Category Archives: Vocabulary Guru

Geef mijn portie maar aan Fikkie!

Posted on by

count me out, I'm out, I don't want any part of it Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[Geef mijn portie maar aan Fik-kie]

Achtbaan In this phrase "Fikkie" is a dog and it seems to be the name of choice when referring to a random dog 🙂 A "portie" is a "portion/dose/serving", so when you no longer want to participate or be a part of it, you give your share to… the dog.

Usually you use this phrase when talking to somebody else about whatever it is you quit.

Examples:
– "Ja dag! Mooi niet, geef mijn portie maar aan Fikkie!" 
("Forget it! No way, you can count me out!" In this case "dag" is pronounced with a prolonged "a".)

– "Ik heb echt alles geprobeerd, maar niets wat ik doe is goed. In haar ogen blijf ik een hufter. Nou weet je, als het zo moet, geef mijn portie dan maar aan Fikkie." 
("Really, I have tried everything, but everything I do is wrong. In her eyes I remain a bastard. Well you know, if this is the way it's going to be, then I don't want any part of it!" Lit.: "…, but nothing I do is good".)

– "…En nu doet hij alsof het allemaal zijn idee was! Nou ik kap er mee, geef mijn portie maar aan Fikkie!" 
("…And now he pretends it was all his idea! Well, I quit, he can count me out!")

– "Als jij in de achtbaan wil, prima, maar mij niet gezien; geef mijn portie maar aan Fikkie!" 
("If you want go for a roller coaster ride, fine, but rather you than me; you can definitely count me out!" Lit.: "If you want to go in the roller coaster…" "Achtbaan" ('eight track') is the general word used for roller coasters and the name refers to the "eight shape".)

Expressions:
– "Mij niet gezien": literally "not seen me" you can say this when you don't dare to do something and/or when you rather leave it to somebody else.

Related words:
– Portie: portion/serving/dose/share [noun] [de portie, de porties].
– Hond: dog [noun] [de hond, de honden].
– Geven: to give [verb] [gaf, gegeven].

Zedendelict

Posted on by

sexual offence Iconspeaker_3
[noun]
[het ze-den-de-lict, de ze-den-de-lic-ten] Zeden

Lots of sexual offences, especially against kids, have made the news recently. Criminal offences of a sexual nature are usually referred to as a "zedendelict" or "zedenmisdrijf", but a "zedendelict" can in principle comprise all offences against morals or social mores. "Zeden" is an old Dutch word for morals, customs, or social mores, which is hardly used in another context than that of sexual harrassment, sexual abuse, incest or rape. "Delict" is an offence, often a criminal one. 

Examples:
– "Het kindermisbruikschandaal op een Amsterdams kinderdagverblijf is een van de grootste zedendelicten van de afgelopen jaren." 
("The child abuse scandal at a day-care centre in Amsterdam is one of the largest sexual offences in the past years.")

– "Zijn ongewenste intimiteiten ook zedenmisdrijf?" 
("Is sexual harassment also a sexual offence?")

– "De zedendelinquent werd veroordeeld tot 4 jaar gevangenisstraf." 
("The sex offender was sentenced to four years in jail.")

– "De Katholieke Kerk is betrokken bij een omvangrijk zedenmisdrijfschandaal." 
("The Catholic Church is involved in a large-scale sexual offence scandal.")

– "Zedenleer is de leer van de zeden, of de ethiek." 
("Moral philosophy is the philosophy of moral, or ethics.")

Related words:
– Ongewenste intimiteiten: sexual harassment [literally: unwished-for intimacies][noun] [<no singular>, de intimiteiten].
– Aanranding: assault [noun] [de aanranding, de aanrandingen].
– Verkrachting: rape [noun] [de verkrachting, de verkrachtingen].
– Incest: incest [noun] [de incest, <no plural>].
– Zedendelinquent: sex offender [noun] [de zedendelinquent, de zedendelinquenten].

Extra:
As mentioned in previous posts, "een meisje van lichte zeden" is "a girl of easy virtue". This is one of the few times when "zeden" is used in Dutch language in a meaning other than "zedendelict".

Tig

Posted on by

(so) many, a lot of Iconspeaker_3 Tig
[indefinite numeral]
[tig]

A you may know, a lot of Dutch numerals end with "-tig", for example: "twintig" (twenty), "dertig" (thirty), "veertig" (forty), etc. Now, the suffix "tig" can also be used separately, as an indefinte numeral that translates to "(so) many" or "a lot of".

"Tig" can also be used in combination with "honderd" (hundred), "duizend" (thousand), "miljoen" (million), "miljard" (billion), etc. See the Examples.

The use of "tig" is informal.

Examples:
– "Ik heb tig keer gebeld om de reis te annuleren, maar ik krijg steeds een antwoordapparaat." 
("I've called many times to cancel the trip, but I keep getting an answering machine.")

– "Ik heb haar tig standjes gegeven, maar ze wil niet luisteren." 
("I've given her a lot of reprimands, but she won't listen.")

– "Ik heb de TV van mijn oma al tig keer ingesteld, maar ze slaagt er iedere keer weer in de afstandsbediening kwijt te raken…" 
("I've set up my grandmother's TV so many times already, but every time she manages to lose the remote control…")

– "Ik heb geen zin om tig honderd euro te betalen voor een bekeuring…" 
("I don't feel like paying hundreds of euros on a fine…")

Related words:
– Vaak: often, many times [adverb].

Example:
– "Ik heb Franks bouwvakkersdecolleté te vaak gezien. Er zijn grenzen."
("I've seen Frank's builders cleavage too often. There are limits.")

– Veel: many, much [adverb/indefinite numeral].

Example:
– "Dit wordt me te veel, ik peer 'm."
("This is getting too much for me, I'm out of here.")

Kat in het bakkie

Posted on by

child's play, straightforward, piece of cake Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[Kat in het bak-kie]

KatInHetBakkie With "bak" meaning "bin, can, container, tray" this expression makes you think it's about getting the cat in the (cat's) box, which in fact can be very difficult (unless the cat wants to of course 🙂 ). However, "kat" in this expression may in fact mean "money" and the original meaning could be "bringing in the cash" (read more here (in Dutch) ). These days however, you will use it to say that something is very easy, or can be 'considered done!'

You will also hear "Dat/het is/was kat in 't bakkie!"

Examples:
– "Hoe ging je sollicitatiegesprek?" – "Het was kat in het bakkie, ik word zeker uitgenodigd voor een tweede gesprek!" 
("How was your job interview?" – "Piece of cake, I'm sure that I'll be invited to the second round!" Lit. "Surely I'll be invited for a second interview".)

– "Ga je de deadline nog halen denk je?" – "O man, kat in het bakkie. Ik heb het al lang af, maar nu denkt de manager dat ik keihard aan het werk ben 😉 " 
("Do you think you will be able to meet the deadline?" – "Most definitely! I've already completed it a long time ago, but this way the manager thinks I'm really working hard 😉 .")

– "De kat moet naar de dierenarts en ik krijg hem niet in zijn mandje!" – "Pff, dat is zeker geen kat in het bakkie! Vat je hem, kat in het bakkie?! Ha ha!" – "Ik vat hem Sander, maar het is niet grappig!" 
("The cat has to go to the vet and I can't get it to go in the carrier/cage!" – "Pff, that's definitely no 'kat in het bakkie'! Do you get it, 'kat in het bakkie'?! Ha ha!" – "I get it Sander, it's not funny, that's all!")

Expressions:
– "Eitje": piece of cake.
– "(Het was/is een) Makkie!": very easy to complete or do. Derived from "gemakkelijk": easy.

Related words:
– Kat: cat [noun] [de kat, de katten].
– Bak: container, bin [noun] [de bak, de bakken]. Diminutive: "bakje" or "bakkie" (informal).
– Kattenbak: cat's box/tray [noun] [de kattenbak, de kattenbakken].

Binnenvetter

Posted on by

introvert, worrier Iconspeaker_3
[noun]
[de bin-nen-vet-ter, de bin-nen-vet-ters]

Binnenvetter A "binnenvetter" is somebody who is not only an introvert, but also worries too much by not sharing the things that bother him with others and keeping most feelings to him/herself. The adverb "binnen" means "within, inside". The word "vetter" is not really used independently, but "vet" in this context most likely means "fat", which is something you also build up on the inside 🙂

The English noun "introvert" best translates in Dutch as "een in zichzelf gekeerd persoon".

A related verb you may hear is "opkroppen": to bottle up (feelings, anger, etc.).

Examples:
– "Ben jij een extravert type?" – "Nee, ik ben meer introvert. Eigenlijk ben ik een binnenvetter." 
("Are you the outgoing type?" – "No, I'm rather introverted. I'm actually a real worrier.")

– "Sander is een echte binnenvetter. Hij kropt zijn gevoelens op en ondervindt daar later de nadelige gevolgen van." 
("Sander is a real worrier. He bottles up his feelings and later suffers the (adverse) consequences.")

– "Ik heb altijd geleerd om alles zelf op te lossen. Misschien ben ik daarom een binnenvetter." 
("I have always learned to solve / deal with everything myself. Perhaps that's the reason I'm introverted.")

Expressions:
– "Maak van je hart geen moordkuil!": do not disguise your feelings, speak up your mind, be frank!

Example:
– "Wees toch niet zo'n binnenvetter, maak van je hart geen moordkuil! Vertel me wat er aan de hand is!"
("Don't be such an introvert! Be frank about your feelings! Tell me what's wrong!")

Related words:
– Introvert: introverted [adjective].
– Opkroppen: to bottle up, to pen up, to hold back [verb] [kropte op, opgekropt].

Example:
– "Hij heeft altijd zijn woede opgekropt en nu is dat tot een uitbarsting gekomen!"
("He has always bottled up his anger and now this has led to an outburst!")

– Gevoelens: feelings [noun, plural] [het gevoel, de gevoelens].
– Zorgen: worries [noun, plural] [de zorg, de zorgen].
– Piekeren: to worry, to brood [verb] [piekerde, gepiekerd].