Category Archives: Dutch word of the day

Meteen

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right/straight away, immediately, at once
[adverb]
[met-een] 

‘Meteen’ is typically translated as ‘right/straight away’ and it reflects more an option of when to do something than an urgent ‘now!’ which could be the case with the adverb ‘onmiddellijk‘. When urgent however, you can say ‘nu meteen’. The opposite would be ‘zo meteen’: in a minute/moment.

A common synonym of ‘meteen’ is ‘direct’: at once, directly.

Examples:
– “Ja, ik ruim zo meteen mijn kamer op!” – “Nee, niks daarvan, je doet het nu meteen!” 
(“Ok, I’ll clean up my room in a minute!” – “No, no way, you are doing it right now!” Lit. “No, nothing of that, …”)

– “Wilt u de stoel meteen meenemen, of wilt u hem laten bezorgen?” 
(“Would you like to take the chair with you straight away, or would you like to have it delivered?”)

– “Het examen is multiple-choice en je krijgt de uitslag meteen na afloop te horen.” 
(“The exam is multiple choice and you will receive the result right after the exam has finished.” Lit. “… you will get to hear the outcome right after the end.”)

– “Zullen we het maar meteen doen, dan zijn we ervanaf.” 
(“Why don’t we do it right away, then we’re done with it.” Note the use of ‘ervanaf zijn’: it is no longer your problem or concern.)

– “Is het nog laat geworden gisteravond?” – “Nee, we zijn meteen na de film naar huis gegaan.” 
(“So did it get late last night?” – “No, we went home straight after the movie.”)

Related words:
– Onmiddellijk: immediately [adverb].
– Zo meteen: in a minute/moment [adverb].
– Direct: at once, directly [adverb].

Geroezemoes

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buzz(ing), hubbub, din, hum
[noun]
[het ge-roe-ze-moes] 

‘Geroezemoes’ is the sound of a crowd of people talking but without it being distinct what is actually being said (like ‘buzz’ or ‘hum’). In Dutch one creates the noun that expresses the activity of a specific verb by taking the stem of the verb and preceding it with ‘ge’, e.g. for the verb ‘schreeuwen’ (to scream) the noun becomes ‘geschreeuw’ (screaming). In a similar way one can create the noun ‘geroezemoes’, however the verb ‘roezemoezen’ is hardly ever used (in my experience; I have actually never encountered it).

Although you may not encounter it often, the noun ‘geroezemoes’ is common vocabulary.

Examples:
– “Zullen we even naar buiten stappen, ik kan je niet verstaan door het geroezemoes.” 
(“Shall we step out for a minute, I can’t understand you over all the din hubbub.”)

– “Is de receptie al begonnen?”- “Ik geloof het wel, ik hoor flink wat geroezemoes aan het eind van de gang.” 
(“Has the reception started yet?” – “I believe so, I hear quite some buzzing at the end of the corridor.”)

– “Ik heb het idee dat geroezemoes altijd ongeveer hetzelfde klinkt, ongeacht de taal die gesproken wordt.” 
(“I have the perception that the hum of voices always sounds more or less the same, regardless of the language spoken.” Lit. “I have the idea that …”)

– “Nadat de directeur zijn toespraak beëindigde, klonk er direct geroezemoes op uit de zaal.” 
(“After the (managing) director ended his speech the crowd in the room/hall buzzed immediately.” Lit. “buzzing sounded out of the room/hall”. A ‘zaal’ is a big room/hall.)

– “Het geroezemoes in de kamer hield direct op toen de spreker zachtjes tegen zijn glas tikte.” 
(“The hum of voices in the room stopped immediately when the speaker gently tapped his glass.”)

Related words:
– Roezemoezen: to buzz, bustle, hum [verb] [roezemoesde, geroezemoesd].
– Mompelen: to mumble [verb] [mompelde, gemompeld].
– Achtergrondgeruis: background noise [noun] [het geruis, <no plural>].

Bereid

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willing/prepared, ready(-made)
[adjective]
[be-reid] 

The adjective ‘bereid’ is derived from the verb ‘bereiden’: to prepare/cook, to get ready. However even though it is grammatically correct to translate ‘ik ben bereid’ as ‘I am (/have been) cooked’, in this construct ‘bereid’ typically takes on the meaning of ‘being prepared or willing’.

Examples:
– “Ik ben altijd bereid om een vraag van Marsha te beantwoorden…” 
(“I’m always willing to answer a question from Marsha…”)

– “Ik twijfel er geen moment aan dat deze kannibalen bereid zijn om ons te bereiden.” 
(“There is no doubt in my mind that these cannibals are willing to cook us (/turn us into a meal).” Lit. “I doubt not a moment…”)

– “De vraag is of je bereid bent dat te doen….” – “Ok. Als ik eerlijk ben, denk ik niet dat ik daartoe bereid ben.” 
(“The question is whether you are prepared to do that…” – “Ok. Honestly speaking, I don’t think I’m prepared to do that.” Note the use of ‘daartoe’.)

– “Ben je bereid om voor het werk vaak te reizen?” 
(“Are you willing to travel frequently for work?”)

– “Ik ben tot alles bereid om ervoor te zorgen dat jij je goed voelt!” 
(“I am prepared to do anything to ensure that you are happy.” Lit. “that you feel good.”)

– “Mijn collega heeft zich bereid verklaard om voor mij in te vallen, mocht dat nodig zijn.” 
(“My colleague has declared himself willing to stand in for me, in case that will be necessary.”)

– “Goede vrienden zijn altijd bereid elkaar te helpen, toch?” 
(“Good friends are always willing to help each other, right?”)

– “Ik eet liever een vers bereide maaltijd dan een kant-en-klaarmaaltijd. Maar ja, iemand moet hem bereiden!” 
(“I’d rather eat a freshly made meal than a ready-made (microwave) meal. But the thing is, someone needs to prepare it!” In general ‘kant-en-klaar’ means ‘ready-made’ or ‘ready for use’, e.g. ‘een kant-en-klare oplossing’: a solution ready for (immediate) use.)

Related words:
– Klaarmaken: to prepare/cook, to get ready [verb] [maakte klaar, klaargemaakt].
– Bereiden: to prepare/cook [verb] [bereidde, bereid].
– Hulpvaardig: helpful, willing to help [adjective].

– “De mensen zijn hier over het algemeen heel hulpvaardig.”
(“In general the people here are very helpful.”)

Haarfijn

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as fine as hair, minute, subtle /  in great detail
[adjective/adverb]
[haar-fijn] 

‘Haarfijn’ can be used as an adjective or an adverb. Literally it translates as ‘as fine as hair’ and you use it when something is very detailed or minute. As an adverb it is commonly used in the phrases ‘iets haarfijn uitleggen’ (to explain something in great detail) or ‘iets haarfijn weten’ (to know something inside out).

The dictionary told me that the emphasis is on the last syllable ‘fijn’, however it is my experience that people usually say ‘haar-fijn’.

Examples:
– “Een haarfijn scheurtje in de romp van een spaceshuttle kan desastreuze gevolgen hebben.” 
(“A minute crack in the fuselage of a space shuttle can have devastating consequences.”)

– “Hij staat erom bekend dat hij de dingen haarfijn uit kan leggen.” 
(“He is known for his ability to explain something in great detail.“)

– “Vraag het maar aan opa, die weet dat haarfijn.” 
(“Go and ask grandpa, he knows that inside out.”)

– “De restauratie van het schilderij heeft haarfijne details blootgelegd.” 
(“The restoration of the painting has exposed minute details.”)

– “Leen anders mijn camera, daar kun je haarfijne foto’s mee maken!” 
(“Why don’t you borrow my camera, it shoots highly detailed pictures!”)

Related words:
– Haar: hair [noun] [de haar, de haren].
– Fijn: fine, subtle, delicate [adjective].
– Gedetailleerd: detailed [adjective/adverb].
– Detail: detail [noun] [het detail, de details].

Broddelwerk

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badly done piece of work or repair, botch-job, botch-up
[noun]
[het brod-del-werk] 

The noun ‘werk’ means ‘work’ in Dutch and it can be used for a (type of) job one has, but also for a job done, e.g. ‘goed werk!’ (good job!). When you deliver ‘broddelwerk’ you are doing a terrible job of poor quality. The related verb is ‘broddelen’ (to bungle / botch (up) (one’s work)’, however it is almost never used.

Examples:
– “Hij heeft een goede reputatie als dichter, maar zijn laatste bundel is echt broddelwerk!” 
(“He has a very good reputation being a poet, but his latest collection (of poems) is a botch-up.”)

– “Ik heb mijn auto laten spuiten, maar het is echt broddelwerk, ik zweer het je, breng je auto nooit naar die garage!” 
(“I had my car spray-painted but it’s a botch-job, I’m telling you, never take your car to that garage!”)

– “Denk jij dat Frank contractverlenging krijgt?” – “Ik denk het niet, die gast levert echt broddelwerk af!” 
(“Do you think Frank will get contract renewal?” – “I don’t think so, the guy’s output is always of very poor quality.”)

Related words:
– Broddelen: to make a botch of something, to bungle / botch (up) (one’s work) [verb] [broddelde, gebroddeld].
– Slecht werk leveren: to do a poor job [verb] [leverde, geleverd].
– Broddelaar: bungler, botcher [noun] [de broddelaar, de broddelaren].
– Waardeloos: worthless [adjective].
– Slecht: bad [adjective].
– Aanfluiting: farce, travesty [noun] [de aanfluiting, de aanfluitingen].