This Dutch Invention Will Make You Scream! Posted by Sten on Apr 16, 2021
Getting tested for COVID is indispensable right now. But it is so uncomfortable with that swab! Isn’t there a better way? Well, according to this Dutch inventor, a scream test might be a viable solution. What is the QuBA, how does it work, and will we scream to get tested soon? Screaming to test COVID?…
How 4 Words Caused a Political Crisis in the Netherlands Posted by Sten on Apr 5, 2021
The past two weeks, the Netherlands was in de ban van (under the spell) of the ominous words “Positie Omtzigt, functie elders” (position Omtzigt, job elsewhere). Who is Omtzigt, where do these words come from and what does this all mean? Here’s how these four words caused a political crisis in the Netherlands. Who are the verkenners? Before we…
Curious Words in Dutch 8: Akkefietje Posted by Sten on Apr 2, 2021
Akkefietje – wat is dat nou weer? (what on earth is that?) I can hear my grandma say this word just reading it. But I never really understood it! What does this curious word mean, and what does it come from? Welcome to Curious Words in Dutch! Previous posts in this series: Curious Words In Dutch…
Zondag Met Lubach: The End of a Dutch TV Show Era Posted by Sten on Mar 29, 2021
Yesterday night was the last episode of the razend populair (extremely popular) comedy TV program Zondag met Lubach. Much like the American The Daily Show, Zondag met Lubach took news and “remixed” it into a satirical show. But now it’s over! Here’s what the show was like. Why does Zondag met Lubach stop? Since its inception in 2014, the show enjoyed a…
What’s Dutch About the Dutch Act? Posted by Sten on Mar 26, 2021
Let’s revisit the “Dutch”-terms series today. There are many curious words in English that in some way refer to the Dutch. Here we find out what’s Dutch (or not) about them. We might get a little dark here – we talk about the Dutch act today. What is a Dutch act? The Dutch act, quite…
Dutch Idioms 19 – Eggs Make It Easy Posted by Sten on Mar 24, 2021
Welcome to yet another post in our series on Dutch idioms! Today, I want to take a closer look at two pretty weird ones, and they’re both related to eggs. Without further ado, here’s the first for today: the spreekwoord (saying). For other idioms in this series, click here. Dat is een eitje! Literally: That’s a…
What Do You Call A Female Dutch Surgeon? Posted by Sten on Mar 19, 2021
Languages often have three genders – male, female and neuter. And most often, the male form is the standard one. However, there are many situations in which you want the feminine form instead. Especially when you’re talking about people and their profession, hobbies and passions. So how do female endings work in Dutch, and when…