Why the Dutch sit on and behind computers Posted by Sten on Jun 18, 2021
Yep. You read that right. The Dutch sit on their computers. And behind them. But in front of them? Sometimes. What’s going on? Little hint: It’s prepositions. Weak hint, sorry… But let’s dive in! Sitting behind or in front of the computer? Here’s the linguistic mystery. Some Dutch say: Ik zit op de computer (I sit…
Euro 2020: Oranje is Back! Posted by Sten on Jun 14, 2021
Oranje is back! After missing out on the EK 2016 and the WK 2018, the Dutch national football team qualified again for a big championship. Yesterday they played their first game of the tournament. What happened? To celebrate this, and to celebrate the 60th birthday of the European Football championship, we’ll do a series of…
Curious Words in Dutch 10: Veelpleger Posted by Sten on Jun 7, 2021
Sometimes we do bad stuff. And sometimes we do stuff that lands us in de gevangenis (jail). Well, maybe not. But some people are so good at it, that they become a veelpleger (frequent offender). Or zeer actieve veelpleger (very active frequent offender). Or draaideurcrimineel (“revolving door criminal”)! What do these curious words mean, exactly? Previous posts in this series: Curious…
What on Earth is DUO? Posted by Sten on Jun 4, 2021
If you moved to the Netherlands, there’s a good chance you had to deal with a Dutch institution called DUO. Short for Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (“Service Execution Education”), this agency is responsible to execute the education policy of the Dutch government. But why do you have to deal with them, and what do they want from…
Dutch Idioms 21 – Meat! Posted by Sten on May 31, 2021
As we all know, idioms are the best. And so, it’s time to continue the series! Today, it’s all about meat. Well, sort of. You’ll see. Here’s the first one, the spreekwoord (saying). For other idioms in this series, click here. De slager keurt zijn eigen vlees Literally: The butcher inspects his own meat He marks…
The 2021 Dutch Eurovision Song Contest! Posted by Sten on May 27, 2021
Last weekend, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) was held. With more than 200 million people watching, it is one of the largest music contests in the world – and one of the longest standing. The first was held in 1956! With the 2020 edition skipped because of COVID, the 2021 ESC now also marks the…
Untranslatable Dutch: Moetje Posted by Sten on May 13, 2021
Welcome to a new post of Untranslatable Dutch. Here’s a word that I heard first from my oma (grandmother). This means that it may not be that relevant or useful anymore, but it’s nonetheless interesting! She told me what a moetje is – a “little have to”. Come again? Let me explain. Click here for more untranslatable words We…