Archive for 'Dutch Language'
Dutch King’s Day – In Quarantine?! Posted by Sten on Apr 27, 2020
Today is Koningsdag (King’s Day), on which our koning (king) Willem-Alexander celebrates his 53rd verjaardag (birthday). An exciting day, where the entire country is on its feet, clothed in orange and ready to celebrate. The koning visits a town where he is welcomed and invited to join in with all kinds of activities. But… That’s not possible today, with quarantainemaatregelen (quarantine measures) in…
Tweede Paasdag – Why ANOTHER Free Day? Posted by Sten on Apr 14, 2020
Easter Monday. What’s the point of this second day if we already have Pasen (Easter) on Sunday? And why is it celebrated in the Netherlands as a public holiday? Here’s why the Dutch ask themselves this question year after year, and why it actually is a free holiday. Tweede Paasdag In Dutch, Easter Monday is…
The End Of A Dutch TV Era: DWDD Stops Posted by Sten on Apr 3, 2020
De Wereld Draait Door, or short DWDD had its last uitzending (broadcast, episode) last Friday. It was one of the hoekstenen (cornerstones) of Dutch television for 15 years. Here’s a little look at this programma (program), and what made it so popular. What’s in a name? First, let’s just talk about the name for a minute. De Wereld…
How Dutch Kids Fight Coronavirus Boredom By Hunting Bears Posted by Sten on Apr 1, 2020
In times of thuisquarantaine (home quarantine) and gesloten scholen (closed schools), kinderen (children) are bound to get extremely bored. How can you deal with such verveling (boredom)? Well, some people found a way, and because of social media, the idea is spreading all over the country. What is this berenjacht (bear hunt), and why does it become so successful in the Netherlands? Let’s have a…
Binnenhof: Het Torentje Posted by Sten on Mar 30, 2020
The Binnenhof (Inner Court) is the center of the Dutch overheid (government). Located in the heart of Den Haag (The Hague), it oozes Dutch geschiedenis (history) and verhalen (stories). In this series, we’ll go building by building and explore what each is all about. Starting today with het Torentje! For more posts in the Binnenhof series, click here. What…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 14 – Thuiswerken Posted by Sten on Mar 23, 2020
With the coronavirus being a worldwide pandemic, many landen (countries) are implementing quarantaines (quarantines), telling people: blijf thuis! (Stay at home!) A real #thuiswerken movement has begun, and of course, that comes with its own linguistic quirks! Here are a spreekwoord (saying) and an uitdrukking (expression) to make thuiswerken a little sweeter! For other sayings and expressions in this series, click here. Oost…
Dutch Money: The Dutch Euro Posted by Sten on Feb 24, 2020
Geld (money). It is the lifeblood of our economieën (economies) and we need it in our dagelijks leven (daily life) for everything from boodschappen (groceries) to treinkaartjes (train tickets) to buying a rijbewijs (driver’s license) once you get tired of all the vertragingen (delays) of the Dutch trains. Last week, we talked about the gulden, the Dutch currency before the country joined the euro. But…