Category Archives: Vocabulary Intermediate

Het is zo gepiept

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It’s easily done/fixed/accomplished, it won’t take long (to complete) [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_3

The
verb "piepen" is translated with "to squeak, peep, shriek, wheeze" or
verbs such as "to whine/moan". However in the phrase "het is zo
gepiept" it takes the meaning of "to complete/do/fix/…", and you will
only encounter it as such in this phrase.

Mind that whatever it is that has to be completed, must be a physical activity.

Examples:
– "Hoe lang gaat dit duren denk je?" – "O, maak je geen zorgen, het is zo gepiept!"
("How long do you think this wil take?" – "Oh, don’t worry about, it won’t take long!")


– "Kun je me helpen met het verplaatsen van de wasmachine? Ik zweer het je: het is zo gepiept!"
("Can
you help me move the washing machine? I
swear: it won’t take long!" Lit. "…with the moving of the washing machine? I swear it to you:…".)


– "Dat gaat ons toch nooit lukken, dan moeten we allemaal gaten gaan boren!" – "Nou en, het is zo gepiept, let maar op!"
("We will never be able to do that, we’d have to drill all these
holes!" – "So what, it’s easily done, just watch me!" Lit. "We will
never succeed in doing that…" – "Now and…, just pay attention!")

Aanstaande

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1. next, coming, approaching [adjective] [‘aan-staan-du’] Iconspeaker_klein

"Aanstaande" literally translates to "onstanding". It is used to indicate that the adjective’s subject is about to happen/become (true) in the near future.

Sometimes, you may find "aanstaande" placed behind its subject. This is only the case when it is used in the context of a time adjunct. In that case, "aanstaande" is often abbreviated to "a.s.", see the Examples.

Examples:
– "Wanneer is de vergadering?" – "Aanstaande donderdag om tien uur."
("When is the meeting?" – "Next/This Thursday at ten o’clock.")

– "Wanneer is de vergadering?" – "Donderdag aanstaande om tien uur."
("When is the meeting?" – "Next/This Thursday at ten o’clock.")

– "Wanneer is de vergadering?" – "A.s. donderdag om tien uur."
("When is the meeting?" – "Next/This Thursday at ten o’clock.")

– "Wanneer is de vergadering?" – "Donderdag a.s. om tien uur."
("When is the meeting?" – "Next/This Thursday at ten o’clock.")

– "Er wordt gezegd dat aanstaande moeders veel augurken eten."
("It is said that expectant mothers eat a lot of pickles.")

– "Het tijdperk van de mens is ten einde, het tijdperk van de ork is aanstaande…"
("The age of man is at an end, the age of the ork is near/imminent…")

Related words:
– "Komende": coming.
– "Volgende": next.

2. fiancé(e), future husband/wife [noun] [de aanstaande, de aanstaanden] [‘aan-staan-du’]  Iconspeaker_klein_2

In this context, "aanstaande" is essentially short for "aanstaande vrouw/man": wife/husband to be. There’s also the synonym "verloofde", but this word has quite a formal connotation.

Examples:
– "Mag ik u mijn aanstaande voorstellen?"
("May I introduce my fiancé(e) to you?")

– "Wie is de vrouw die zo zit te mekkeren?" – "Dat is Franks aanstaande…"
("Who is that wining woman?" – "That’s Frank’s future wife.")

Related words:
– "Verloofde": fiancé(e).
– "Zich verloven": to get engaged.
– "Verloving": engagement.
– "Trouwen": to marry, to get married.

Moet jij nodig zeggen!

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Look who’s talking! [Dutch phrase of the week] Iconspeaker_klein_3 

This phrase is always used to express irony. The literal translation – "Must you necessarily say" – does not make much sense, but something like "It is really necessary that you say that…NOT" would somewhat cover its meaning. Luckily, there’s a dedicated English phrase for it: "Look who’s talking".

The phrase can be used in every person, see the Examples.

Examples:
– "Jij bent echt druk!" – "Moet jij nodig zeggen! Ik probeer al weken een afspraak met je te maken!"
("You’re a really busy person!" – "Look who’s talking! I’ve been trying for weeks now, to make an appointment with you!")

– "Frank beweert dat jij je snor hebt gedrukt tijdens de vergadering." – "Moet hij nodig zeggen! Hij kwam tien minuten te laat!"
("Frank claims that you weaseled out during the meeting." – "Look who’s talking! He came in ten minutes late!")

– "Wordt het niet eens tijd dat je gaat stofzuigen?" – "Moet jij nodig zeggen, jij zou afwassen weet je nog?!"
("Isn’t it about time that you start vacuum-cleaning?" – "Look who’s talking, you were supposed to wash up / do the dishes, remember?!")

Related words:
– "Nodig": necessary, needful.
– "Zeggen": to say.

Related expressions:
– "Moet je horen wie het zegt!": this phrase can be used the same way as "moet jij nodig zeggen" but you don’t have to conjugate as you are not addressing somebody directly.
– "Het moet niet gekker worden!": This is ridiculous!

379. Rietje

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1. straw [noun] [het rietje, de rietjes] [‘riet-ju’] Iconspeaker_klein_4

When referring to the object with which to suck up fluids, the Dutch have chosen to use the diminutive of a plant with a similar shape: "riet": the long, hard grass that grows in shallow, calm waters.

As a translation, "reed" can be used too, but in the context of the wood-wind instruments, see 2.

Examples:
– "Mam, ik wil een rietje!"
("Mum, I want a straw!")

– "Als je bier met een rietje drinkt, word je sneller zat."
("If you drink beer with a straw, you get drunk faster." Note that "word" does not get the additional ‘t’ since the second person "je" and the verb are swapped.)

– "Mag ik twee bier en een cola alsjeblieft." – "Natuurlijk, wil je een rietje bij de cola?"
("Can I have two beers and a coke please." – "Sure, do you want a straw with the coke?")

Related word:
– "Parapluutje": little umbrella.

2. reed [noun] [het rietje, de rietjes] [‘riet-ju’] Iconspeaker_klein_4

Most of the wood-wind instruments have a small, flat piece of wood, which is part of the mouthpiece, and which produces the actual sound by vibration when blowing the instrument: the reed.

Examples:
– "Mijn klarinet is vals." – "Misschien moet je het rietje vervangen."
("My clarinet is out of tune." – "Perhaps you should replace the reed.")

Related word:
– "Houten blaasinstrument": wood-wind instrument.

377. Jatten

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to steal, to nick, to pinch [verb] [jatte, gejat] [‘ja-tun’] Iconspeaker_klein

"Jatten" is used informally. It is also the plural of "jat", and then has the meaning of "hands", but again informally.

Examples:
– "Zo, die fiets is gloednieuw! Pas maar op dat hij niet gejat wordt!"
("My, that bicycle is brand-new! You had better pay attention that it is not stolen!")

– "Hé, wat is er gebeurd?" – "Mijn portemonnee is gejat in de tram."
("Hey, what happened?" – "My wallet was stolen in the tram.")

– "Kijk maar uit in de trein, tegenwoordig jatten ze je laptop zonder dat je het doorhebt!"
("You’d better watch out on the train, these days they steal your laptop without you noticing it!" Note the verb "doorhebben": to see (through), to be on to, …")

Expression:
–
"Beter goed gejat dan slecht bedacht": populistic expression saying
that it’s better to copy something well, than to have a bad idea.

Related words:
– "Jatmoos": pincher, swiper.
– "Dief": thief.