Lawaai

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noise, tumult, uproar, racket Click to listen 
Lawaai
[noun]
[het la-waai, <no plural>]

"Lawaai" is just loud and annoying noise. Related adjective is "lawaaig" or lawaaierig": noisy. Related noun is "lawaaimaker": noise-maker, also figuratively: braggart, boaster.

Synonyms of "lawaai" are "herrie" and "kabaal".

Examples:
– "Te veel lawaai hier, ik ben weg, toedeledoki!" 
("Too much noise in here, I'm gone, cheerio!")

– "Onze stofzuiger maakt heel veel lawaai, misschien is er iets kapot." 
("Our vacuum-cleaner makes a lot of noise, maybe there's something broken.")

– "Onze nieuwe buurman is schorriemorrie, ik word gek van het lawaai dat hij 's nachts maakt." 
("Our new neighbour is trash, the noise he makes at night makes me crazy." Lit.: "…I become crazy from the noise he makes at night.")

Expressions:
– "Herrie schoppen": to make noise, to cause trouble.

Example:
– "Gisteravond heeft een kleine groepje hooligans veel herrie geschopt in het autovrije centrum van de stad."
("Yesterday night, a small group of hooligans has caused a lot of trouble in the pedestrian zone of the city centre." Lit.: "…in the carless city centre.")

Related words:
– Herrie: noise, uproar [noun] [de herrie, <no plural>].
– Kabaal: noise, uproar, racket [noun] [het kabaal, <no plural>].

Example:
– "Tien kleine kinderen aan een grote tafel, wat een kabaal!"
("Ten little kids at a big table, what a racket!")

– Geluid: sound [noun] [het geluid, de geluiden].

Tafel

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table
Click to listen
Tafel
 

[noun]  
[de ta-fel, de ta-fels] 

A "tafel" is a table, simple as that! Don't confuse "tafel" with "tabel", which also translates to "table", e.g. a table in Excel.

You may often see the idiom "aan tafel", which generally translates to "at the table", but which may also be a command to come sit down at the table to have dinner.

Examples:
– "Aan tafel, iedereen! Het eten is klaar!" 
("Everybody sit down at the table! Dinner's ready!")

– "Alle ingredienten van het nieuwe recept liggen op de keukentafel." 
("All ingredients of the new recipe are on the kitchen table.")

– "Mam, mag ik van tafel opstaan?" 
("Mum, can I get up from the table?")

Expressions:
–
"Ter tafel brengen": to lay on the table, to put forward.
– "Iemand onder de tafel drinken": to drink someone under the table.

Example:
– "Heb je een kater?" – "Ja, ik ben gisteren compleet onder de tafel gedronken door Lisa…" -"Watje…"
("Do you have a hangover?" – "Yes, Lisa completely drank me under the table yesterday…" – "Wimp…" Lit.: "I was completely drunk under the table by Lisa yesterday")

– "W.v.t.t.k. / Wat verder ter tafel komt": a.o.b. / any other business.

Related words:
– Bestek: cutlery [noun] [het bestek, <no plural>].
– Meubel: piece of furniture [het meubel, de meubelen/meubels].
– Stoel: chair [noun] [de stoel, de stoelen].
– Aanrecht: kitchen sink [noun] [het aanrecht, de aanrechten].

Example:
– "De afwas staat al op het aanrecht…"
("The dishes are already in the kitchen sink." Note that "aanrecht" refers to the entire worktop, including the sink)

– Tafellaken: table cover/cloth [noun] [het tafellaken, de tafellakens].
– Tafeldame / tafelheer: (his/her) dinner partner (lit.: table lady/lord) [noun] [de tafeldame / de tafelheer, de tafeldames / de tafelheren].
– Tafeltennis: table tennis [noun] [het tafeltennis, <no plural>].

Recept

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1. recipe Iconspeaker_3 Jamie

[noun]
[het re-cept, de re-cep-ten]

Feeling hungry? Then put on your "schort" and try a recipe of the Dutch cuisine, which is – as you know – not too ambitious 🙂 Check out this article on Wikipedia for more info on the Dutch cuisine…

"Recept" can also be used figuratively.

Examples:
– "Schat, wat eten we vanavond?" – "Ik weet het niet, ik zat te denken aan een recept van Jamie Oliver." 
("Honey, what’s for dinner tonight?" – "I don’t know, I was thinking a Jamie Oliver recipe." Lit.: "Honey, what are we eating tonight?")

– "In de krant van vandaag staat een recept voor een lekkere stoofpot." 
("In today’s newspaper there’s a recipe for a nice stew.")

Expressions:
–
"Wat de boer niet kent, dat eet hij niet": I know what I like, and I like what I know (Lit.: "what the farmer doesn’t know, he doesn’t eat". Used when you refuse to eat something you don’t know).
– "Eten wat de pot schaft": to eat what there is (Lit.: "to eat what the pot provides").
– "Smakelijk eten!": bon appetit!

Related words:
– Koken: to cook/boil [verb] [koken, kookte, h. gekookt].
– Schort: apron [noun] [de/het schort, de schorten].

Example:
– "Er zit een vlek
op mijn schort." 
("There’s a
stain on my apron.") 


2. prescription, recipe Iconspeaker_3
[noun]
[het re-cept, de re-cep-ten]Ziek

A "recept" can also be a prescription, prescribed a doctor. A recipe for getting better, so to speak…

Actually, the verb "to prescribe" translates to "voorschrijven" (voor=pre, schrijven=to scribe/write) in Dutch. When a doctor prescribes a recipe, this would translate to "een recept voorschrijven". In this context, you can also use the synomous "uitschrijven" (lit.: to write/scribe out).

Examples:
– "Ik heb de griep…" – "Heb je al een recept bij de dokter gehaald?" 
("I’ve got the flu…" – "Have you already gotten a prescription from the doctor?")

– "Dokter, dokter, ik heb last van een zware verliefdheid…" – "Sorry meneer, daar heb ik geen recept voor, u bent verslaafd aan de liefde…" 
("Doctor, doctor, I’ve got a bad case of loving you…" – "I’m sorry sir, I don’t have a recipe for that, you’re addicted to love…")

Related words:
– Griep: flu [noun] [de griep, de griepen].
– Ziek: sick, ill [adjective].

Example:
– "Je ziet er slecht uit. Ben je ziek, of heb je gewoon een kater?"
("You
look bad. Are you ill, or are you just having a hangover?") 

– Verkoudheid: cold [noun] [de verkoudheid, de verkoudheden].
– Dokter: doctor [noun] [de dokter, de dokters].
– Arts: doctor, physician [noun] [de arts, de artsen].
– Huisarts: GP, general practitioner (lit. house doctor) [noun] [de huisarts, de huisartsen].

D.w.z. / Dat wil zeggen

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i.e., that is (to say) Iconspeaker_3 Datwilzeggen

[Dutch
phrase of the week]

"D.w.z." is the abbreviation of "dat wil zeggen", literally: "that wants to say". English equivalent is "i.e." or "that is (to say)". "I.e." (which is of course an abbreviation of the Latin "id est") is also used in Dutch.

Related acronym is "m.a.w.": "met andere woorden", which translates to "in other words".

Examples:
– "Die uitleg is te vaag, dat wil zeggen, ik snap het gewoon niet…" 
("That explanation is too vague, that is, I just don’t get it…")

– "De lucht klaart op, dat wil zeggen, ik kan de zon af en toe zien." 
("The sky is clearing up, that is, I can see the sun now and then.")

– "Ik vind Raymond bijzonder geschikt, d.w.z. hij laat zijn handen wapperen." 
("I think Raymond is especially suited, i.e. he puts his shoulder to the wheel.")

Expressions:
–
"M.a.w. / met andere woorden": in other words.

Example:
– "Ik ben te laat opgestaan, met andere woorden: ik heb me verslapen."
("I got up too late, in other words: I overslept.")

Related words:
– Zeggen: to say [verb] [zeggen, zei, h. gezegd].

Example:
– "Wat ik nu ga zeggen, zul je misschien vervelend vinden."
("What I’m going to say now, you may find annoying.")

Opklaren

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to clear/brighten up Iconspeaker_3
[verb]
[op-kla-ren, klaar-de op, op-ge-klaard]

Opklaren
Today is Koninginnedag and that is one of the days in the year of which you can be sure there will be no DWOTD… Well, as the weather is not cooperating much, I haven’t gone ‘downtown’ yet 🙂 However, it seems the sky is clearing up! "Opklaren" can also be used figuratively.

Examples:
– "Het leek vandaag een grauwe dag te worden, maar nu klaart het gelukkig op."
("It looked like today was going to be a gray day, but fortunately it’s brightening up now.")

– "Gaat het nog regenen denk je?" – "Volgens mij niet, de lucht is opgeklaard!" 
("Do you think it will rain?" – "I don’t think so, the sky has cleared up!")

– "En, hoe is het nu?" – "Nou, de situatie leek uitzichtloos, maar nu lijkt het op te klaren!" 
("So, how are things now?" -"Well, the situation seemed hopeless, but now it looks like it’s brightening up!" ‘Uitzichtloos’ translates as something like "without a positive outlook at all"; you can also use ‘hopeloos’.)

Expressions:
– "Na regen komt zonneschijn": after a storm comes a calm. Lit.: "after rain comes sunshine".

Related words:
–
Betrekken: to become overcast, to cloud over [verb] [betrok, betrokken].

Example:
– "De lucht was opgeklaard, en nu betrekt hij weer. Wat hebben we daar nu aan?!"
("The sky cleared up, and now it’s clouding over again. What good is that to us?!")

– Onbewolkt: cloudless, clear [adjective].
– Zonnig: sunny [adjective].