Bedoeling

1. intention, aim, purpose, idea, meaning [noun] [de bedoeling, de bedoelingen] [‘bu-doe-ling’] Iconspeaker_klein_2

Although the literal translation of "bedoeling" is "intention", it is used so often in Dutch in various contexts with subtle differences that many descriptive translations will apply. Especially the following phrase you may see a lot: "Het is de bedoeling dat…", which would literally translates to "It is the intention/idea that…" but which would best be translated with the hint "You’re supposed to…" (where the subject "you" can be substituted by any other person or subject).

Examples:419_bedoeling_2
– "Is het jouw bedoeling om mij te beledigen?"
("Is it your intention to insult me?")

– "Frank, het is de bedoeling dat je eerst de gebruiksaanwijzing leest."
("Frank, you’re supposed to read the manual first.")

– "Vrees niet, ik heb geen kwade bedoelingen." – "Ik geloof u niet!"
("Fear not, I have no cruel intentions." – "I don’t believe you!")

Expressions:
– "Met de beste bedoelingen": with the best of intentions.

Related words:
– "Doel": goal, purpose.
– "Intentie": intention.
– "Betekenis": meaning.

2. odd situation, fuss, ado [noun] [de bedoeling, de bedoelingen] [‘bu-doe-ling’] Iconspeaker_klein_2

The use of "bedoeling" in this context is in fact incorrect! It is actually "bedoening", but a lot of people say "bedoeling" instead. "Bedoeling/bedoening" is used informally and refers to an out of the ordinary situation going on.

Examples:
– "Ik vind dit een rare bedoeling…"
("I think this is a strange situation (going on)…")

– "Fraaie bedoeling is dit, eet ik bij een drie-sterren restaurant, drijft er een vlieg in mijn soep!"
("How nice, I’m eating at a three star restaurant, and there’s a fly in my soup!")

Related words:
– "Bedoening": odd situation, fuss.
– "Gedoe": fuss, hassle.
– "Situatie": situation.
– "Toestand": state.

Als de wiedeweerga

right away, on the double, in a flash [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

"Als de" translates to "like the". But what does "wiedeweerga" mean? Well, it is something fast, that’s for sure! And it can imply urgency, so it is a bit stronger than just "right away".

You might also hear "als de gesmeerde bliksem": like greased lightning!

Examples:
Kofferinpakken
– "Ik moet als de wiedeweerga mijn koffer in gaan pakken, want anders red ik het niet!"

("I have to start packing my suitcase right away, because otherwise
I will not make it!" Note the use of "het redden": although "redden"
means "to save (somebody/something)", "het redden" means "to make it (in time for
something)" or "to succeed".)

– "En nu ga je als de wiedeweerga je kamer opruimen, want ik ben het zat!"
("And now you will clean up your room, on the double, because I have had it!")

"Waar is Cathrine?" – "Ik weet het niet, ze kreeg een telefoontje en toen is ze als de wiedeweerga naar Zweden vertrokken!"
("Where is Cathrine?" – "I don’t know, she received a phone call and then she left for Sweden in a flash!")

Onbegonnen werk

It’s a hopeless task [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_klein

The literal translation of this phrase is "unbegun work". It is used
to say that a certain activity is hopeless or impossible to even begin
undertaking.

Onbegonnen_werk

Examples:
– "Het is onbegonnen werk om met de vrijdagmiddagfiles van Den Haag naar Maastricht te rijden."
("It’s a hopeless task to drive from The Hague to Maastricht with the Friday afternoon traffic jams.")

– "Kun jij mijn brief controleren op spelfouten?" – "Onbegonnen werk, jongen…"
("Can you check my letter for spelling errors?" – "That’s hopeless, dude…")

Expression:
– "Dat is zoeken naar een speld in een hooiberg": That’s looking for a needle in a haystack.

Related words:
– "Hopeloos": hopeless.
– "Onmogelijk": impossible.

Joekel

whopper, a really big one [noun] [de joekel, de joekels] [‘joe-kul’] Iconspeaker_klein_2

"Joekel" is used informally to refer to something of great size. This can be practically anything. "Joekel" is often used in the common construction "een joekel van een …", see the Examples.

"Joekel" can sometimes have a sexual connotation. The singular "joekel" would be the male genital organ, whereas the plural "joekels" would refer to a woman’s sizable breasts.

By the way, a Burgerking "Whopper" is not a "Joekel", but just a "Whopper":-)

Examples:
– "Ik heb nog nooit zo’n grote spin gezien, wat een joekel!"
("I’ve never seen such a big spider, what a whopper!") 

– "Ik had gisteravond een feestje, nu heb ik een joekel van een kater…"
("I had a party last night, now I have a really big hangover…")

– "Zo moppie, jij hebt lekkere joekels!" – "Oprotten viezerik, of ik bel de politie!"
("Well sweetie, you have a nice set of knockers!" – "Piss off you pervert, or I’ll call the police!")

Related words:
– "Kanjer": synonymous to "joekel": whopper. Also used to refer to a person of great character/skills.
– "Groot": big, large.

Dat slaat nergens op

that makes no sense at all [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_klein

The informal "dat slaat nergens op" can be a bit stronger than "that makes no sense at all", and can convey the message that you think it is ridiculous or plain crazy.

The literal translation does not seem to make much sense: "That beats/hits on nowhere". In this context however, "slaan op" translates to "to refer to", where "nergens" translates to "nowhere". From "that refers to nowhere" it is a small step to "that makes no sense at all", well, at least it is for us 😉

To say it even stronger, "helemaal" can be added to the phrase: "Dat slaat helemaal nergens op!" And if you are looking for (implicit) confirmation, you can add "toch": "dat slaat toch helemaal nergens op!" 🙂

You will also hear the question: "Waar slaat dit op?" ("What is this about? / What is this supposed to be/do?")

Examples:
– "Meneer, u mag hier niet parkeren!" – "Belachelijk! Dat slaat helemaal nergens op!"
("Sir, you are not allowed to park here!" – "Ridiculous! That really makes no sense at all!")

– "Wat vond je van de uitleg van de professor?" – "Die sloeg helemaal nergens op!"
("What did you think of the professor’s explanation?" – "It really didn’t make any sense at all!")

– "Het slaat nergens op dat ik door die mierenneuker word beschuldigd van het gebruiken van schuttingtaal!"
("It’s ridicuous that I’m being accused of using foul language by that nitpicker!")

– "De prijs die je tegenwoordig moet betalen voor een enkeltje Den Haag – Amsterdam slaat helemaal nergens op!"
("The price one has to pay nowadays for a single ticket from The Hague to Amsterdam is ridiculous!" Note that "enkel" in Dutch can have two meanings: ‘single’, or ‘ankle’. It is common to use the diminutive "enkeltje" for a single train ticket. A return ticket is a "retour" or "retourtje".)

Related words:
– "Onzin": nonsense.
– "Belachelijk": ridiculous. Lit. "laughable".
– "Onterecht": unjust, wrongful.