Category Archives: Vocabulary Intermediate

Overleg

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Grammar: <overleg> [noun] [het overleg, <no plural form>].

Translates to: "consultation", "meeting", "delibaration" or "consideration".

"Overleg" is one of those Dutch words without a plural form. It is used frequently in the office, and in politics, to indicate a gathering or meeting of people who are discussing or deliberating on certain matters. The related verb is "overleggen".

Examples:
1. "Weet jij in welke ruimte ons werkoverleg is?"
("Do you know in which room our (work)meeting is?" See also "DWOTD 53. Ruimte".)

2. "Het overleg tussen de vakbonden en de overheid is vastgelopen."
("The negotiations (meeting) between the unions and the government are deadlocked.")

3. "Ik moet eerst overleggen met mijn vrouw voor ik deze auto koop."
("I first have to consult with my wife before I buy this car.")

Related Words:
1. "Overleg plegen": like "overleggen". Literally: to commit consultation.
2. "Vergadering": meeting (to discuss something).
3. "Bila(t)": [noun] abbreviation of "bilateraal"; a meeting between two persons.

Example: "Ik heb vandaag een bila(t) met mijn manager."
("I have a (bilateral) meeting with my manager today.")

4. "Onderhandeling": negotiation.

Extra:
The Dutch are said to have a "overlegcultuur" (meeting culture), meaning that we love to debate on matters for a long time before taking action, which is always a compromise between the involved parties. Another related Dutch word with more or less the same meaning is the so-called "poldermodel": the Dutch tradition of consensus decision-making, see also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polder_Model .

Boffen

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Grammar: <boffen> [verb] [bofte, h. geboft].

Translates to: to be fortunate, to be lucky.

The verb "boffen" is a perfectly normal Dutch verb and you should know it, however it is somewhat informal and is often used when talking to children.

Examples:
1. "Zo, jij boft maar!"
(<to a small child:> "Well, you are really lucky!", for example when after a birthday party there is also a visit to the zoo 🙂 )

2. "Jullie hebben niet geboft met het weer!"
("You have not been lucky with the weather!")

3. "Zij boffen met het uitzicht vanuit hun hotelkamer."
("They are lucky with the view from their hotel room.")

Related words:
1. "Bofkont": one who is lucky/fortunate, mostly used for children. Literally: "Lucky bottom"
2. "Boffer" or "Bofferd": like "bofkont".
3. "De bof": the totally unrelated childhood disease "Mumps", see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumps .
4. "Mazzelen": [verb] very informal equivalent of "boffen", derived from Yiddish "mazzeltov" (source Wikipedia).

Knokken

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Grammar: <knokken> [verb] [knokte, h. geknokt].

Translates to: to fight (informal, also figurative).

Examples:
1. “Er waren twee jongens op straat aan het knokken.”
(“There were two boys fighting in the street.”)

2. “Frank heeft hard moeten knokken voor zijn huidige functie.”
(“Frank has had to fight hard for his current position.”)

Related words:
1. “Knokkel”: knuckle (so “knokken” literally means something like “to knuckle”…)

Example:
“De knokkels van zijn samengebalde vuisten werden wit.”
(“The knuckles of his clenched fists became white.”)

2. “Knokpartij”: fight, scuffle.

Example:
“Na de voetbalwedstrijd waren er diverse knokpartijtjes.”
(“After the soccergame there were several small fights.”)

3. “Vuist”: fist.

Extra:
“Knokke” is the name of a Belgian beach town, close to the border with the Netherlands. It is known for its exclusive and pricy villas and apartments which are often kept as a second house. Because of the many fashion stores, art galleries and restaurants, Knokke is also called “Petit Paris”.

Dobbelsteen

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Grammar: <dobbel> <steen> [noun] [de dobbelsteen, de dobbelstenen].

Translates to: dice (game).

A synonym for "dobbelsteen" is "teerling", but it is never used other than in one expression (see below).

Example:
<in a game:> "Het is jouw beurt om de dobbelsteen te gooien."
("It is your turn to throw the dice.")
See also "DWOTD (5): Beurt".

Expression:
"De teerling is geworpen."
("The die is cast.")

Related words:
1. "Dobbelen": to (play) dice (usually to gamble).
2. "Steen": stone.

Extra:
The novel ‘Les jeux sont faits’ by Jean-Paul Sartre is known in Dutch by the title ‘De teerling is geworpen’. Read more about this novel at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_jeux_sont_faits

Behangen

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to wallpaper, to hang wallpaper, to hang/drape/cover with
[verb]
[be-han-gen, be-hing, be-han-gen]

The noun that goes with “behangen” is “behang”: wallpaper.

Examples:
1. “Dat is leuk behang!”
(“That is nice wallpaper!”)

2. “Sander heeft zijn woonkamer behangen.”
(“Sander has wallpapered his living room.”)

3. “De wand was volledig met schilderijen behangen.”
(“The wall was completely hung with paintings.”)

Expression:
“Iemand/iets achter het behang willen stoppen.”
(“To put somebody/thing behind the wallpaper.”)

This expression is used when you have had enough / are sick of somebody or something.

Example:
“Na 55 jaar huwelijk wilde de vrouw haar man achter het behang stoppen.”
(“After 55 years of marriage the woman wanted to put her husband behind the wallpaper.”)