Archive for 'Culture'
Dutch Idioms 25 – It’s Raining! Posted by Sten on Oct 15, 2021
Herfst (autumn). Leaves fall down the trees, nature shows its most beautiful colors, spiders spin their webs, and… It rains. At least in the Netherlands, it always rains. Consequently, there are Dutch idioms about it. Here’s a spreekwoord (saying) and uitdrukking (expression) related to regen (rain)! Let’s start with the uitdrukking. For other idioms in this series, click here…
Curious Dutch Words: Kidnapping By Mistake: Vergisontvoering Posted by Sten on Sep 30, 2021
Ontvoeringen (kidnappings)! Not a fun thing, but they happen. Often with the intention of using the gijzelaar (hostage) as a negotiation chip or for blackmail. There’s a clear intention behind the act. But somehow, the Dutch found the word vergisontvoering (mistaken kidnapping). How does that work, and how is this a word? Previous posts in this series…
Local Language: The Dutch say WHAT in Rotterdam? Posted by Sten on Sep 28, 2021
The Netherlands is a small country. Everybody is tall, eats cheese and speaks Dutch. But don’t let the small country size fool you – there are quite some linguistic differences in the Netherlands that you are quite likely to encounter! In this series, we’ll take a look at typical dialects and words that you only…
Dutch Idioms 24 – Fault and Justice Posted by Sten on Sep 24, 2021
It’s Friday! How did your week go? Had a good one? Or did you spill your coffee on your way to work, having to go home and change only to arrive at work too late, and your boss telling you eigen schuld, dikke bult? It’s a thing we say in Dutch, which literally means “own fault…
How Did The GP In Zandvoort Host So Many People? Posted by Sten on Sep 10, 2021
This summer saw barely any slowdown of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. With continuously high infection rates, the summer was not a sunny time of festivals and other large events like the Dutch are normally used to. Instead, large festivals had to cancel, as the government decided that they could not be organized because of COVID…
Going to Space at Age 18 – This Dutch Guy did it Posted by Sten on Jul 27, 2021
There’s a good chance that you heard about it: The ruimtevlucht (space flight) of Jeff Bezos and three other passagiers (passengers). One of them was 18-year old Dutchman Oliver Daemen, whose father secured him a spot in the bidding process for the ticket. At his young age, it makes him the youngest person in the ruimte ever! What did…
Dutch Idioms 23 – Stealing Animals! Posted by Sten on Jul 19, 2021
In general, stelen (stealing) isn’t a good thing. In fact, most people would say it’s never right. But this depends on the point of view, of course! The one that steals might feel like they’re justified in their actions – the one that’s being robbed probably feels quite differently about that. Today, let’s look at two Dutch…