben of hij wel of niet een auto moet huren in Engeland." 
("Sander has doubts whether or not to rent a car in England.")

– "Waar wacht je op?" – "Niks, ik dub nog een beetje, dat is alles." 
("What are you waiting for?" -"Nothing, I’m still a bit in doubt, that is all.")

– "Anne-Liesbeth heeft lang gedubd of ze verlof zou nemen, maar uiteindelijk heeft ze het gedaan." 
("For a long time Anne-Liesbeth was in doubt whether or not to take leave, but eventually she did it." Note the relationship between the Dutch word "verlof" and the English "furlough". Also note that Dutch people often say "eventually" when they mean "possibly" or "potentially" (which can translate to "eventueel" in Dutch).)

Related words:
– Twijfelen: to be in doubt [verb] [twijfelde, getwijfeld].
– Aarzelen: to hesitate [verb] [aarzelde, geaarzeld].
– Betwijfelen: to doubt (something) [verb] [betwijfeld, betwijfeld].

Example:
– "Zal Frank vandaag op tijd zijn?" – "Nou, ik betwijfel het ten zeerste!"
("Will Frank be on time today?" – "Well, I seriously doubt it!")

brilliant, highly-gifted
[adverb/adjective]
[ge-ni-aal]

“Geniaal” is linked to “genius” (“genie” in Dutch) and has always been used in the sense of “highly-gifted” people. A synonym of “geniaal” is “hoogbegaafd” (literally: “highgifted”). You can also use the word to describe ingenious ideas, events, people, jokes, food, places etc..

Examples:
– “De nieuwe show van die cabaretier is geniaal, je moet hem zien!” 
(“The new show by that cabaret performer is brilliant, you have to see it!”)

– “Mensen met een IQ van boven de 148 worden beschouwd als geniaal.”
(“People with an IQ of over 148 are considered to be highly-gifted.” Note that in this sentence, you can replace “geniaal” by “hoogbegaafd”.)

– “Heb je de laatste tijd nog iets leuks gelezen?” “-Ja, ‘Saturday’ van Ian McEwan, echt een geniaal boek!”
(-“Have you read anything fun lately?” “-Yes, ‘Saturday’ by Ian McEwan, a truly brilliant book!”)

– “Clifton is een geniaal strand in Kaapstad.”
(“Clifton is a fantastic beach in Cape Town.”)

– “De Graaf van Monte Christo bedacht een geniaal ontsnappingsplan.”
(“The Count of Monte Christo came up with a brilliant plan of escape.”)

Related words:
– Hoogbegaafd: highly gifted [adjective, adverb].
– Genie: genius [noun] [het genie, de genieën].

Example:
– “Vind je Bill Gates een genie van onze tijd?”
(“Do you think Bill Gates is a genius of our time?”)

– Briljant: 1. brilliant [adverb/adjective]; 2. diamond [noun] [de briljant, de briljanten].

Extra:
Note that the plural of “genie” gets an extra “e” in the plural “de genieën”. This is due to the fact that the emphasis of the singular “genie” is on the last syllable. The same goes for instance for “idee” (“idea”) which becomes “ideeën” but not for “kolonie” (“colony”) where emphasis is not put on the last syllable but on the middle one: “ko-lo-nie”. Therefore, the plural of “kolonie” is “koloniën”.

hilarious
[adjective]
[hi-la-risch]

"Hilarisch" is used the same way in Dutch as "hilarious" in English, yet it seems we only use it when something is really hilarious (as in "extremely funny"). When something is "very funny" it is more common to say "(heel) erg grappig" ("really very funny"), "ontzettend grappig" ("incredibly funny") etc.

Note that one pronounces the ending ‘-isch’ as ‘-ies’.

Examples:
– "Het is hilarisch om te zien hoe sommige mensen afgaan bij de Idols audities." 
("It’s hilarious to see how some people humiliate themselves at the Idols auditions.")

– "Hilarisch? Nee hilarisch zou ik het niet willen noemen, eerder zielig." 
("Hilarious? No, I wouldn’t call it hilarious, I’d rather call it pathetic.")

– "Hoe was de comedyshow in het Comedy Theater?"- "Erg goed, sommige van die gasten zijn echt hilarisch!" 
("How was the comedy show in ‘Comedy Theater’?" – "Very good, some of those guys are really hilarious!")

Expressions:
– "Lachen, gieren, brullen": literally "laughing, screaming, roaring" this is used to say you had a really good laugh. Often also used ironically.

Example:
– "Hoe was de nieuwe film met Mr. Bean?"- "Nou, het was weer lachen, gieren, brullen. Maar niet heus."
("How was the new Mr. Bean movie?" – "Well, once again it was really funny. Not…")

– "Buikpijn hebben van het lachen": literally "to have stomachache because of laughing" you say this when you really have or had to laugh hard because of something.

Related words:
– Grappig: funny, amusing [adjective/adverb].
– Komisch: comical, funny [adjective/adverb].