Bijzonder

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special, particular, peculiar Iconspeaker_3
[adjective/adverb]

Bird_of_paradise "Bijzonder" can both be used as an adjective or an adverb. When used as an adverb it is commonly translated as "very", see the examples. The "ij" in "bijzonder" is pronounced as "ie".

Note the use of "iets/niets bijzonders": something/nothing special.

Examples:
– "Goedemiddag, kan ik u helpen, zoekt u iets bijzonders?" 
("Good afternoon, can I help you, are you looking for something special?" Note that it is typically Dutch to want to be left alone at first when looking around in a store, reason why Dutch shop personnel seem uninterested at first. Although some of them really are 😉 )

– "Wat was er aan de hand?" – "O, niets bijzonders, een opstootje…" 
("What was going on?" – "Oh, nothing special, a small fight…")

– "Ik ben nog steeds een beetje stil van de film…" – "Ja, hij is heel bijzonder vind je niet…" 
("I'm still impressed by the film…" – "Yes, it is very special dont't you think so?" Lit. "I'm still a bit quiet because of the film".)

– "Meneer, u heeft een bijzonder kind! Misschien is het wel hoogbegaafd!" – "Nou, dat lijkt me bijzonder onwaarschijnlijk, maar bedankt voor het compliment!"
("Sir, you have a very special child! Perhaps it is highly gifted!" – "Well, that seems highly unlikely, but thank you for the compliment!")

– "Heb je gehoord dat Frank een kluizenaar is geworden?" – "Nee, maar het verbaast me niks; hij was altijd al een beetje bijzonder." 
("Did you hear that Frank has become a hermit/recluse?" – "No, but it does not surprise me one bit; he always was a bit peculiar.")

– "Alan daarentegen is een gewone jongen, een bijzonder gewone jongen kan ik wel zeggen." 
("Alan, on the contrary, is an ordinary guy, a very ordinary guy I may say.")

– "Heeft het u gesmaakt?" – "Zeker, ik heb bijzonder lekker gegeten, dankuwel." 
("Did you enjoy your meal?" – "Absolutely, it was very tasty, thank you.")

Expressions:
– "In het bijzonder": in particular.

Related words:
– Speciaal: special [adjective]. If you don't like the Dutch fries with mayonnaise you can order a 'patat speciaal'. The sauce you'll get is a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup (or curry sauce) and… chopped onions 🙂
– Ongewoon: unusual [adjective].

Example:
– "Vind je dat deze broek bij deze trui past?" – "Uhm, ik vind het een beetje een ongewone combinatie als ik eerlijk ben!"
("Do you think these pants match this jumper/sweater? – "Ehm, to be honest, I think it is a bit of an unusual combination!")

– Apart: different, separate, distinct [adjective]. Note the infamous word 'apart-heid': "separate-ness". This word is not used in Dutch other than in the context of the former regime in South-Africa.

Ontdekken

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to discover Iconspeaker_3
[verb]
[ont-dek-ken, ont-dek-te, ont-dekt]

VOC replica "Ontdekken" can both be used for locating hidden objects/places as well as intellectual findings. Related noun is "ontdekking". When you want to 'cover' something, we say 'bedekken'.

Examples:
– "De Nederlandse ontdekkingsreizigers hebben veel exotische landen ontdekt." 
("The Dutch explorers have discovered many exotic countries." The Dutch are known for their 'ontdekkingsreizen' and colonial activities, especially in the East-Indies through the VOC ('Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie").)

– "Daar ben je eindelijk! Ik kon je nergens ontdekken in de menigte!" 
("Finally, there you are! I was unable to locate you in the crowd!" Literally: "I could find you nowhere in the crowd". The word "menigte" is composed of "menig" and "te", which means something like "manyness" (compare "gekte": madness).)

– "Soms zou ik willen dat ik 100 jaar geleden leefde, er was toen nog zo veel te ontdekken…" – "Ach, dat is toch alleen maar nostalgie, er is nu ook nog steeds heel veel te ontdekken!" 
("Sometimes I wish I lived 100 years ago, there was so much still to discover back then…" – "Oh well, isn't that just nostalgia, there is still a lot to discover these days!")

– "Ik heb onlangs een heel leuk koffietentje ontdekt, daar moeten we een keer samen heen!" 
("I've recently discovered a very nice coffe place, we have to (once) go there together!" Note that 'heen' is often used with the verb 'gaan' but you can also use it this way.)

– "Heb je je sleutels al gevonden?" – "Nee, ik heb ze nog steeds niet ontdekt." 
("Have you found your keys yet?" – "No, I still haven't discovered them.")

Expressions:
– "De ontdekking van de eeuw": the find of the century, the big discovery.

Related words:
– Ontdekker: discoverer [noun] [de ontdekker, de ontdekkers].
– Ontdekkingsreis: voyage of discovery [noun] [de reis, de reizen].
– Ontdekkingsreiziger: explorer [noun] [de reiziger, de reizigers].
– Ontdekking: discovery, find [noun] [de ontdekking, de ontdekkingen].

Example:
– "Ken jij het boek 'De ontdekking van de hemel' door Harry Mulisch? Het is echt een aanrader!"
("Do you know the book 'The discovery of heaven' by Harry Mulisch? I highly recommend it!" The noun 'aanrader' is derived from 'aanraden': to recommend. Read more on Harry Mulisch in the Extra below.)

Extra:
Those of you who live in the Netherlands may have noticed the recent news coverage on Dutch writer Harry Mulisch who passed away last Saturday. Harry Mulisch is known as one of 'de grote drie' (the big three of post-WWII Dutch literature): Gerard Reve, Willem Frederik Hermans, Harry Mulisch. The works of Harry Mulisch have been translated into 30 languages. Read more on wikipedia.
Harry Mulisch will be buried this Saturday in Amsterdam.

Niet te harden

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unbearable Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]
[Niet te har-den]

233574885_8aa7c0a4c1_zThe verb “harden” translates as “to harden”, “to toughen up” or “to bear/stand”. In case of the latter, one often uses the phrase “niet te harden” to say that something is unbearable. This can basically be anything, see the examples.

A common construction is “niet te harden zo [adjective]”, meaning that the situation was unbearable with respect to the adjective used.
(Photo: Tjflex2 (flickr.com) – some rights reserved.)

Examples:
– “Je kunt op zaterdag beter niet naar de Kalverstraat in Amsterdam gaan, het is er dan heel druk; niet te harden!”
(“One had better not go to the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam on a Saturday, it is very crowded; unbearable!”)

– “Het vuilnis is nu drie weken niet opgehaald, de stank is niet te harden!” 
(“The garbage has not been collected for three weeks now, the stench is unbearable!”)

– “Bas is in Sint-Petersburg naar de sauna geweest, hij zei dat het er niet te harden was zo heet!”  
(“Bas went to the sauna in Saint Petersburg, he said that the heat was unbearable!”)

– “Ik ben eerder weggegaan van het concert, het volume was niet te harden zo hoog!” 
(“I left the concert early, the loudness of the volume was unbearable!”)

– “Het etentje met mijn schoonouders was rampzalig, de spanning was niet te harden!” 
(“The dinner with my in-laws was desastrous, the tension was unbearable!”)

Expressions:
– “Niet te doen!”: impossible, tough, unpleasant.

Related words:
– Harden: 1. to harden 2. to toughen up 3. to bear/stand [verb] [hardde, gehard].
– Ondraaglijk: unbearable [adjective].

Example:
– “De ondraaglijke lichtheid van het bestaan.”
(“The unbearable lightness of being.”)

– Verdragen: to bear, stand [verb] [verdroeg, verdragen].

Tocht

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1. draught/draft Iconspeaker_3
[noun]
[de tocht, <no plural>]

14898589323_4bb78091ef_z“Tocht” is the suction of the wind in a room when you for example open windows on opposite sides. The verb is ‘tochten’. A common expression is ‘op de tocht komen te staan’, see below.
(Photo: Julie Kertesz (flickr.com) – some rights reserved.)

Examples:
– “Mijn moeder kan niet tegen tocht, dan krijgt ze last van haar gewrichten weet je wel…” 
(“My mother can’t stand draught/draft, her joints start to bother her you know…”)

– “Er ligt overal stof in huis, ik word er gek van!” – “Tja, dat krijg je met die tocht!” 
(“There’s dust everywhere in the house, it’s driving me crazy!” – “What can I say, that’s what you get with all that draught/draft.”)

– “Tocht is wind in huis, maar wind in huis hoeft niet altijd tocht te zijn.” 
(“Draught/draft is wind in your home, but wind in your home does not necessarily have to be draught/draft.” Quote by “Frits van Egters”, main character in the famous Dutch book “De Avonden” by Gerard Reve.)

Expressions:
– “Op de tocht zitten”: to sit in a draught.
– “Op de tocht (komen te) staan”: to be put at risk, to be in the balance.

Example:
– “Door de bezuinigingen komen veel banen op de tocht te staan.”
(“Due to the cutbacks many jobs will be put at risk.”)

Related words:
– Tochten: to be draughty/drafty, to let the wind through (a room) [verb] [tochtte, getocht].

Example:
– “Het tocht hier!” – “Doe het raam dan dicht als je er last van hebt!”
(“There’s a draught here!” – “Well then, close the window if it bothers you!”)

– Tochtig: draughty/drafty [adjective]. You can also talk about a ‘tochtige koe’: a cow in heat.
– Tochtgat: blowhole, draughty/drafty spot [noun] [het tochtgat, de tochtgaten].
– Wind: wind [noun] [de wind].

2. journey, trip, outing Iconspeaker_3
[noun]
[de tocht, de toch-ten]

15193688140_690798ea87_z“Tocht” can also be used for ‘journey’ or ‘trip’. Duration of the ‘tocht’ should be clear from context, a ‘tochtje’ is a short trip like an outing. A ‘dagtocht(je)’ is an outing for the day.
(Photo: Henk-Jan van der Klis (flickr.com) – some rights reserved.)

Examples:
– “Na een barre tocht door de bergen, kwamen de vluchtelingen aan in het kamp.” 
(“After a tough journey through the mountains, the refugees arrived in the camp.”)

– “Hoe was het museum?” – “Fantastisch! Echt een tocht door de eeuwen heen!” 
(“How was the museum?” – “Fantastic! Truly a journey through the centuries!”)

Expressions:
– “Een (dag)tochtje maken”: to go on an (day) outing. You can also use this expression (without the ‘dag’) to say that you are going for a ride, but it would be a longer ride than just around the block.

Example:
– “Wat hebben jullie zaterdag gedaan?”  – “We hebben een dagtochtje gemaakt naar de Zaanse Schans.”
(“What did you do on Saturday?”  – “We went on an outing for the day to the Zaanse Schans.”)

Related words:
– Uitje: outing [noun] [het uitje, de uitjes]. Here you can also say ‘een uitje maken’: to go on an outing.
– Reizen: to travel [verb] [reisde, gereisd].
– Reisje: short trip [noun] [het reisje, de reisjes].

Toetsenbord

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(computer) keyboard Iconspeaker_3
[noun] Toetsenbord
[het toet-sen-bord, de toet-sen-bor-den]

"Toetsenbord" is composed of "toetsen" and "bord", which respectively translate to "keys" and "board", hence 'keyboard'. "Toetsenbord" is nearly always used in the context of a computer. The musical keyboard translates to "keyboard" in Dutch 🙂

In the Netherlands, the keyboard standard that is mostly used is QWERTY.

Examples:
– "Ik heb pijn aan mijn arm…" – "Heb je al een ergonomisch toetsenbord?" 
("My arm is aching…" – "Do you already have an ergonomic keyboard?" Lit.: "I have pain on my arm…")

– "Ik gebruik nauwelijks een muis, alleen het toetsenbord van mijn computer." 
("I hardly use a mouse, only the keyboard of my computer.")

– "Frank computert meer dan tien uur per dag…" – "Dan zal zijn toetsenbord wel versleten zijn…" 
("Frank uses the computer more than ten hours a day…" – "His keyboard will be worn out then…")

Related words:
– Bord: plate, board [noun] [het bord, de borden].
– Computeren: to use the computer for recreational purposes [verb] [computeren, computerde, h. gecomputerd].
– Keyboard: keyboard [noun] [het keyboard, de keyboards].

Example:
– "Speel jij Mozart op je keyboard? Hartstikke goed man!"
("Do you play Mozart on your keyboard? That's awesome man!" Lit.: "Really good man!")

– Muis: mouse [noun] [de muis, de muizen].
– Toets: 1. key [noun] [de toets, de toetsen]. 2. test, examination [noun] [de toets, de toetsen].
– Typen: to type [verb] [typen, typte, h. getypt].