In this blog series, we choose a Dutch word of the monthit deeWe may tie the word to current events, or just choose one as we see fit. If you have nominations for Word of the Month, please leave them in the comments, and we will consider them. The Word of the Month of June is verjaardag.

See other Words of the Month here.

What does it mean?

Verjaardag means “birthday”. However, it does not have the same exact meaning. Whereas the birthday refers to the day on which you were born, the Dutch word refers to the day on which you verjaart. Verjaren is a verb that means “to lapse” or “to become out-of-date”, so for example:

De coupon is niet meer geldig, omdat hij is verjaard.

The coupon is no longer valid, as it’s become out-of-date.

You would also use it for crimes that are no longer prosecuted because of their limitation:

Het misdrijf heeft een verjaring van 15 jaar.

The crime has a limitation of 15 years.

And yes, you can also use the verb verjaren to indicate your birthday:

Ik ga morgen verjaren!

I am celebrating my birthday tomorrow!

Mijn verjaring vindt morgen plaats.

My birthday is taking place tomorrow.

In practice, you would rarely say this, and instead say:

Ik ga morgen mijn verjaardag vieren!

I am going to celebrate my birthday tomorrow!

Mijn verjaardag is morgen.

My birthday is tomorrow.

 

So when you say “verjaardag”, you really talk about the day on which you “lapse a year”, like you are closing off the year you just had and you are entering a new one.

However, there are no special traditions related to this that are any different from an English “birthday”. The Dutch also celebrate their birth and look back and forward on their verjaardag!

We do also have the word geboortedag (day of birth), which specifically refers to the day on which you were born.

Relevance to June

This month, my grandmother is celebrating her 90th verjaardag! Quite a big deal, and so it deserves to be the word of the month. Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag, oma! (Happy birthday, grandma!)

What do you think of the word verjaardag? What do you say exactly in your language? Do you have nominations for other words of the month? Let me know in the comments below!