Verwachting

expectation, anticipation Click to listen
Verwachting
[noun]
[de ver-wach-ting, de ver-wach-ting-en]

"Verwachting" contains "-wacht-" from "wachten": to wait. Related verb is "verwachten": to expect. When a woman is "in verwachting", she's expecting (a baby), lit.: in expectation/anticipation…

Examples:
– "De verwachtingen ten aanzien van het Nederlandse elftal zijn erg gespannen: de oranjekoorts is weer toegeslagen…" 
("The expectations regarding the Dutch soccer team are very tense: the 'orange fever' has struck again…")

– "Ik had niet zo'n hoge verwachting van mijn nieuwe chef, maar hij valt erg mee." 
("I didn't think much of my new chef, but he's pretty all right." Lit.: "I didn't have such a high expectation of my new chef, …")

Expressions:
– "In (blijde) verwachting zijn": to be expecting. Lit.: to be in (happy) expectation.
– "Boven/buiten verwachting": beyond expectation(s). Lit.: above/outside expectation.

Example:
– "Franks presentatie is buiten verwachting interessant! Normaal is hij heel saai…"
("Frank's presentation is interesting, which is beyond my expectation! Normally he's really boring…")

– "Beneden de verwachtingen blijven": to fall short of one's expectations. Lit.: to stay below the expectations.
– "Tegen alle verwachtingen (in): against all odds.

Related words:
– Gespannen: tense [adjective].
– Hoop: hope [noun] [de hoop, <no plural>].

Example:
– "Geef mij nu je angst, ik geef je er hoop voor terug."
("Hand over your fear to me now, I'll give you back hope.")

– Wachten: to wait [verb] [wachten, wachtte, h. gewacht].
– Weersverwachting: weather forecast [noun] [de weersverwachting, de weersverwachtingen].
Zenuwachtig: nervous [adjective].

Slachtoffer

victim Click to listen
Slachtoffer
[noun]
[het slacht-of-fer, de slacht-of-fers]

"Slachtoffer" is composed of "slacht" and "offer", which respectively translate to "slaughter" and "sacrifice"…a "slachtoffer" is not doing very well…

Examples:
– "Ten minste twaalf doden door treinongeval Spanje." 
("At least twelve victims dead in train accident Spain.")

– "Sally is het slachtoffer geworden van een billenknijper." 
("Sally has fallen victim to a bottom squeezer.")

– "De verdediger werd het slachtoffer van de schwalbe van de aanvaller: de scheidsrechter gaf hem onterecht een rode kaart." 
("The defender became the victim of the striker's fake dive: the referee gave him an undeserved red card.")

Expressions:
– "Het kind van de rekening zijn": to be the victim, to suffer, to pay the piper, to carry the can.

Example:
– "Polici kletsen veel, en doen niks. De gewone man is het kind van de rekening."
("Politicians talk a lot of nonsense, and do nothing. The man in the street is suffering." Lit.: …the common man…".)

Related words:
– Offer: sacrifice [noun] [het offer, de offers].
– Slager/slachter: butcher [noun] [de slager, de slagers].
– Slachten: to kill, to slaugther [verb] [slachten, slachtte, h. geslacht].

Example:
– "Argentinië – Noord-Korea 7-0…een slachtpartij…"
("Argentina – North-Korea 7-0…a massacre…" Lit.: "…a slaughter party…")

Schwalbe

fake dive, diving, simulation Click to listen Schwalbe
[noun]
[de schwal-be, de schwal-bes] 

"Schwalbe" is one of those few German words that are used in the Dutch language. A "schwalbe" is the act, performed by a soccer player, of deliberately taking a dive with the objective of obtaining a free kick or penalty. We do have also a Dutch equivalent – "fopduik" (lit.: fake dive) – but "schwalbe" is far more popular…

Difference with the German Schwalbe is that it's not written with a capital (like all German nouns), except when it's the first word of the sentence, and that its plural form is "schwalbes", and not "Schwalben", like in German.

Examples:
– "Dat was echt een schwalbe!" – "Valt mee dat de scheids het gezien heeft…" 
("That was really a fake dive!" – "Luckily the ref's seen it…")

– "Dat was geen schwalbe!" – "Wedden van wel?!" 
("That wasn't a fake dive!" – "You wanna bet?!")

Related words:
– Aanstellen: 1. to appoint [verb] [aanstellen, stelde aan, h. aangesteld]. 2. to put up a drama act, to put on an air [verb] [aanstellen, stelde aan, h. aangesteld].
– Aansteller: drama queen [noun] [de aansteller, de aanstellers].
– Overtreding: foul [noun] [de overtreding, de overtredingen].

Example:
– "Wat een verschrikkelijke overtreding! Dat moet een rode kaart zijn."
("What a terrible foul! That has to be a red card.")

Extra:
For an overview of German words used in the Dutch language, check out Wikipedia.

Wedden

to bet (on), to wager Click to listen
[verb]
[wed-den, wed-de, ge-wed]

Paardenrennen 'Wedden' has nothing to do with 'to wed' 🙂 which would be 'trouwen' or 'huwen'. When the bet is more a gamble (casino) we use the verb 'gokken'.

Examples:
– "Ik wed dat Frankrijk doorgaat naar de volgende ronde!" 
("I bet that France will go through to the next round!")

– "Volgens mij durft Sander niet!" – "O nee? Wedden van wel?!" 
("I think Sander doesn't dare / is too scared! – "Is he now? I bet he is not!" Note the use of the infinitive 'wedden'; you can also say 'Ik wed van wel!')

– "Ok jongen, wedden we om geld of om de eer?" – "Om de eer!" – "Om de eer? Lafaard!" 
("Ok man, are we betting for money or for the honour?" – "For the honour!" – "Honour? You coward!")


WeddenDat1986-JosBrink-SandraReemer – "Ik durf te wedden dat jij niet het antwoord weet op de volgende vraag: wie was de presentator van het populaire Nederlandse tv-programma 'Wedden, dat..?' in de jaren tachtig?" 

("I bet you do not know the answer to the following question: who was the presenter of the popular Dutch TV show 'Wedden, dat..?' in the eighties?")

– "Ik wed om 10 euro dat Frank vandaag wederom te laat zal zijn." 
("I'll bet you 10 euros that Frank will be late today once again.")

– "Nou, ik wed van niet!" – "Nou, ik wed van wel!" 
("Well, I bet he is not!" – "Well, I bet he is!" Note that it depends on context whether to use 'it/she/he'.)

Expressions:
– "Op twee paarden wedden": literally 'to bet on two horses' this is to say that you are hedging/covering your bets.

Related words:
– Weddenschap: bet [noun] [de weddenschap, de weddenschappen].
– Een weddenschap winnen/verliezen: to win/lose a bet [verb] [won/verloor, gewonnen/verloren].

Example:
– "Marc heeft de weddenschap verloren en dus moet hij op een etentje trakteren."
("Marc lost the bet and hence he has to treat to dinner." Note the informal use of 'etentje'; the formal word is 'diner'.)

– Een weddenschap aangaan: to place/make a bet [verb] [ging aan, aangegaan].
– Gokken: to gamble [verb] [gokte, gegokt].

Wind tegen

against the wind Click to listen
Wind tegen
[Dutch phrase of the week]

Literally, "wind tegen" translates to "wind against". It is commonly used in combination with the verb "hebben" (to have): "wind tegen hebben" (to go against the wind, to have the wind blowing against you). Note the subtlety that the Dutch actually say "the wind" goes "against you", instead of "you" go "against the wind"…we respect THE WIND… 🙂

The opposite of "wind tegen" is "wind mee": before the wind. When there's no wind, it's "windstil".

In the Netherlands, there's usually a south-west wind blowing, but it seems that no matter which direction you go, you always have "wind tegen"…

Examples:
– "Ik had vandaag wind tegen op de fiets naar werk." 
("Today, when I was riding my bike to work, I had the wind blowing against me." Lit.: "…on the bike.")

– "Met wind tegen moet je harder trappen. bijna zwoegen…" 
("Against the wind, you have to pedal harder, almost toil…")

– "Ik ben helemaal uitgeput van de hele tijd wind tegen…" – "Dat valt toch wel mee? Het is bijna windstil nu." 
("I'm completely exahausted from having the wind against me all the time…" -"It's not so bad, is it? There's almost no wind now.")

Expressions:
– "De wind van voren krijgen": to get it good, to draw a storm on one's head.
– "Met alle winden meewaaien": to set one's sail to every wind, to bend with every wind.

Example:
– "Veel politici waaien met alle winden mee, verschrikkelijk!"
("Many politicians bend with every wind, terrible!")

Related words:
Rukwind: squall, gust [noun] [de rukwind, de rukwinden].
– Tegen: against [preposition].

Example:

"Wiet roken is tegen de wet, maar wordt in Nederland onder bepaalde
omstandigheden gedoogd."

("Smoking weed is against the law, but is allowed
under certain conditions
in the
Netherlands
.")

Waaien: to blow [verb] [waaien, waaide, h. gewaaid].
– Wind: 1. wind [noun] [de wind, de winden]. 2. fart [noun] [de wind, de winden].