Category Archives: Vocabulary Basic

In tegenstelling tot

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unlike, in contrast to, as opposed to Click to listen
In tegenstelling tot
[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Tegenstelling" is composed of "tegen" and "stelling", which respectively translate to "against/counter" and "position/statement". Hence, "tegenstelling" literally translates to "counter position": a contrast. The idiom "In tegenstelling tot" literally translates to "in contrast to", but also to "unlike" or "as opposed to", depending on context.

Examples:
– "In tegenstelling tot gisterochtend, had ik vandaag geen vertraging met de trein." 
("Unlike yesterday morning, my train wasn't delayed today." Lit.: "…I didn't have delay with the train.")

– "In tegenstelling tot wat velen geloofden, heeft Nederland gewonnen van Brazilië!" 
("In contrast to what many believed, the Netherlands won against Brasil!")

– "In tegenstelling tot de meeste Nederlanders, ben ik faliekant tegen het nationale gedoogbeleid voor softdrugs." – "Zeurkous…" 
("Unlike most Dutch, I'm completely against the national policy on soft drugs." – "Nag…")

Expressions:
– "Integendeel": on the contrary.

Example:
– "Hoe gaat het jongen? Nog steeds kommer en kwel?" – "Integendeel! Alles loopt op rolletjes!"
("What's up buddy? All sorrow and misery still?" – "On the contrary! Everything goes like clockwork!")

Related words:
– Tegen: against [preposition].

Example:
– "Roze behang in de slaapkamer?
Daar ben ik faliekant tegen!" 
("Pink
wallpaper in the bedroom? I'm totally against that!")

– Stelling: thesis, position, statement [noun] [de stelling, de stellingen].

Vertraging

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delay,
slowing-down, deceleration Click to listen
Vertraging
[noun]
[de
ver-tra-ging, de ver-tra-ging-en]

"Vertraging" contains "traag", which translates to "slow".

Although
a "vertraging" applies to a situation where something is slowing down
in general, the word is mostly associated with a delay in public
transportation.

The term used in the physical sciences  – deceleration – also
translates to "vertraging". Its opposite – acceleration – translates to
"versnelling". The physical quantity inertia translates to
"traagheid".

Examples:
– "Mijn trein had vanochtend een vertraging van
20 minuten." 
("This morning my
train was delayed by 20 minutes." Lit.: "…had a delay of 20
minutes…")

– "Het project heeft een vertraging van
een half jaar opgelopen." 
("The project is delayed with half a year." Note the use of 'oplopen' in combination with 'vertraging': although the result is still the same, 'een vertraging oplopen' translates as 'to accrue a delay'. )

– "De tv-beelden van het WK in Zuid-Afrika worden met een kleine vertraging uitgezonden." 
("The TV pictures of the world championship football/soccer in South-Afrika are broadcast with a small delay." Note that 'WK' (from 'Wereldkampioenschap') is by default about football/soccer.)

– "Door persoonlijke omstandigheden is voor hem de studievertraging enorm toegenomen." 
("Due to personal circumstances the delay in finishing his studies has increased tremendously.")

Related words:
–
Vertragen: to delay, to slow down [verb] [vertraagde, vertraagd].
– Achterstand: arrears, backlog [noun] [de achterstand, de achterstanden].

Slachtoffer

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victim Click to listen
Slachtoffer
[noun]
[het slacht-of-fer, de slacht-of-fers]

"Slachtoffer" is composed of "slacht" and "offer", which respectively translate to "slaughter" and "sacrifice"…a "slachtoffer" is not doing very well…

Examples:
– "Ten minste twaalf doden door treinongeval Spanje." 
("At least twelve victims dead in train accident Spain.")

– "Sally is het slachtoffer geworden van een billenknijper." 
("Sally has fallen victim to a bottom squeezer.")

– "De verdediger werd het slachtoffer van de schwalbe van de aanvaller: de scheidsrechter gaf hem onterecht een rode kaart." 
("The defender became the victim of the striker's fake dive: the referee gave him an undeserved red card.")

Expressions:
– "Het kind van de rekening zijn": to be the victim, to suffer, to pay the piper, to carry the can.

Example:
– "Polici kletsen veel, en doen niks. De gewone man is het kind van de rekening."
("Politicians talk a lot of nonsense, and do nothing. The man in the street is suffering." Lit.: …the common man…".)

Related words:
– Offer: sacrifice [noun] [het offer, de offers].
– Slager/slachter: butcher [noun] [de slager, de slagers].
– Slachten: to kill, to slaugther [verb] [slachten, slachtte, h. geslacht].

Example:
– "Argentinië – Noord-Korea 7-0…een slachtpartij…"
("Argentina – North-Korea 7-0…a massacre…" Lit.: "…a slaughter party…")

Wind tegen

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against the wind Click to listen
Wind tegen
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally, "wind tegen" translates to "wind against". It is commonly used in combination with the verb "hebben" (to have): "wind tegen hebben" (to go against the wind, to have the wind blowing against you). Note the subtlety that the Dutch actually say "the wind" goes "against you", instead of "you" go "against the wind"…we respect THE WIND… 🙂

The opposite of "wind tegen" is "wind mee": before the wind. When there's no wind, it's "windstil".

In the Netherlands, there's usually a south-west wind blowing, but it seems that no matter which direction you go, you always have "wind tegen"…

Examples:
– "Ik had vandaag wind tegen op de fiets naar werk." 
("Today, when I was riding my bike to work, I had the wind blowing against me." Lit.: "…on the bike.")

– "Met wind tegen moet je harder trappen. bijna zwoegen…" 
("Against the wind, you have to pedal harder, almost toil…")

– "Ik ben helemaal uitgeput van de hele tijd wind tegen…" – "Dat valt toch wel mee? Het is bijna windstil nu." 
("I'm completely exahausted from having the wind against me all the time…" -"It's not so bad, is it? There's almost no wind now.")

Expressions:
– "De wind van voren krijgen": to get it good, to draw a storm on one's head.
– "Met alle winden meewaaien": to set one's sail to every wind, to bend with every wind.

Example:
– "Veel politici waaien met alle winden mee, verschrikkelijk!"
("Many politicians bend with every wind, terrible!")

Related words:
– Rukwind: squall, gust [noun] [de rukwind, de rukwinden].
– Tegen: against [preposition].

Example:
–
"Wiet roken is tegen de wet, maar wordt in Nederland onder bepaalde
omstandigheden gedoogd."
("Smoking weed is against the law, but is allowed
under certain conditions in the
Netherlands.")

– Waaien: to blow [verb] [waaien, waaide, h. gewaaid].
– Wind: 1. wind [noun] [de wind, de winden]. 2. fart [noun] [de wind, de winden].

Slaapkamer

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bedroom Click to listen

[noun]
[de slaap-ka-mer, de slaap-ka-mers]

bedroom-389254_640“Slaapkamer” is composed of “slaap” and “kamer”, which respectively translate to “sleep” and “room”. Hence literally, “slaapkamer” would translate to “sleep room”: a bedroom.

Check out the common bed sizes used in Dutch bedrooms here: DWOTD “Bed“.

Examples:
– “Waar is de kleine Max?” – “In zijn slaapkamer. Hij was uitgeput van het schoolreisje.” 
(“Where’s little Max?” – “In his bedroom. He was exhausted from the school trip.”)

– “Wat een lelijk behang in de slaapkamer…” – “Dat valt wel mee, toch?” 
(“The wallpaper in the bedroom is ugly…” – “It isn’t that bad, is it?”)

– “Frank! Heb jij stiekem zitten roken in de slaapkamer??” 
(“Frank! Have you been smoking secretly in the bedroom??”)

Expressions:
–
“Met het verkeerde been uit bed stappen“: to wake/get up on the wrong side of the bed.

Related words:
– Bed: [noun] [het bed, de bedden].
– Droom: dream [noun] [de droom, de dromen].

Example:
– “Ik heb een droom dat op een dag dit land zal verrijzen en zal leven naar de ware betekenis van haar credo.”
(“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.”)

– Gapen: to yawn [verb] [gapen, gaapte, h. gegaapt].
– Slaapverwekkend: mind-numbing, sleep-inducing, soporific [adjective].

Extra:Bedstee
In some old Dutch houses and farms you may find something called a “bedstede” or “bedstee”. A  “bedstee” is a more or less a compartment where you can sleep, integrated in the wall, in the form of a cupboard, closeable with doors or curtains for privacy. “Bedstedes” were used a lot up until the 19th century, particularly in farms at the countryside. (From: Wikipedia)