{"id":7,"date":"2008-10-11T20:24:44","date_gmt":"2008-10-12T00:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=7"},"modified":"2008-10-11T20:24:44","modified_gmt":"2008-10-12T00:24:44","slug":"dutch-expressions-and-proverbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/dutch-expressions-and-proverbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch expressions and proverbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dutch proverbs and expressions.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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English and Dutch proverbs have more in common than we might think. Some phrasings developed in a fairly similar way, <\/span>but of course there will always be little differences and big big big differences. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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So, just for fun, a few Dutch proverbs and the Dutch equivalent plus literal translation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Oh and to get in the spirit for October 4th<\/sup>, World Animal Day:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Als je zo vlijtig bent als een bij,
\nzo sterk als een beer,<\/span><\/p>\n

werkt als en paard,
\nen naar huis toe gaat zo moe als een hond,<\/span><\/p>\n

dan moet je eens naar de dierenarts gaan.
\nMisschien ben je wel een ezel!<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you are as busy as a bee,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

as strong as a bear,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

work like a mule<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

and you go home dog tired.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe you should visit a vet.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You might be an ass!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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* <\/span>Okay, so in English you can be angry as a wasp, in Dutch you get \u201cnijdig als een spin.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Same meaning actually, but a different animal. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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spin = spider<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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* <\/span>In English you can kill two birds with one stone. <\/span>In Dutch you can kill \u201ctwee vliegen in \u00e9\u00e9n klap\u201d. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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twee vliegen in \u00e9\u00e9n klap = two flies with one hit. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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* <\/span>The English can make a mountain of a molehill, the Dutch make of a \u201cmug een olifant\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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van een mug een olifant maken = to make an elephant from a mosquito<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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* <\/span>If someone is not too bright., he ain\u2019t the sharpest tool in the shed. In Dutch this <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

person certainly\u00a0wasn\u2019t the one who invented the \u201cbuskruit\u201d. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Hij heeft het buskruit niet uitgevonden = He didn\u2019t invent the gunpowder<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Popular expressions:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Voor niets gaat de zon op <\/span><\/span>\u00e0<\/span><\/span> the sun rises for free <\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span> there\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Als de maan vol is, schijnt zij overal <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> when the moon is full, it shines everywhere <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> when someone strikes gold, everyone will know. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Na regen komt zonneschijn <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> after the rain the sun will shine <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> every cloud has a silver lining. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Waar de dijk het laagst is, loop het eerst het water over <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> where the dyke is lowest, water runs over it first <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> the poor will suffer first<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Een haastig man moet op geen ezel rijden <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> he who is in a hurry, shouldn’t be riding a donkey <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> if you want to succeed, you need the right tools<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ben je helemaal van de pot gerukt? <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> Did someone completely grab you from the pot?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Hoge bomen vangen veel wind <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> high trees catch a lot of wind <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> important people attract a lot of attention<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Hoogmoed komt voor de val <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> pride goes for the fall <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> self-explicatory<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Beter \u00e9\u00e9n vogel in de hand, dan tien in de lucht <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> it\u2019s better to have one bird in the hand, than to have ten flying about <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Een gulzige mond is nooit verzadigd <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> a greedy mouth will never be satisfied <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2192<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>a drunken man is always dry<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Dutch proverbs and expressions. English and Dutch proverbs have more in common than we might think. Some phrasings developed in a fairly similar way, but of course there will always be little differences and big big big differences. So, just for fun, a few Dutch proverbs and the Dutch equivalent plus literal translation. Oh and…<\/p>\n

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