{"id":7313,"date":"2021-05-13T13:00:18","date_gmt":"2021-05-13T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=7313"},"modified":"2021-05-12T16:14:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T16:14:12","slug":"untranslatable-dutch-moetje","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/untranslatable-dutch-moetje\/","title":{"rendered":"Untranslatable Dutch: Moetje"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to a new post of Untranslatable Dutch. Here’s a word that I heard first from my\u00a0oma\u00a0<\/em>(grandmother). This means that it may not be that relevant or useful anymore, but it’s nonetheless interesting! She told me what a\u00a0moetje\u00a0<\/em>is – a “little have to”. Come again? Let me explain.<\/p>\n

Click here for more untranslatable words<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

We HAVE TO Get Married!<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"moetje<\/a>

Photo by Cinematic Imagery<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

You know back in the day, when a\u00a0huwelijk\u00a0<\/em>(marriage) had quite a different status? Back when a woman’s status was elevated once she was married, she could lose her job. The current situation, where this traditional division is no longer that relevant, was hard fought for<\/a>. It has implications on language, too<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But back then, the Netherlands that my\u00a0oma\u00a0<\/em>grew up in, gave a\u00a0huwelijk\u00a0<\/em>more weight. There was not just the legal side and the promise. It was also expected that children only followed after marriage, not before – that was improper.<\/p>\n

So… What if you got pregnant but weren’t married yet? Back in those days, getting pregnant meant that you needed a husband that could provide for both his wife and the child, as the woman took care of the household. So getting pregnant without a husband wasn’t just bad news in the eyes of the people, but also your wallet.<\/p>\n

There’s an inevitable conclusion then: The expecting parents have to get married! It’s a\u00a0moetje<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you want to use it with a verb, you can say:\u00a0een moetje touwen\u00a0<\/em>(to tie a little you-have-to).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Due to the forced nature of such a marriage, which both mother and father may not want, a\u00a0moetje\u00a0<\/em>is quite the euphemism. Using the diminutive<\/a> here, something the Dutch do all the time, makes it seem like it’s not a big deal.<\/p>\n

But it is, of course! The casual nature of this term may also come from how widespread such\u00a0moetjes <\/em>were. It’s estimated that in the 1960s, a quarter of Dutch women were already pregnant at the time of marriage. In some parts of the country, this percentage went as high as 90%!<\/p>\n

With the development of\u00a0anticonceptiepillen <\/em>(anti-conception pills), moetjes <\/em>also became less common. A changing culture also meant that the forceful nature of marriage when pregnant diminished; therefore, referring to a wedding as a\u00a0moetje <\/em>these days will probably get you some confused looks. Ouderen <\/em>(the elderly) probably know what you’re talking about, though!<\/p>\n

Is there an English equivalent?<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Untranslatable<\/a>

Photo by William Isted<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It seems that there actually is a pretty apt English equivalent: a shotgun wedding<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

And while these days, the terms are equivalent, a shotgun wedding had quite a different implication than a moetje\u00a0<\/em>– according to the stereotype, the father of the bride threatens the groom with a shotgun to make sure that he’ll tie the knot! A lot more forceful and violent than the Dutch “brushing over” of this practice.<\/p>\n

However, this is a translation is mostly North American. The United Kingdom seems to refer to it as a knobstick wedding<\/strong>. This refers to the staves that the church wardens carried, who attended the wedding to make sure that the wedding ceremony took place.<\/p>\n

Have you heard of these terms before? Do you have other translations? How do you call a\u00a0moetje\u00a0<\/em>in your language? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Welcome to a new post of Untranslatable Dutch. Here’s a word that I heard first from my\u00a0oma\u00a0(grandmother). This means that it may not be that relevant or useful anymore, but it’s nonetheless interesting! She told me what a\u00a0moetje\u00a0is – a “little have to”. Come again? Let me explain. Click here for more untranslatable words We…<\/p>\n

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