Archive for February, 2019
Words of Shock and Surprise in Dutch! Posted by Karoly Molina on Feb 27, 2019
English speakers tend to express shock and surprise with phrases such as Oh my God! or WOW! And while it is perfectly okay to use these in Dutch (because the trend with native Dutch speakers is to add some English words here and there), there are perfectly good words and phrases in Dutch you can…
‘s Woensdags – How does the Dutch genitive work? Posted by Sten on Feb 25, 2019
How do you say “On Wednesdays, we go shopping in Amsterdam” in Dutch? The answer may not be as straightforward as you’d think. And that is what this post is about! Genitief ‘s Woensdags winkelen we in Amsterdam. What stands out in the sentence above? Perhaps the apostrophe and lowercase s at the BEGINNING of a sentence. Woensdags…
Untranslatable Dutch Words: Potloodventer Posted by Sten on Feb 23, 2019
Another untranslatable word for you today – de potloodventer. Potloodventers are exhibitionists, flashers. Yet the word potloodventer is a bit more specific… Let’s figure it out! Click here for more untranslatable words The meaning and equivalents The word potloodventer literally means “pencil dude”. The closest equivalent would be “flasher”. Though due to the nature of the Dutch word, it always refers to…
What are the Dutch Waterschappen? Posted by Sten on Feb 18, 2019
De Waterschappen. If you live in the Netherlands, you have undoubtedly heard of these institutions. But what exactly are they? What are their responsibilities? And why do the Dutch get to vote for their waterschappen in an election alongside the provincial elections? De taak van een waterschap So, first of all – what is a waterschap? A waterschap (literally “watership”…
Holleeder Family- The Dutch Godfather? Posted by Karoly Molina on Feb 6, 2019
I just finished reading the book “Judas” about a notorious Dutch criminal and it left me speechless! It covered the infamous Heineken ontvoering or kidnapping, the “underworld” of criminals in the Netherlands, and one family’s life in the middle of it all. Who are the Holleeders? The Holleder family is known first and foremost by the oldest…