Archive for 'Dutch Vocabulary'
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…
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…
Why Dutch PM Rutte’s Address Was Historical Posted by Sten on Mar 17, 2020
The coronavirus is spreading across the world fast. Maandagavond (Monday evening) at 7 pm, minister-president (prime minister) Mark Rutte addressed the Dutch people from the Torentje (little tower), which is the office of the Dutch premier (prime minister). He addressed zorgen (concerns) about the virus and what the Dutch overheid (government) is considering. Here’s what he said and why it was…
Dutch Money: Talking About Money Posted by Sten on Mar 2, 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, household items) to treinkaartjes (train tickets) to buying a rijbewijs (driver’s license) once you get tired of all the vertragingen (delays) of the Dutch trains. In the previous posts about Dutch money, we talked about where the Dutch gulden came from…
Dutch Money: The Dutch Gulden Posted by Sten on Feb 19, 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. But where did Dutch money begin? And what does the US dollar have to do with…
Valentijnsdag: Love The Dutch Way Posted by Sten on Feb 14, 2020
Valentine’s Day – a day for love… Also in the Netherlands. But how did we get here? And how do we celebrate it? Let’s explore! Valentijnsdag in the Netherlands While it’s known that Valentijnsdag (Valentine’s Day) is named after some Sint Valentijn (Saint Valentine), it’s not really clear which one. There are different stories about the man who was…