1. pillow, cushion [noun] [het kussen, de kussens] [‘ku-sun’]

For any kind of small pillow the Dutch say "kussentje", which is also a common translation for "cushion" (if small).

Mind that "kussen" also means "to kiss", see translation 2. below.

Examples:
– "Ik wil een nieuw kussen kopen. Weet jij een goede winkel?"
("I want to buy a new pillow. Do you know (of) a good store?")

"Men zegt dat je je kussen regelmatig moet opschudden. Dat doe ik echt nooit."
("It is said that one should fluff up his/her pillow regularly. I really never do that.")

– "Ik heb erg veel last van mijn nek. Misschien is mijn kussen niet goed."
("My neck really bothers me. Perhaps my pillow is not suitable/good.")

– "Mag ik je kussen …… opschudden!": this is a joke Dutch children may make. Due to the big pause the first part of the sentence is understood as "May I kiss you" (see 2. below), but when "opschudden" is added after the pause, the meaning changes to "May I fluff up your pillow!".

Expression:
– "Twee geloven op een kussen, daar slaapt de duivel tussen": literally "two beliefs/religions on one pillow, there sleeps the devil inbetween" this is an old-fashioned saying that was used when two people of different religion got married and it expressed worry that the differences in religon/background would be too big for the marriage to survive. This is not really an issue anymore in the Netherlands, but you may still hear it in the case of big differences in general.

Related words:
– "Kussensloop": pillow case.
– "Kussengevecht": pillow fight.

2. to kiss [verb] [kuste, gekust] [‘ku-sun’]

This is a synonym for "zoenen" but less used, however you will often hear the noun "kus", or its diminutive "kusje".

peak, summit, top [noun] [de piek, de pieken] [‘piek‘]

Examples:
– "Kan ik wat geld van jou lenen, ik heb geen pieken bij me."
("Can I borrow some money from you, I do not have any money (on me).")

Related words:
– "Haarpiek(en)": wisp(s) of hair.
– "Piekeren": to worry.
– "Piekerig": worrysome, but also "piekerig haar": wispy hair.
– "Top": top, maximum. Also "great", "super".

gift, present [noun] [het cadeau, de cadeaus] [‘ka-do‘]

"Cadeau" is an example of a word that we stole from the French 🙂 You will also encounter the Dutch spelling "kado" but that is officially incorrect. Note that the plural form takes the -s, not the French -x. 

Examples:
– "Vandaag hebben Marc en Sander een cadeau gekregen van Iris en David!"
("Today Marc and Sander received a gift from Iris and David!")

– "Wij zijn erg blij met dit cadeau!"
("We are very happy/pleased with this present!")

– "Denk jij dat je veel kerstcadeaus krijgt?"
("Do you think that you will receive many Christmas gifts?")

Expressions:
– "Iets cadeau krijgen": to get something for nothing/free. You will also hear the negation of this expression: "iets niet cadeau krijgen", which is used to say that you have to make an effort to realize something.
– "Wat een cadeautje!": related to "iets cadeau krijgen" this – or a variant – is said when you have quick success with zero effort, usually because somebody else did all the work or made a mistake of which you benefit.

Example:
– "Ja ja, Van Nistelrooij scoort 1-0! Wat een cadeautje van de Noorse verdediging!"
("Yep, Van Nistelrooij scores 1-0! What a present from the Norwegian defence!")

Related words:
– "Cadeaupapier": gift-wrap paper.
– "Cadeauverpakking": gift wrapping/packing.
– "Cadeautje": small present.
– "Cadeaubon": gift voucher.

soup [noun] [de soep, de soepen] [‘soep‘]

If you work for a Dutch company in the Netherlands and have lunch in the canteen at the office, you might have seen the thick “erwtensoep” (pea soup) on display. Did it look attractive? Probably not! Nevertheless it is a very popular soup in the winter, especially the “rookworst” (“smoked sausage”) bits are scooped out first, so if you want to have some, make sure you are among the first! 🙂

On new year’s day the tradition of the “Nieuwjaarsduik” (“New year’s dive”) attracts quite a number of crazy daredevils. They are rewarded with a cup of “erwtensoep”, provided by Unox; one of the bigger Dutch brands.

Examples:
– “Welke soep hebben ze vandaag in de kantine?” – “Volgens mij is het erwtensoep.”
(“What soup do they serve in the cafeteria today?” – “I think it’s pea soup.” Lit.: “… have they today…” The word “kantine” is only used for office or sports club cafeterias.)

– “Lekker! Vandaag tomatensoep met balletjes!!”
(“Tasty/Nice! Tomato soup with (little) meatballs today!!” Lit. “…little balls…” Like with the “rookworst” in “erwtensoep” the meatballs in the tomatosoup are also quickly gone.)

– “Erwtensoep wordt in Nederland ook wel snert genoemd.”
(“Pea soup is also called “snert” in the Netherlands.”)

– “Ober, er zit een vlieg in mijn soep.”
(“Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup.”)

Expressions:
– “Dat is niet veel soeps!”: that is of low quality.
– “In de soep lopen”: to become a mess. Lit.: “to walk/run in the soup”.
– “In de soep laten lopen”:  to make a mess .
– “Dat is linke soep…”: That’s a risky / dicey / shakey business …
– “De soep wordt nooit zo heet gegeten als ze wordt opgediend”: things are never as black / bad as they seem / look. Lit.: “The soup is never eaten as hot as it is served.”

Related words:
– “Lepel”: spoon.
– “Kop”: cup.

Extra:
A popular brand for instant soup is Cup-a-soup. The tv-commercials have the theme “Vier uur, Cup-a-soup! Dat zouden meer mensen moeten doen” (4 PM, Cup-a-soup! That’s something more people should do.) They usually revolve round the same theme of somebody making a mistake because he or she is tired and needs some energy (as opposed to the successful people that take cup-a-soup). Below are a few links to such commercials.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZRYPyl-yoyE&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LIG8RI_EpWc&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=umnQALZ8M_M&feature=related

ashtray [noun] [de asbak, de asbakken] [‘as-bak’]

"Asbak" is composed of "as" and "bak", which respectively translate to "ash" and "bin/tray/container".

Examples:
– "Ober, mag ik een asbak van u?"
("Waiter, can you get me an ashtray (please)?" Lit.: "…may I an ashtray from you?" Note that the usage of "ober" to address the waiter is a bit obsolete 🙂 )

– "Schat heb je weer gerookt? Je ruikt naar asbak…"
("Baby have you been smoking again? You smell like an ashtray…")

– "Stink jij ook altijd naar asbak ‘s ochtends, als je tot laat in de kroeg hebt gestaan?"
("Do you also smell like an ashtray in the morning, when you’ve been in a bar until late?" Lit.: "…when you’ve stood in the bar…")

– "Waarom gooi je die peuk nou op de grond? Er staat een asbak recht voor je neus!"
("Now why do you throw that stub on the floor? There’s an ashtray right in front of your nose!")

Related words:
– "Sigaret": cigarette.
– "Peuk": fag, smoke / butt, stub.
– "Aansteker": lighter.