Tag Archives: Gouden Eeuw
Why Are Carrots Orange? Posted by Sten on Feb 4, 2021
You might have wondered before, perhaps you haven’t. But why are carrots orange? There’s actually a story. And it’s related to Dutch culture. Join me to unravel the myths and truths of our favorite orange root vegetable in today’s post here on the Dutch Language Blog. The Dutch invented the orange wortel – or did they?…
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…
Dutch Comfort Is Less Cosy Than It Sounds Posted by Sten on Dec 16, 2019
In our series on “Dutch”-terms, like Dutching, Dutch courage or Dutch uncles, we’ve found that many of these terms have an historic, often pejorative origin. So is the case with Dutch comfort, a term that follows the line of diminishing terms. What does it mean, and how would you use it? Let’s find out. Trying…
Untranslatable Dutch: VOC-Mentaliteit Posted by Sten on Feb 8, 2018
There are certain words that are used in a language and are impossible to translate. You can try, but it will never be a completely accurate translation that catches its meaning. Such as the Zesjescultuur post, the Pottenkijker post or the Komkommertijd post. In the Untranslatable Dutch posts, we will explore Dutch words that cannot be simply translated to English. Enjoy!…
The Gouden Eeuw: A Golden Time for the Dutch Posted by Sten on Jan 28, 2018
The 17th century does not spring to mind for many as a very prosperous and important time for the average person in the 21st century. After all, we now have the internet, electricity, good health care and we can travel all over the world in a matter of days. Despite that, the Dutch refer to…