Category Archives: Vocabulary Basic

Toetje

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dessert [noun, diminutive] [het toetje, de toetjes]

 "Toetje" is an informal word for dessert. To order dessert in a restaurant, one would use the word "dessert" (which is pronounced the French way), or "nagerecht". Although "toetje" is a diminutive, the word "toe" is actually not a noun! "Toe" is a word that is used together with verbs, or in expressions, and can indicate a closure of some kind. In the case of "toetje" it will be the closure of dinner. See ‘Related words’ for other examples of the use of the word "toe".

Examples:
– "Wie wil er een toetje?"
("Who wants dessert?")

– "Ik neem bijna nooit een toetje."
("I almost never have dessert.")

– "In Nederland is vla een populair toetje."
("In The Netherlands, vla is a popular dessert.")

Related words:
1. "Vla": a typical Dutch dairy product, often served as dessert, read more at: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vla

2. "IJs": ice cream, see also "DWOTD 23. IJsbeer" and "DWOTD 44. Raket".
3. "Toe": a word that is used together with verbs, or in expressions, and can indicate a closure of some kind.

Examples:
1. "Wil jij de deur even toe doen, alsjeblieft?"
("Would you please close the door?")

2. "Wie wil er wat toe?"
(<after dinner:> "Who wants dessert?")
3. "En nu je oogjes toe!"
(<to a child before going to sleep:> "And now close your eyes!")

Mandarijn

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Grammar: <mandarijn> [noun] [de mandarijn, de mandarijnen].

Translates to: "mandarin (orange)" or "tangerine (orange)"

For some reason, the supply of mandarin oranges in The Netherlands is abundant in the autumn and winter season. They are omnipresent in the supermarkets.

Examples:
1. "Het is weer mandarijnen tijd."
("It’s mandarin orange time again.")

2. "Frank neemt altijd twee mandarijnen mee naar het werk."
("Frank always brings two mandarin oranges to work.")

3. "In een mandarijn zit veel vitamine C."
("There’s a lot of vitamin C in a mandarin orange.")

Related Words:
1. "sinaasappel": orange
2. "appel": apple
3. "fruit": fruit
4. "pellen’: to peel

Example: "Een mandarijntje is makkelijker te pellen dan een sinaasappel."
("It’s easier to peel a little mandarin than an orange.")

Klimaat

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Grammar: <klimaat> [noun] [het klimaat, de klimaten].

Translates to: climate.

Examples:
1. "Nederland heeft een zeeklimaat."
("The Netherlands have a sea climate.")

2. "Vandaag is in Nairobi de klimaatconferentie van de Verenigde Naties begonnen."
("Today, the climate conference of the United Nations has started in Nairobi.")

3. "Het sociale klimaat in Nederland is de laatste jaren verhard."
("The social climate in The Netherlands has hardened in the last few years.")

Related Words:
1. "Broeikaseffect": the greenhouse effect, global warming.
2. "Weer": weather, see also "DWOTD 56. Herfst".
3. "Het gat in de ozonlaag": the hole in the ozon layer.
4. "Acclimatiseren": [verb] to get used to a different climate or surroundings.

Example:
<sitting down after having entered a friend’s house:> "Zo, even acclimatiseren!"
(Something like: "Well, let’s settle in for a bit now.")

Extra:
The Netherlands are called The Netherlands because the word "nether" translates to "neder" which means "low". The Netherlands used to be called "De Lage Landen": The Low Lands, because half of the country lies below sealevel. The Dutch have a long history of fighting the water overflowing their land. Here’s how The Netherlans would look like if there were no dikes and dams: http://brucop.com/millennium/nederlands/transgressions/hkaart.jpg

In 1953, the so called "Watersnoodramp" took place. In the last night of January, The Netherlands were hit by a flood disaster. The province of Zeeland, the islands of South-Holland and the south-west corner of the province of North-Brabant were hit very heavily by a severe storm roaring across the North sea and the Netherlands.
1835 people drowned and thousands of cattle met the same fate. To prevent this from happening ever again, the Deltaworks were built, a defence system of dams and dykes against high tides and floods.

http://www.deltawerken.com/English/10.html?setlanguage=en
http://www.deltawerken.com/Deltaworks/23.html

Dutch engineers have also been invited to advise on new water defence systems in New Orleans.

Hart

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heart
[noun] [het hart, de har-ten]

Not to be confused with "hard", which translates to "hard".

Examples:
1. "Hun vader moest een zware hartoperatie ondergaan."
("Their father had to undergo a major heart surgery.")

2. "Vol verwachting klopt ons hart."
("With expectation, our heart is pounding", from a well known "Sinterklaasliedje", see "DWOTD 36. Kloppen".)

3. "Hij heeft nog steeds een gebroken hart."
("He still has a broken heart.")

Expressions:
There are a lot of expressions with "hart"! Here's a selection:

1. "Een hart onder de riem steken."
("To hearten someone", literally: "to put someone a heart under the belt.")

2. "Zij heeft het hart op de juiste plaats."
("She's a good person." Literally: "She has her heart at the right place.")

3. "Zij is een vrouw naar mijn hart."
("She's a woman after my heart.")

4. "Uit het oog, uit het hart."
("Out of sight, out of mind." Literally: "Out of the eye, out of the heart.")

5. "Zij heeft het hart op de tong liggen."
("She wears her heart on her sleeve." Literally: "She has her heart lying on her tongue.")

6. "Zij heeft hart voor de zaak."
("She has her heart in the matter.")

7. "Waar het hart van vol is, loopt de mond van over."
("out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Literally: "The mouth runs over of which the heart is full.")

8. "Met hart en ziel."
("With heart and soul.")

9. "Iemand iets op het hart drukken."
("To urge someone to do something." Literally: "To press someone something to the heart.")

10."Ik hield mijn hart vast."
("My heart missed a beat / I had my heart in my mouth/throat." Literally: "I was holding my heart.")

Related Words:
1. "Hartendief": darling, sweetheart. Literally: "heart's thief".
2. "Hartenbreker": heartbreaker.
3. "Hartverwarmend": heartwarming.
4. "Hartig": tasty, hearty, well-seasoned, piquant.
5. "Barmhartig": merciful, clement, charitable. Used in "de barmhartige Samaritaan": "the good Samaritan".

Extra:
"De Nederlandse hartstichting": The Dutch Heart Association.
http://www.hartstichting.nl

Waaien

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Grammar: <waaien> [verb] [waaide, h. gewaaid].

Translates to: to blow (by the wind).

The verb "waaien" usually has the wind as its implicit subject. Variations on "waaien" exist that involve other subjects than the wind, see ‘Related words’.

Examples:
1. "Het heeft hard gewaaid afgelopen nacht."
("It was very windy/There was a strong wind last night." Literally: "It has blown hard …")

2. "Hoor de wind waait door de bomen…"
("Hear, the wind blows through the trees…" First sentence of a well-known "Sinterklaasliedje". See "DWOTD 36. Kloppen" for other Sinterklaasliedjes and information on "Sinterklaas".)

Expressions:
1. "Laat maar waaien!": let it go, don’t bother about it!
2. "Zoals de wind waait, waait zijn jasje.": he has no opinion of his own. Literally: like the wind blows, so does his jacket/coat.

Related words:
1. "Omwaaien": to be blown over (by the wind).

Example: "Mijn fiets is omgewaaid." ("My bicycle …")

2. "Wegwaaien": to be blown away (by the wind).

Example: "Mijn pet is weggewaaid." ("My cap …")

3. "Uitwaaien": to be blown out (by the wind).

Example: "De kaars is uitgewaaid." ("The candle …") See also "DWOTD 32. Kaars".

Another use of the verb "uitwaaien" is to walk in the wind and clear your mind, typically at the coast.

4. "Overwaaien": to blow over (by the wind) and figuratively: arrive somewhere quickly from somewhere else, usually a phenomenon.

Example: "Grunge is overgewaaid van Amerika naar Europa."
("Grunge came to Europe from America.")

Another use of this verb is to say that a bad mood or a hard time will go past (eventually). Typical usage: "Het waait wel weer over!" ("It will pass!")

5. "Aanwaaien": to be blown at you/in your direction by the wind.

Example: "Kijk, er komt een ballon aanwaaien!"
("Look, a balloon is blown in our direction (by the wind)!")

Expression:
"Het komt hem allemaal maar aanwaaien.": He succeeds without effort, he does not have to put energy into something and still has success.
Usually when this expression is used it expresses some degree of envy.

And then there are more verbs with "waaien", but we thought this would be enough 🙂