Duidelijk

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clear, well, distinct [adjective, adverb]

Examples:
1. "De omroeper op het treinstration articuleert duidelijk."
("The announcer at the train station articulates distinctly.")

2. "Frank heeft vanmorgen een duidelijke presentatie gehouden."
("This morning, Frank gave a clear presentation.")

3. "Deze leraar staat bekend om zijn duidelijke uitleg."
("This teacher is known for his clear explanation.")

4. "Dat lijkt me duidelijk!"
("Obviously so!" Literally: "That seems clear to me!")

5. "Ik ontvang u luid en duidelijk!"
("I read you loud and clear!")

Related words:
1. "Onduidelijk": unclear.
2. "Vaag": vague, blurry.
3. "Duidelijk worden": [verb] to become clear/evident.

Example:
– "Nu wordt het me duidelijk!"
("Now it becomes clear to me!")

Toetje

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dessert [noun, diminutive] [het toetje, de toetjes]

 "Toetje" is an informal word for dessert. To order dessert in a restaurant, one would use the word "dessert" (which is pronounced the French way), or "nagerecht". Although "toetje" is a diminutive, the word "toe" is actually not a noun! "Toe" is a word that is used together with verbs, or in expressions, and can indicate a closure of some kind. In the case of "toetje" it will be the closure of dinner. See ‘Related words’ for other examples of the use of the word "toe".

Examples:
– "Wie wil er een toetje?"
("Who wants dessert?")

– "Ik neem bijna nooit een toetje."
("I almost never have dessert.")

– "In Nederland is vla een populair toetje."
("In The Netherlands, vla is a popular dessert.")

Related words:
1. "Vla": a typical Dutch dairy product, often served as dessert, read more at: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vla

2. "IJs": ice cream, see also "DWOTD 23. IJsbeer" and "DWOTD 44. Raket".
3. "Toe": a word that is used together with verbs, or in expressions, and can indicate a closure of some kind.

Examples:
1. "Wil jij de deur even toe doen, alsjeblieft?"
("Would you please close the door?")

2. "Wie wil er wat toe?"
(<after dinner:> "Who wants dessert?")
3. "En nu je oogjes toe!"
(<to a child before going to sleep:> "And now close your eyes!")

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 .

Mandarijn

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Grammar: <mandarijn> [noun] [de mandarijn, de mandarijnen].

Translates to: "mandarin (orange)" or "tangerine (orange)"

For some reason, the supply of mandarin oranges in The Netherlands is abundant in the autumn and winter season. They are omnipresent in the supermarkets.

Examples:
1. "Het is weer mandarijnen tijd."
("It’s mandarin orange time again.")

2. "Frank neemt altijd twee mandarijnen mee naar het werk."
("Frank always brings two mandarin oranges to work.")

3. "In een mandarijn zit veel vitamine C."
("There’s a lot of vitamin C in a mandarin orange.")

Related Words:
1. "sinaasappel": orange
2. "appel": apple
3. "fruit": fruit
4. "pellen’: to peel

Example: "Een mandarijntje is makkelijker te pellen dan een sinaasappel."
("It’s easier to peel a little mandarin than an orange.")

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).