fire [noun] [de brand, de branden]  

You might have heard this word on the Dutch news the day before yesterday, when the building of the Faculty of Architecture of Delft University burnt down (see picture). “Brand” is used to describe the unwanted event of a fire. The word “vuur” is used more generally for a fire, either unwanted or wanted, and is also used in a figurative sense. For example, the fire in a fireplace is called “vuur” but cannot be called “brand” (unless it gets out of hand). The verb “branden” means to burn and can also be used in a figurative sense (see “Examples”).

Examples:
– “Door de harde wind verspreidde de brand zich snel naar de linkervleugel van het gebouw.”
(“Because of the heavy wind the fire spread fast to the left-wing of the building.”)

– “De brand kon pas na twee dagen worden geblust.”
(“The fire was extinguished only after two days.”)

– “Brand! Bel 112!”
(“Fire! Call 112”. 112 is the telephone number you can call in the Netherlands in case of an emergency.)

– “Nadat het vuur twee dagen had gewoed, kon de brandweer het sein ‘Brand meester’ geven”.
(“After the fire had been going on for two days, the fire brigade was able to control it”. Lit.: “After the fire had been going on for two days, the fire brigade was able to give the sign ‘Fire mastered’. “To give Sein ‘Brand meester”’ is an expression used by fire extinguishers when the fire is under control.)

– “Zij brandde van verlangen om hem weer te zien.”
(“She burnt with desire to see him again”. This is an example of the verb “branden” used in a figurative sense.)

– “We gingen rond het kampvuur zitten en zongen liedjes tot middernacht.”
(“We gathered around the campfire and sang songs until midnight.”)

– “De vuurzee verwoestte het hele dorp.”
(“The fire (Lit.: “sea of fire”) destroyed the entire village.”)

Related words:
– “Blussen”: to extinguish.
– “Branden”: to burn.
– “Brandweer”: the fire department, fire brigade.
– “Vlam”: flame.
– “Lucifers”: matches.
– “Brandblusser”: fire extinguisher.

"Enig" is a versatile word… It has about three different
translations. There are too many different subtle ways of using "enig"
to cover entirely in this DWOTD, but we’ll give it a try anyway 🙂

1. only (one/thing), sole, single [adjective] [‘ee-nig’]

Examples:

– "Het enige dat helpt is rust, veel rust."
("The only thing that helps is rest, a lot of rest.")

– "Prinses Fiona is de enige erfgenaam van de troon van Ver Ver Weg."
("Princess Fiona is the sole heir to the throne of Far Far Away.")

– "Je bent niet de enige met gemengde gevoelens…"
("You’re not the only one with mixed emotions…")

Expressions:
– "De enige echte": the one and only. Lit.: "the only real one".

Related words:
– "Alleen": alone.
– "Alleenstaand": single.

2. wonderful, lovely, marvelous [adjective] [‘ee-nig’]

The use of "enig" as the translation for wonderful is a bit
hoyty-toyty (check out the audio…) To stress the arty-fartiness you may sometimes see
phonetic variations such as "eeenig" 🙂 Of course this is incorrect
spelling…

Examples:

– "Lieverd, wat een eeenig jurkje."
("Darling, what a wonderful little dress.")

– "Zeg amice, wat vind je van dit schilderij?" – "Enig, in één woord enig!"
("Say, my dear friend, what do you think of this painting?" – "Marvelous, in one word marvelous!")

– "Schatje, wil je met me in het reuzenrad?" – "Dat lijkt me enig!"
("Sweetie, do you want to go on the Ferris wheel with me?" – "I would love to!")

Related words:
– "Leuk": nice, fun.
– "Mooi": beautiful.
– "Prachtig": magnificent.

3. some, any [indefinite pronoun/cardinal number] [‘ee-nig’]

The use of "enig" in this context is slightly formal.

Examples:

– "We hebben enige tegenslagen gehad, daarom is het project vertraagd."
("We’ve had some set-backs, therefore the project has been delayed.")

– "Frank is zonder enige twijfel een mierenneuker…"
("Frank is a nitpicker, without any doubt…")

– "Volgens mij kun je wel enige hulp gebruiken…" – "Nee dank je, ik volg gewoon de gebruiksaanwijzing!"
("I think you can use some help…" – "No thank you, I’m just following the manual!’)

game [noun] [het spelletje, de spelletjes] [‘spe-lu-tju’] 

A “spel” is a game, but “spellen” is “to spell”. “Spelen” is “to play (a game)”, “spelling” is “spelling”, but “speling” is “margin” or “leeway”. And a “spell” in Dutch, well that’s something completely different. Tired of this silly “woordspelletje”? Then let’s move on to the examples!

(But do mind that the diminutive “spelletje” is mostly used for recreational games whereas “spel” is the more general word for “game”.)

Examples:
– “Hebben jullie zin om een spelletje te doen?”
(“Do you feel like playing a game?”)

-“Nou, hou je van me of speel je soms een spelletje (met me)?” 
(“Well, do you love me, or are you playing a game (with me)?” Note that “soms” translates to “sometimes” but when used as in this example it takes on the meaning of “potentially/possibly”.)

– “Ken je Lingo? Leuk spelletje hè?!
(“Do you know Lingo? Fun game, isn’t it?” As of 2014 the game Lingo is no longer on Dutch television.)

Expressions:
– “Een gevaarlijk spelletje spelen”: to play a dangerous game.
– “Het spel is uit”: game over.
– “Het spel meespelen”: to play along (with somebody).
– “Iets op het spel zetten”: to risk losing something.

Related words:
– “Gezelschappspel”: party game, round game. “Gezelschap” translates to “company” (around you).
– “Bordspel(letje)”: board game.
– “Woordspel(letje)”: word game.
– “Kaartspel(letje)”: card game.
– “Woordspeling”: pun (note: only one ‘l’ !)
– “Seksspelletje”: sex/bed game.
– “Computerspelletje”: computer game.
– “Buitenspel”: off-side (football/soccer).
– “Spelen”: to play.

awake, alert [adjective/adverb] [‘wa-kur’]

It’s always hard adjusting to working hours after some days off, so
you can try this word on your colleagues today. It’s mostly used to
refer to the event of waking up or staying awake.                                                                                           
Examples:
–"Je ziet er niet erg wakker uit; heb je niet goed geslapen vannacht?"
("You don’t look very awake; didn’t you sleep well last night?")

– "Word wakker en sta op, anders kom je te laat!"
("Wake up and get up or you’ll be late!" Instead of using the imperative "Word wakker!", it’s also possible to use the infinitive "Wakker worden!")

– "Als hij tot laat is uitgeweest en te veel gedronken heeft, is hij ‘s ochtends niet wakker te krijgen!"
("If he goes out late and drinks too much, it’s impossible to wake him up in the morning!")

– "Ik schrok wakker toen de deurbel ging."
("I woke up suddenly when the doorbell rang.")

– "Als ik lang moet rijden, drink ik altijd een blikje Red Bull om wakker te blijven."   
("If I have to drive a long way, I always drink a can of Red Bull to stay awake."

– "Hij ligt nachten wakker van de stress op zijn werk."
("He can’t sleep because of the stress at his work." Lit. "He lies awake nights…")

Related words:
– "Wekker": alarm clock.
– "Wakker worden": wake up.
– "Slapen": to sleep.
– "Uitslapen": to sleep long.
– "Verslapen": to oversleep.