Archive for 'Dutch Language'
Dutch Word of the Month September: Koopkracht Posted by Sten on Sep 30, 2019
September! Out of the boring months, here comes something important for all to hear: news about the begroting (budget) for the next begrotingsjaar (fiscal year). Presented every derde dinsdag in september (third Tuesday in September) on Prinsjesdag (Prince’s Day). And besides money for onderwijs (education), zorg (healthcare) or infrastructuur (infrastructure), there is always something about koopkracht. What is that, and why does it matter? Here we go! Click…
Why Are The Dutch Called Dutch When They Shouldn’t Be? Posted by Sten on Sep 23, 2019
So, you may or may not have been wondering about this, but I certainly have. As a Dutch-German, I’ve always been stumped by the confusing demonyms (“a name used for the people who live in a particular country, state, or other locality”, thanks dictionary.com) used in English to refer to my two native countries. Why…
Why Is The Netherlands Called Holland When It Shouldn’t Be? Posted by Sten on Sep 16, 2019
So, you may or may not have been wondering about this, but I certainly have. The Netherlands and Holland are often used interchangeably all over the world, yet in Dutch, Nederland and Holland are two distinct terms. It’s weird. Let’s figure out why. What’s the difference? Here’s the thing. Nederland is the whole country of the Netherlands. Holland is only one…
Curious Words in Dutch 4: Ape(n)kop Posted by Sten on Sep 9, 2019
There are many strange words in a language. Words that are just not used much, words that are pronounced in a weird way… Just words that have something curious about them! And those are the ones we look at in this series. In last week’s post about Sayings and Expressions on monkeys, our reader Gre…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 10 – Monkeys! Posted by Sten on Sep 2, 2019
Yes, really. Apen (monkeys). The Netherlands may one of the least tropical landen (countries) you can think of. Yes, we have the infamous broodjeaapverhalen, but we also have plenty of spreekwoorden (sayings) and uitdrukkingen (expressions) that contain the mensachtige (human-like) primates. Let’s have a look at two today, starting, as always, with the spreekwoord. For other sayings and expressions in this series, click here. Aap…
Dutch Word of the Month August: Puzzelwoord Posted by Sten on Aug 26, 2019
Like July, August is a quiet month for the news, real komkommertijd. But this month, something exciting happened: Lingo is back! And with it, some of Lingo’s iconic vocabulary. The word of the month is: Puzzelwoord (puzzle word)! Click here for previous Words of the Month What does it mean? Puzzelwoord (puzzle word) quite simply refers to…
Why The Dutch Are Obsessed With Koffie Posted by Sten on Aug 5, 2019
The British have their thee (tea), the Germans have their bier (beer) and the French have their wijn (wine). And the Dutch? The Dutch, they have their koffie (coffee). With an average of about 4 cups a day, the Dutch are one of the biggest coffee drinkers in the world. 4 Cups a day? Yes, an average of 4 cups a day. At…