Category Archives: Vocabulary Intermediate

Betuttelen

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to patronize [verb] [be-tut-tel-de, be-tut-teld] Iconspeaker_3

"Tut" is an informal derogative for a somewhat stupid goose of a woman. "Betuttelen" would actually be something like "to treat like a ‘tut’ ". Don’t confuse "tut" with the far more rude "trut", which translates to "b*tch"…

The related noun is "betutteling", see also Extra.Betutteling

Examples:
– "Frank betuttelt zijn vriendin verschrikkelijk in het openbaar." 
("Frank dreadfully patronizes his girlfriend in public.")

– "Je moet een jong kind niet te veel betuttelen." 
("You shouldn’t patronize a young child too much.")

– "Al die betuttelende regels van deze regering maken me gek!" 
("All those patronizing rules of this government make me crazy!")

Expressions:
– "Iemand de les lezen": to lecture someone.

Related words:
– Beschermen: to protect [verb] [beschermde, beschermd].
– (Onder)steunen: to support [verb] [(onder)steunde, (onder)steund].

Extra:
The Dutch don’t like to be "betutteld". In fact, the Dutch complain a lot about being "betutteld" by the government. A lot of the Dutch – especially the smokers – consider the recent ban on smoking in bars and restaurants a serious form of "betutteling", as well as the even more recent ban on hallucinogenic mushrooms (the so called paddos). Some believe that the christian parties (CDA and CU) within the Dutch Cabinet and Parliament are mainly responsible for this…Apparently, there’s even a party that protest against any kind government-driven kind of "betutteling" or patronizing…

Vergadering

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meeting [noun] [de ver-ga-de-ring, de ver-ga-de-ring-en] Iconspeaker_3

Vergadering
In Dutch office life it is common to have meetings. The associated verb is "vergaderen": the act of sitting together and discussing issues. A "vergadering" in the Netherlands can last very long. This is because we like to reach a compromise consensus and everybody gets their say (and decisions are not always made). See the Extra for some "vergadering" lingo.

Examples:
– "Ik moet nu ophangen, ik heb een vergadering over 5 minuten." 
("I have to hang up now, I have a meeting in 5 minutes.")

– "De ene na de andere vergadering, ik word er gek van!" 
("One meeting after another, it is driving me crazy!")

– "Het is de bedoeling om de voortgang van het project te bespreken, maar ik kom helemaal niet aan werken toe door al die vergaderingen!"
("The intent is to discuss the progress of the project, but I hardly get to do some work due to all these meetings!")

Related words:
– Vergaderen: to formally meet to discuss something [verb] [vergaderde, vergaderd].
– Agenda: agenda [noun] [de agenda, de agenda’s]. This word is also used for a (pocket) calendar, hence Dutch people often say they have to check their "agenda".
– Agendapunt: topic on the agenda [noun] [het punt, de punten].
– Voorzitter: chairman [noun] [de voorzitter, de voorzitters].
– Discussiëren: to argue, to discuss [verb] [discussieerde, gediscussieerd].
– Bespreken: to discuss, to talk about [verb] [besprak, besproken].

Extra:
A common topic on a meeting agenda is "WVTTK", short for "wat verder ter tafel komt", or: "what else may come to the table" (like "any other business"). This is an opportunity to bring a new topic to discuss to the table but it may only prolong the meeting. It is encouraged not to include this topic but to formally decide on the meetings agenda at the beginning of the meeting. This is done during the meeting topic "vaststelling agenda". At the end of a meeting it is common to give all attendants one more
chance to ask a question about something that has not been discussed
yet. This is called the "rondvraag" (and the chairman will go "round
the table" to see if anybody has a question ("vraag")). Again this might lead to more discussion and a longer meeting 🙂

Borrelpraat

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twaddle [noun] [bor-rel-praat] Iconspeaker_3

“Borrelpraat” is composed of “borrel” and “praat”. Traditionally,
“borrel” refers to a strong alcoholic drink, but it is also often used
to describe a drink with colleagues or friends to celebrate a certain
event (graduation, Christmas (the so-called “kerstborrel“),
or your birthday). “Praat” means “talk” or “story”. Hence, “borrelpraat”
refers to the conversations people have at a “borrel”. As you’ll all
understand, these conversations often lead nowhere but are very
enjoyable. The more alcohol is consumed, the more “borrelpraat” can be
heard.

Examples:
– “Luister maar niet naar die borrelpraat; als je nuchter bent is het niet te volgen.”
(“You’d better not listen to that twaddle; if you’re sober it’s impossible to follow.”)Borrel_2

– “Moeten jullie nog werken of kunnen we gaan borrelen om het weekend te vieren?” 
(“Do you still have work to do or can we go and have a drink to celebrate the weekend?”)

– “Kom eens met ons borrelen.”
(“Join us for a informal drink.”)

– “Je gelooft die roddels toch niet; het is gewoon borrelpraat.”
(“You don’t believe that gossip, do you; it’s just twaddle.”)

Related words:
– Borrel: drink, informal reception [noun] [de borrel, de borrels].
– Borrelen: drink and talk [verb] [borrelde, geborreld].
– Praat: talk [noun] [no singular, de praat].

Dat komt goed uit!

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that suits me fine, that fits in very well [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

netherlands-674698_1280“Dat komt goed uit” is literally translated as “that comes good out” 😉 The verb in the phrase is “uitkomen” which has several meanings, such as “to end up, to lead to, to come out, to be disclosed”. “Dat komt goed uit” is used when two events luckily coincide, making things easier for the people involved. Since it is often used as a reply to a proposition, people might add “me”: “dat komt me goed uit”, or “that suits me fine” or “that is very convenient for me”.

Examples:
– “Ik heb volgende week alleen op dinsdagmiddag nog vrij in mijn agenda.” – “Dat komt goed uit, dat is ook de enige middag dat ik kan.”
(“I only have a free space in my calendar on Tuesday afternoon next week.” – “That fits in very well, that’s the only afternoon that would be possible for me.”)

– “Het komt goed uit dat je Italiaans spreekt, anders hadden we nooit dat vakantiehuisje kunnen regelen.” 
(“It comes in handy that you speak Italian, otherwise it would have been impossible to arrange that holiday cottage.”)

– “Ik heb zo’n zin in winterkost!” – “Dat komt goed uit want ik heb net stamppot gemaakt.”
(“I really feel like winter food!”- “That’s very convenient, because I have just made mashed potatoes and cabbage.” See picture for a version of “stamppot” called “boerenkool met worst”.)

– “Ik voel me niet zo lekker vandaag maar hoef niet te werken dus dat komt goed uit.”
(“I don’t feel very well today but I don’t have to work so that suits me fine.”)

– “Wil je een lift naar huis? Ik moet toch die kant op dus dat komt goed uit.”
(“Do you want a ride home? I have to go that direction anyway so that fits in very well.”)

Related words:
– Uitkomen: to end up, to come out, to lead to, to be disclosed [verb] [kwam uit, uitgekomen]

Beroerd

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miserable, nasty, rotten, awful [adjective] Iconspeaker_3

"Beroerd" is synonymous to "belabberd". It also indicates an opposite state of well-being. Like "belabberd", "beroerd" can be used for mental and physical state, situations and performance.

Sickdog

Examples:
– "Ik heb flinke keelpijn, ik voel me erg beroerd." 
("My have a very sore throat, I feel really miserable.")

– "Vanochtend had ik een gigantische kater, ik heb me nog nooit zo beroerd gevoeld…"
("This morning I had a terrible hangover, I’ve never felt so miserable…")

– "De situatie in Congo is beroerd nu de oorlog tussen de Hutu’s en de Tutsi’s weer begonnen is." 
("The situation in Congo is nasty now the war between the Hutus and the Tutsis has started again.")

– "10 km in twee en een half uur? Dat is een beroerde prestatie van Frank…" 
("10km in two and a half hour? That’s a lousy achievement of Frank….")

Expressions:
– "De beroerdste niet zijn": to be not that difficult. (Used to indicate one’s flexible attitude)

Example:
– "Liefie, wil jij de afwas doen?" – Tuurlijk scheetje, ik ben de beroerdste niet."
("Sweetie, do you want to do the dishes?" – "Of course my little darling, I’m not that difficult.")

Related words:
– Belabberd: lousy, miserable [adjective].
– Slecht: bad [adjective].