The Dutch & Chess – Part 1: The Dutch Greats Posted by Sten on Dec 7, 2020
With the miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, schaken (to play chess) has received a lot of attention. When I was a kid, I played schaak (chess) competitively with a Dutch schaakvereniging (chess club). I was never that good, let alone at Beth Harmon’s level, but I had my fun and victories. I could really identify with the long and exhausting games…
What makes you really Dutch? Posted by Karoly Molina on Nov 25, 2020
This month, I received notification from the Dutch immigration department or IND that I had been approved by them and by the king to become a Dutch citizen…een echte Nederlander! Even though I was confident the outcome would be positive, I was zeer blij or really happy to get the official response since I plan…
How Did Sinterklaas Arrive in The Netherlands During COVID? Posted by Sten on Nov 23, 2020
One of the most cherished Dutch traditions, the Sinterklaasfeest (St. Nicholas celebration) is a cultural beacon in the Netherlands. With his arrival on his stoomboot (steamboat) from Spanje (Spain) every year in November to his mysterious delivery of the pakjes (“little packages”, gifts) for the big night of opening them on pakjesavond (“little packages evening”) on December 5 to the abundance of cavity-inducing…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 16 – Sunshine! Posted by Sten on Oct 29, 2020
The last time we looked at spreekwoorden (sayings) and uitdrukkingen (expressions), it was May. The zomer (summer) had just started, and we talked about the nice weather. However, you can also have too much sun… At least that’s what our spreekwoord suggests. Sunshine is still awesome, though, as our uitdrukking argues! Let’s take a look at them, starting with the spreekwoord! For other sayings and expressions…
3 Important Dutch Words On The Coronavirus Posted by Sten on Oct 26, 2020
The coronavirus needs no introduction. If you really want one, we did write one before. But we haven’t really discussed the kinds of terms the Dutch use around the Coronavirus. Currently faced by one of the worst upturns in infections of Europe, the Dutch have come up with terms to deal with the dreadful situation. From Coronawaanzin to…
A Decade with Premier Mark Rutte Posted by Karoly Molina on Oct 14, 2020
This month marks the 10th anniversary of Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the head of the Dutch government. The 10 years have been marked by a world-wide financial crisis and its aftermath, the shooting of flight MH17 in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this post, I want to point out…
Untranslatable Dutch: Inkakmomentje Posted by Sten on Oct 6, 2020
Today we have a fun untranslatable Dutch word. It’s used quite a lot and its use is quite widespread. It also isn’t very vulgar, so it can be used in many settings, too! I’m talking about that moment that you kinda fall apart: your inkakmomentje. Click here for more untranslatable words Inkak… Wait, what? An inkakmomentje is a…