Category Archives: DWOTD 1.0

Original DWOTD post 2006 – 2013

IJsbeer

Posted on by

polar bear [noun] [de ijsbeer, de ijsberen]

Literally this word translates to ‘ice bear’ and that’s why you might hear a Dutch person use this word mistakenly.

The word ‘ijs’ is also used for ‘ice cream’. An ice lolly (popsicle), or a single cone of ice cream, is called an ‘ijsje’ (diminutive).

It is common in the Dutch language to create a verb from a noun by adding ‘en’. In this case, the verb is ‘ijsberen’. ‘Ijsberen’ is the activity of pacing up and down the room, aimlessly and lost in thought. This verb is derived from the behaviour of polar bears in captivity.

Examples:
1. "De professor ijsbeerde door de kamer."
("The professor paced up and down the room.")

2. "Ik hou van walnootijs."
("I like walnut ice cream.)

3. <At McDonald’s> "Een sundae-ijsje alstublieft!"
("One sundae ice cream please!")

Ei

Posted on by

egg [noun] [het ei, de eieren]

When it comes to pronunciation, this word is like the little brother of ‘ui’. Not nearly the same sound, but again very hard to pronounce for the non-native Dutch speaker.

Note that:
– the plural form of ‘ei’ ends in ‘eren’. However, the general rule is that a plural form ends in ‘en’ or ‘s’.
– the Dutch vowel ‘ij’ sounds the same as ‘ei’ and often leads to spelling errors.

Examples:
1. Well known Dutch beer brand with ‘ei’ in it: "Heineken".

2. "Eiersalade" : egg salad/spread (also see DWOTD "Sla").

3. "Een (zacht/hard) gekookt eitje." : "A (soft/hard) boiled egg."

4. "Twee gebakken eieren." : "Two fried eggs."

5. <expression> "Het was een eitje!".
Translates to: "It was a piece of cake!"

Example:
"Hoe ging je examen wiskunde? Man het was een eitje!"
("How did your maths exam go? Man, it was a piece of cake!")

Related words:
1. "Kip" : chicken.

Example:
"De kip legt een ei."
("The chicken lays an egg.")

2. "Haan" : cock/rooster.
Uitsmijter
3. "Uitsmijter" : typically Dutch breakfast order in cafes or restaurants. Consists of two fried eggs served on slices of bread (or toast) with slices of ham and/or cheese.

Caution: ‘Uitsmijter’ is the noun derived from the verb ‘uitsmijten’, which means ‘to throw out’, specifically when it comes down to throwing people out of clubs or bars, hence: ‘uitsmijter’ also means ‘bouncer’.

Ui

Posted on by

onion [noun] [de ui, de uien]

This word, that is no more than a vowel sound, is notoriously difficult
to pronounce for the non-native speakers. Here you really have to ask
the local Dutch guru 🙂

Examples:
1. "Uiensoep" : onion soup.
2. "Peen en uien" : carrot and onions (together with potatoes these are
the basic ingredients of a traditional Dutch winter dish called ‘hutspot‘).

Many Dutch words exist that have ‘ui’ as their core and I am sure we
will come across them in future DWOTDs. Here are a few examples so you can practise the ‘ui’ sound:
1. "Lui" : lazy.
2. "Uil" : owl.
3. "Trui" : sweater/jumper.
4. "Bui" : mood, rain shower.

Example:
"Hij was in een slechte bui vanwege de hevige buien."
("He was in a bad mood because of the severe(/heavy) rain showers.")

Dubbeltje

Posted on by

10 (guilder) cents coin [noun, diminutive] [het dubbeltje, de dubbeltjes]

In Dutch ‘dubbel’ means ‘double’. The diminutive ‘dubbeltje’ translates to something like ‘small double’ which of course does not make a whole lot of sense.

The word ‘dubbeltje’ was the name of the small 10 cents coin that we had during the era of the Dutch guilder (an era deeply missed by many of us 😉 ).
It is ‘dubbel’ the 5 cents coin, and it is a tiny coin. Hence: dubbeltje.

After the introduction of the euro, some Dutch people have started to call the 10 Euro cents coin a ‘dubbeltje’. But this is obviously wrong and a sad attempt to make up for lost times.

A few sayings with ‘dubbeltje’:
1. “Zo zie je maar weer hoe een dubbeltje rollen kan.”

Translates to something like: “Once more you see/realize how a dubbeltje can roll.”

This saying is to describe the role of fate/chance in events.

2. “Voor een dubbeltje op de eerste rij willen zitten.”
(“To want to be in the first row (of a theatre) for a ‘dubbeltje’ “.)

This means that you want to get the best without spending money, or putting any effort in it.

Example: “Hij wil voor een dubbeltje op de eerste rij zitten.”

Did you know:

The CD was invented by Dutchman Kees Immink at the Philips research labs here in the Netherlands. As part of the final design he had to decide on the diameter of the hole in the middle of the CD. Since he didn’t know what to choose, he took a dubbeltje out of his wallet and decided it would be a perfect choice. If you ever find a dubbeltje: it is funny to see how it is a ‘perfect fit’.

Gang

Posted on by

hallway/corridor, mud room, course (meal), pace, walk (way of) [noun] [de gang, de gangen]

Examples:
1. De kasten staan op de gang.
("The lockers/cabinets are in the corridor.")

2. We kunnen u een drie-gangenmenu aanbieden voor 35 Euro.
("We can offer you a three course meal for 35 Euro.")

3. Hij doet alles met een slakkengangetje!
("He does everything with the gait of a snail!")

4. Hij heeft de gang van een oude man.
("He walks like an old man.")

5. Question: "Hoe gaat het?" ("How are things?").
Answer: "Z’n gangetje".

Expression:
– "Het gaat zijn (z’n) gangetje".
This is an informal expression to indicate that things are going their normal way/routine.
– "Gang van zaken". Literally: "Way of business".

Examples:
a) "De gang van zaken is als volgt": The procedure is as follows.
b) "De dagelijkse gang van zaken": The daily routine.
c) "Het is een trieste gang van zaken!": It’s a sad state of affairs!

Caution: the English noun "gang" (criminal) in Dutch translates to "bende", but "bende" can also mean "mess" (in its meaning of a
disorganised state).