to put, to place, to set [verb] [zette, gezet]

"Zetten" is a versatile word. We’ve given three possible translations. There are more translations that you can use though, depending on context. A variety is covered in the Examples. The related noun is "zet", which translates to "move", see the Related words.

Don’t confuse "zetten" with "zitten", which translates to "to sit".

Examples:
-"Liefie, kun je de bloemen op tafel zetten?" 
("Sweetie, can you put the flowers on the table?")

– "Waar heb je mijn fiets gezet?" – "Daar…tegen die boom."
("Where did you put my bike?" – "There…against that tree.")

– "U kunt hier uw handtekening zetten.")
("You can place your signature here.")

– "Zet de wekker maar op half acht, dan kunnen we relaxed ontbijten."
("Just set the alarm clock for seven thirty, then we’ll be able to have a relaxed breakfast.")

– "Zal ik koffie zetten? Of heb je liever thee?"
("Shall I make coffee? Or would you rather have tea?")

– "Zoveel honger in de wereld… dat zet je aan het denken, toch?"
("So much starvation in the world…it makes you think, right?" Lit.: "…it puts you to think…")

– "Heb je het al gehoord? Franks vriendin heeft een aarsgewei laten zetten!!" 
("Have you heard already?? Frank’s girlfriend has gotten an ass cap!!" Lit.: …has let (the tattooguy [impl.]) put an ass cap (on her [impl.])…")

Expressions:
– "Iemand een hak zetten": to put a spoke in someone’s wheel. Lit.: to place someone a cut.

Example:
– "Kabelbedrijven zetten KPN een hak met snel internet."
("Cable companies put a spoke in KPN’s wheel with fast internet." Note: KPN is the former national incumbent Dutch telecommunication company. It used to be owned by the state, privatized since 1989.)

– "De/Je hakken in het zand zetten": to put up (a) resistance. Lit.: to put the/your heels in the sand. See also Schoen.
– "De bloemetjes buiten zetten": to party, to go wild. Lit.: to put the flowers outside.
– "Te kakken zetten": (informal) to ridicule, to mock. Lit.: to set to poop.

Related words:
– Zitten: to sit [verb] [zat, gezeten].
– Zet: move [noun] [de zet, de zetten].

Example:
– "Dat was een meesterlijke zet van zwart…wit staat schaakmat."
("That was a masterly move by black…white stands checkmate.")

– Gezet: corpulent, stout [adjective].
– "Ontzet": aghast, dismayed at/by [adjective]. Lit. displaced.

shoe [noun] [de schoen, de schoenen]

Alright, let’s brush up on your shoe vocabulary here! It turns out that there is a lot to say about shoes in Dutch!

Look at your shoe (if you are wearing one) and repeat after me: schoen ("shoe"), zool ("sole"), veters ("(shoe)laces") and hak ("heel"). Now do you need some "schoenpoets" ("shoe polish"), or are you wearing "sportschoenen" ("running shoes", "trainers" etc.)? Possibly even "sneakers" ("sneakers")? What about "sandalen" ("sandals"), or "laarzen" ("boots"). Or do you prefer to go about "blootsvoets" ("bare foot(ed)")? (Which I don’t recommend if you have "zweetkakkies" 🙂 )

Now let’s look at some Examples, and don’t forget the Expressions (of which only a few are listed. Check out the dictionary to find more!).

Examples:
– "Ik kan mijn schoenen nergens vinden!"
("I can’t find my shoes anywhere!")

– "Morgenochtend heb ik een belangrijke presentatie dus ik moet mijn schoenen maar eens gaan poetsen."
("Tomorrow morning I have an important presentation so I guess I have to (go and) polish my shoes.")

– "Sinterklaas kapoentje, gooi wat in mijn schoentje…"
("Sinterklaas kapoentje, throw something in my shoe…" Line from children’s "Sinterklaas" song.)

– "Over het algemeen draag ik geen nette schoenen, alleen als het echt moet!"
("In general I do not wear dress shoes, only if absolutely necessary!")

– "Mevrouw, heeft u deze schoen in maat 42?"
("Miss/Madam, do you have this shoe in size 42?")

– "Laarzen, schoenen of sandalen, maakt niet uit, een ding is zeker: mijn vriendin heeft er te veel!"
("Boots, shoes or sandales, it doesn’t matter, one thing is for sure: my girlfriend has too many of them!" Note that here you have to write "te veel" and not "teveel", the latter being a noun: "surplus" ("het teveel"). By the way, this is done wrong by almost the entire Dutch population including journalists.)

Expressions:
– "Naast je schoenen lopen": literally "to walk next to your shoes", this says you’re to big for your boots (or full of conceit).
– "Stevig in je schoenen staan": to stand firm, to be sure of oneself.
– "Ik zou niet graag in zijn/haar schoenen willen staan": I wouldn’t like to be in his/her shoes.
– "Wie de schoen past, trekke hem aan": if the cap/shoe fits, wear it. Note that this is an example of the rare usage of the subjunctive in Dutch.
– "De stoute schoenen aantrekken": to do something that requires you to gather courage first, to pluck up one’s courage.

Example:
– "Weet je wat, ik trek de stoute schoenen aan, ik ga haar nu mee uit vragen."
("You know what, I’ll pluck up my courage, I’m going to ask her out right now.")

– "De schoen zetten": ‘to place/put your shoe’ this is the act of leaving your shoe somewhere hoping that Sinterklaas will leave you some candy (in your shoe).

Related words:
– (Schoen)veter: (shoe)lace [noun] [de veter, de veters].
– Laars: boot [noun] [de laarzen, de laarzen].
– Hak: heel [noun] [de hak, de hakken]. Note that in case of the heel of a foot, we say "hiel".
– Sandaal: sandal [noun] [de sandalen, de sandalen].
– Schoenen poetsen: to polish (shoes) [verb] [poetste, gepoetst].
– Schoenpoets: shoe polish [noun] [de schoenpoets, no plural].
– Schoenmaat: shoe size [noun] [de maat, de maten].
– Schoenlepel: shoehorn [noun] [de lepel, de lepels]. Note that a "lepel" is a spoon.
– Schoenenzaak: shoe shop/store [noun] [de zaak, de zaken].
– Handschoen: glove.

Extra:
When you need your shoes to be mended/repaired, you will have to find a "schoenmaker" ("shoemaker") or a "schoenmakerij" (the -ij indicates that it is a place ‘where shoes are made’). Nowadays, they don’t make shoes anymore so the common translation is that of a shoe repairman.
A "schoenmaker" is also typically the place where you’d go to have a copy made of a key.

Unfortunately there are not many traditional "schoenmakers" left and it can be difficult to find value for money. A bad example in this aspect is the "Hakkenbar" chain you will find in most bigger cities in the Netherlands. I only mention it here because the word itself is interesting: with a "hak" being the heel of the shoe, and "bar" the "bar" where you would hand over the shoes, this is an obvious choice of assonance.

start, beginning [noun] [het begin, no plural]

"Begin" is used very frequently in Dutch. The related verb is
"beginnen" ("to start") and someone who is just starting at something
is called a "beginner" or, slightly more old-fashioned, a
"beginneling". Check out the Examples on how to begin!

Examples:
– "In het begin voelde ik me niet erg thuis in Nederland, maar na een tijdje begon ik het leuk te  vinden."
("In the beginning I didn’t feel very much at home in The Netherlands, but after a while I started to appreciate it".)

– "Het begin van de wedstrijd was ongelofelijk saai maar in de tweede helft scoorde Manchester United twee keer."
("The start of the match was incredibly boring but in the second half Manchester United scored twice.")

– " Ik heb je zoveel te vertellen na al die jaren, ik weet niet waar ik moet beginnen!" – "Begin maar bij het begin! "
("I have so much to tell you after all these years, I don’t know where to start!" – "Why don’t you start at the beginning!")

– "Ga je eind of begin december op vakantie? – Ik ga begin december; kerst vier ik liever thuis."
("Are
you going on a vacation in the end or in the beginning of December? –
I’m going early December; I prefer to celebrate Christmas at home.")

– "Volg je de talencursus Spaans voor beginners of voor gevorderden?"
("Are
you taking the beginner or advanced Spanish language course?" Lit.:
"Are you following the language course Spanish for beginners or
advanced students?")

– "Bedankt voor je hulp! Ik weet niet wat ik zonder jou had moeten beginnen!"
("Thanks for your help! I don’t know what I should have done without you!")

– "Iedere Amerikaanse zakenbank redden van faillisement? Nee, daar kunnen we echt niet aan beginnen!"
("Saving every US investment bank from bankruptcy? No, there’s no way we can do that!")

– "Er is niks met hem te beginnen, hij wil per se niet meer naar school gaan."
("He’s unmanageable, he insists he won’t go to school anymore.")

Expressions:
– "Alle begin is moeilijk."
("The first step is the hardest". Lit.: "All beginning is difficult".)

– "Een goed begin is het halve werk."
("The first blow is half the battle". Lit.: "A good start is half the work".)

Related words:
– Beginner: starter [noun] [de beginner, de beginners]
– Beginneling: beginner [noun] [de beginneling, de beginnelingen]
– Beginnen: to start [verb] [begon, begonnen]
– Gevorderd: advanced [adjective, adverb]

each other, one another [adverb]

"Elkaar" usually means "each other" or "one another". However, the meaning often depends on the preposition. Almost any preposition can be combined with "elkaar" (please see Examples). A related word, "mekaar", is used more often in spoken Dutch, and often refers to two people instead of a larger group. "Elkaar" can refer to both two people /things and a larger number of people / things. 

Examples:
– "Ze leken altijd zo gek op elkaar, maar toch zijn ze na een relatie van tien jaar uit elkaar gegaan."  – "Dat meen je niet! Ze passen zo goed bij elkaar!"
("They always seemed to be crazy about each other, but still they split up after a relationship that lasted ten years. – No way! They are such a great couple!")

– "We komen er wel uit met elkaar."
("We’ll sort it out together.")

– "De bergbeklimmer zakte in elkaar van vermoeidheid toen hij de top had bereikt."
("The mountain climber collapsed of fatigue when he had reached the peak.")

– "Ik snap er niks van: de puzzelstukjes passen maar niet in elkaar."
("I can’t make any sense of it: the parts of the puzzle don’t seem to fit [in each other].")

– "Laten we beginnen met naar elkaar te luisteren."
("Let’s start by listening to each other.")

– "De serveerster stapelde zoveel borden op elkaar dat ze in elkaar zakte onder het gewicht."
("The waitress stagged so many plates on top of each other that she collapsed under the weight.")

– "Laten we mekaar niet voor de gek houden."
("Let’s not fool each other." Lit: "Let’s not take each other for a fool".)

Related words:
– Mekaar: each other, one another [adverb].