16 HILARIOUS things the Dutch say - words, phrases, and idioms!

In my time in the Netherlands as an American, I have come across some interesting words and phrases in the Dutch language. In this video, I share some Dutch phrases and idioms that are funny to a speaker of English. As an American, some of these Dutch saying are quite interesting!
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I like to share my experiences of an American expat in the Netherlands. I describe both the unique and everyday aspects of Dutch culture, and life in Holland while enjoying every bit of it!
Blog website: www.dutchamericano.com
Instagram: DutchAmericano
Get in touch: [e-mail]
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[@TTTzzzz]

Originally 'mierenneuker' is an Indonesian phrase. The complete saying goes: "De mierenneuker zal nooit de vader van een tijger worden". One of the best sayings ever!

[@nlbergsma]

Leuk! Wist ik niet.

[@marianschroder6574]

Oh that's such a cool explanation! Love it!

[@richardvanromunde4188]

Interessant! Wat wordt er precies bedoeld met 'wordt nooit de vader van een tijger'?

[@TTTzzzz]

@@richardvanromunde4188 Je kunt nooit iets groots presteren ale je aleen maar concentreert op kleinigheden.

[@richardvanromunde4188]

@@TTTzzzz Cool! Dankjewel!

[@Frahamen]

"Ladybug" and "lieveheersbeestje" are actually etymologically related. In old Germanic it was called Freyafugle: the bird of (the goddess) Freya. The church didn't liked that so decided to change the word in "our Lady's bug" and "our Lord's bug". Both terms where originally used interchangeably but English decided to use the Lady word, and Dutch chose the Lord option. Note that in some Dutch dialects (in Flanders) it is still called onzelievevrouwebeestje.

[@Linda-hs1lk]

I grew up near Rotterdam and we always called it a 'kapoentje'. Only when I moved to the east I started calling is a 'lieveheersbeestje' because no one knew it as a 'kapoentje'.

[@quetzalcoatlqqqqqqqq]

@@Linda-hs1lk a kapoentje literally means a castrated rooster. But for some reason that has become associated with being saintly. I don't know how that happened though. It does however mean that even calling it a kapoentje refers back to the adoption and adaptation of pagan ideas regarding the ladybug's name into Christianity.

[@bavelaartjes]

@@Linda-hs1lk “kapoentje” is Rotterdams dialect. Net als krootjes.

[@daddyleon]

Fascinating, thank you!

[@paulwaelder6940]

And in German it's "Marienkäfer" named after Maria, the mother of Jesus.

[@andyhorvath6630]

“Laat ze niet de kaas van je brood eten” which literally translates to “don’t let them eat the cheese from your bread”. Actual meaning is “don’t let them take advantage of you”.

[@GregjohnsonatUtube]

Yes, sounds like a good one

[@thedutchwolf9747]

makes sense

[@eefvreeland9472]

I don't agree that's the true meaning. It means "stand up for yourself" or "defend yourself".

[@annayosh]

"Voor spek en bonen meedoen" comes I think from old skating matches. For the participants there was some free food like bacon and beans, so if you participate for bacon and beans, you are participating to participate and not to win.

[@Foxcave1]

Perfect answer!

[@DeKempster]

Weer wat geleerd.

[@The_radiodemon.]

Your right

[@thedoc8217]

'Voor spek en bonen meedoen' comes from not working for money, but for a very basic but sturdy meal. Cause bacon and beans used to be viewed as a good workers/ farmers meal

[@silspenk9034]

Ik las dat arbeiders en kinderen vroeger soms werkten zonder ervoor betaald te krijgen, behalve een stevig maal als beloning- spek en bonen.

[@coconutman9031]

"Het op de klompen aanvoelen" is actually quite straight forward.. Imagine this: if you could feel something even when you are wearing clogs (which are designed to be safe and keep out nails and stuff), then that object it is really obviously right there. Seeing how you were able to feel it with "clogs" on. So when you think about that, it should easily translate to "you should have seen that coming" "It was so obviously there you could feel it even when wearing clogs".

[@bartvdlinden8855]

the idom stems from a physical act, to be able to do something in clogs, no sweat of my brow,

[@thesunexpress]

Alternatively: "Is it tolerable?" ---of a situation / condition / sensation.

[@lucyfrye5365]

Yesterday I was vacuuming my house and the 'dustsuckersnake' got caught on the door knob!

[@justincredible.]

In dit geval is het een hose, geen snake ;-)

[@Evertb1]

"Held op sokken" is easy to explain. In early days shoes or even wooden shoes where not fit to run on. So if you wanted to get away as fast as possible from a bad situation, off came the shoes and you started running on your socks. So not so much a hero. A lot of words, saying and expressions (and not only in the Dutch language) are pretty old and have an easy to find origin. Maybe some day you could to a more etymologically oriented video for a couple of words or sayings you find the most remarkable?

[@eefvreeland9472]

Yeah! Women take their heels off when they want to run.

[@johanv4668]

goed uitgelegd

[@ringerheringa3052]

My aunt in Canada ( born in the Netherlands ) still uses it sometimes while speaking with her daughter.. Ja, hoor or nee, hoor. Her daughter replies with: "I'm not a hoar, mom".

[@christophermiller4471]

The spelling is “whore” for a loose woman not “hoar”. The latter is as in "hoar frost".

[@frydac]

Funny thing, a whore in dutch is spelled 'hoer' which is pretty close to 'hoor' as well. Also hoor is also a conjugation of the verb 'horen' meaning 'to hear', as in 'ik hoor je' i.e. 'I hear you'. Another funny anecdote, the english word 'rent' in dutch is spelled 'huur', and when a German speaks dutch and tries to pronounce 'huur' it can sound like 'hoer'. When I was a student, at my job there was a German person working who still had to pay his rent which sounded like he still had to pay his whore.. we laughed long and hard about that one, even took him around the company to repeat what he said, while he didn't quite understand what was funny (we told him a bit later and he was amused himself)

[@jacvanhassel4595]

Actually, there IS an english equivalent to Hoor... Right? Many people use at at every appropriate and inappropare place, same as hoor... Many Dutch hardly ever use the word at all, in fact, it's use is quite regional. But generally hoor is used in the same instances where english spearkers would use Right, so to me it's the closest equivalent

[@michaeldejager6597]

@@jacvanhassel4595 Nee hoor , Right zou je kunnen vergelijken met 'toch' niet met hoor Ik denk dat hoor meer in de buurt komt van het woord : obvious

[@auldfouter8661]

@@frydac The Scottish pronunciation of whore is hoor , and rhymes with sure!

[@hisk7263]

There is a small fun book called “make that the cat wise” about the things we Dutch say while trying to speak English. The title is a Dutch saying; maak dat de kat wijs, which means something like; do you really expect me to believe that.

[@sit-insforsithis1568]

There is also: I always get my sin

[@guusjevanderpijl7316]

Everything is walking completely in the soup hahaha

[@sikkobakker4674]

I had to stop with biljards; I had no choice.

[@OP-1000]

I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and also from my wife’s bottom.

[@littleDutchie92]

I always like the classical mistake when a Dutch entrepreneur introduces him/herself as an "undertaker". (In het Engels is de undertaker de persoon die overledenen klaarmaakt voor de begrafenis...)

[@manicantsettleonausername6789]

Fun fact, in the dialect from Zeeland, a lieveheersbeestje is called a pim pam poentje! No idea why, but it also sounds very cute

[@Erdnav27]

Kapoentje bij ons. Maar wij zijn ook maar reserve-Zeeuwen natuurlijk.

[@RacingPepe]

@@Erdnav27 Ja in Rotterdam gewoon kapoentje hoor. Niet dat andere gekke woord.

[@johnniewaiker6203]

een kapoentje is een gecastreerde haan

[@jannetteberends8730]

Pim pam poentje doet me meteen aan pippeloentje van Annie M.G. Schmidt denken. Maar was zij niet van Zeeland? Ik ken kapoentje ook van mijn Rotterdamse ouders, net als peen, kroten en kaakjes. Nu ik er over nadenk, ik geloof dat peen inmiddels overal ingeburgerd is. Ik ben geboren Amersfoortse en kroten en kaakjes zijn hier onbekend.

[@marlonmarquez4798]

@@johnniewaiker6203 ik snap het al, gekapt hoentje. Interessant

[@mistrants2745]

"pissen" works perfectly well in Dutch, the people laughed because its a very rude way of sayng you have to go pee. Its kinda like saying "im gonna go shit".

[@Nynke_K]

Also, if you were a guy talking to your guy friends, I think it would have seemed totally normal (this is hearsay though, I'm not a guy!)

[@qwertyuiopzxcfgh]

@@Nynke_K In an informal setting, absolutely.

[@wilynoppen1827]

toen pissen plassen werd is het gezeik begonne

[@RonaldZaZ]

You can also say "Ik ben pissen" the same as "Ik ben pleiten" which basically means "I'm gone". It's not fancy language though...

[@eurolaclactatiekunde6998]

@@RonaldZaZ Actually, the saying is ''als ze missen,ben ik even pissen'' literally meaning: if they miss me I'm off to piss''

[@nic040]

I’m Dutch and is was really fun to watch this. Great job

[@Godwh1sperer]

goed gedaan hoor :D

[@Sheka88]

Ezelsbruggetje comes from the idea that a donkey needs only the tiniest ledge to cross. A small plank would be enough to cross a gap. It is a very literal translation of the latin pons asinorum.

[@The_radiodemon.]

Wrong in my culture IT means a word ore rime that reminds us at a difucult thing as a calculation ore the head citys of lands

[@Sheka88]

@@The_radiodemon. Yes, it can simply be translated as a mnemonic. What I described what the etmology: why do we refer to a mnemonic as a donkey's bridge.

[@ariearie7953]

"pissen" is actually a correct dutch word, but it's just kinda vulgar. Like saying you're going to shit, instead of to poo.

[@olevandongen96]

@@kitchfacepalm Hence Ava's mistake

[@Briesje91]

Yeah exactly! But also to say at all that she needs to poo or pee is something we find strange and uncomfortable to say or hear. We always say ‘i have to go to the toilet’.

[@Widdekuu91]

I like the word plassen. It's a verb, but plassen are puddles. So you're puddling. Creating new puddles. I like that idea, it's fun.

[@tomvanlint6694]

In Flanders, it is quite common to say "pissen" instead of "plassen". That is why we have the famous pissing statue of "Manneken Pis" in Brussels. I guess that the original word is "pissen", but that - because referencing to urinating (or defecating) was considered vulgar - more polite words had to be used like "plassen" ("plas" means a "puddle of water") or even "wateren" (more used in Flanders - thus "making water").

[@raticide4you]

@@tomvanlint6694 Flemish has always been closer to French than Dutch spoken in the north. And the French say "pisser" or "faire pipi", two expressions that didn't get up in the north that easily..

[@hansdorst3005]

This reminds me of a date I once had with an American exchange student when I still was in University (long, long, loooong time ago... yes I'm old...). After we had dinner she asked if I wanted to come over to her place to have a drink and I answered "Ja hoor". Needless to say the results were not pretty, she went balistic :D

[@GregjohnsonatUtube]

Yes, I would say "hoor" translated would be "indeed" I made a mistake in Dutch when I said I'd like to hire a bike -- Ik wil graag een fiets hoeren ----- my pronunciation wasn't too good and I meant to say "huuren" so I have to be careful when I say to hire in Dutch ---- lazy pronunciation can get you into trouble. So, I was asked to repeat that several times and I couldn't understand why he didn't understand me.

[@GregjohnsonatUtube]

Hoor , yes its like "hear" but maybe "listen" would be better but als ik effe lusteren zegt tegen mien vrouw dan ik zit in de puree.

[@fredmaes9560]

Language barrier XD

[@thierryparte2506]

Hoor should be translated as sure in this context, Ja hoor! - Yeah sure!

[@davidprins5504]

"Ongelikte beer" is my no.1 🤣

[@peterluttik]

Zo’n beer heeft nog geen lik op stuk gehad;)

[@PdZ2012]

As a Dutch person, thank you for reminding me how many ridiculous things we actually say, hahaha.

[@ilonakoyen9605]

My -non-dutch- friend goes insane about 'goed bezig' , especially when we "translate" it to the dunglish 'good busy'

[@Jos_G.]

Tell me something. It's so amusing to literally translate Dutch idiom and proverbs into English. In English it would be 'Oh, I know. I know' (?).

[@IJubane]

@@Jos_G. You say 'goed bezig' when someone is doing something (like a chore). It is like a little compliment or acknowledgement of their work. Like good job or you're doing well.

[@Jos_G.]

@@IJubane Maurice, I meant 'Tell me something' should be 'Oh, I know, I know'.

[@YourCreepyUncle.]

In some dialectal forms of English there is the phrase "good busywork", which is kind of similar.

[@dutchdykefinger]

@@IJubane it can also be used sarcastically, altough "lekker bezig" is more popular than "goed bezig" in that regard, it's still sometimes used. often a name is added that isn't the actual name of the subject at all , just some rando very common dutch name that just sounds right after whatever you're saying. i find that freek, fred, nico, jaap, and even one of the names in this thread "jos" work pretty well so if someone's stumbling around with something for a while, can't get sht to work right and is visibly struggling, you can reply with an energetic "lekker/goed bezig Freek", or something along those lines as if you were dead serious, adding the rando name behind it just puts some extra emphasis on that you're taking the piss with them lol it's most funny after they've been faffing about for a while, then completely botch it, and you catch them in the act of doing so. at that point you can also throw in "goed gedaan Nico", or you just say "(lekker) soepel" ("supple/flexible/nimble" , but also used to describe things running smoothly/effortlessly both literally and figuratively, it is somewhat comparable to the english "smooth" although not quite as widely applicable as soepel in a literal sense)

[@PrinceWalacra]

“Hoor” in Dutch is just translated “hear” in English... is used to emphasize something, like “hear me say what I just said”. Personally I like the Dutch word “heelal”, or “universe” in English, which is literally translated in English “the whole all”

[@ariellaryner7740]

As an English speaker living in NL I now say ja hoor en nee hoor all the time but it took me a while

[@proclaimed75]

Thats correct but not if you just say ja hoor or nee hoor.

[@wesleydamen2018]

So universe is universum in dutch heelal is more like galaxy but not just any specifically our galaxy also other word for galaxy is sterrenstelsel wich could also be translated to starsystem not trying to nit pick btw i am dutch so i like it when people show interest in our weird language

[@a.vanwijk2268]

@@wesleydamen2018 Heelal is not a galaxy, it is indeed universe or cosmos.

[@Apipoulai]

@@wesleydamen2018 heelal is categorically the word for cosmos. sterrenstelsel (star system) is the only word for galaxy that we have.

[@LaReganto]

I really love your Energy. So positive and full of joy. Your Dutch sounds great! I am born in the Netherlands and it makes me really proud to see someone who has moved here speak our language so good!

[@sigurdw1103]

... so well even :D

[@Rob2]

Besides 'apenstaartje' we also have 'hekje' which is our name for the number sign #. I guess it is because these symbols do not have their American meaning in our culture so instead we refer to them by how they look.

[@Bunaliua]

Apenstaartje looks like 'a' with a tail.... Hekje means gate or fence.

[@h.c.j.springveld2770]

How About this word: “een verrekijker” ... binoculars. Literally translated into: Far away looker.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

translate it in greek....: teles kope

[@robvanlent1008]

Yes it actually means you look into the future!

[@Mr.X2]

@@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands and guess what, telescope/telescoop

[@SandsOfArrakis]

@@robvanlent1008 Actually you look into the past, not the future :)

[@robvanlent1008]

@@SandsOfArrakis maybe I like the past not the future.

[@paul.van.santvoord1232]

Thanks, made me aware again of our history. That is where the content of your idiom list originates from. I really loved this one.

[@LogiForce86]

"Dat kan je op je klompen aanvoelen" It is simply that clogs are safety shoes and are very sturdy. So once you feel something with your clogs on, something is so impactful that you couldn't possibly ignore it. So to say "you could feel it with your clogs on" really means that you should have seen that coming as it was impossible to ignore.

[@SLOWHAND234]

Decades ago, I lived in the Netherlands as a "gastarbeider" for more than three years and learnt a lot of Dutch. I, too, always found the "hoor" in "ja/nee hoor" interesting... but it never occurred to me to make a connection with the English word that sounds similar to you. Maybe that was because in the east of the country, where I was living, those phrases sounded more like "ya/nay ore", i.e. more like "ja/nee 'oor", and anyway I understood the "hoor" as being the imperative of "horen", to hear, used for emphasis - literally, "hear [me]!"

[@sigurdw1103]

''hoor'' is known as an intensifier, it stresses whatever is being said in a similar way that ''indeed'' does in UK English.

[@RapaciousSloth]

I love the implicit meaning of saying 'Ja hooooor' in an exaggerated way - saying you really dont believe a word of what someone just told you 😂

[@davidwolters9178]

A

[@wilmascholte7607]

I'm always a fan of "een klap van de molen gehad hebben". Having received a blow from a windmill. Meaning that someone's crazy. It's like having the crazy adult version of being dropped on your head as a baby. And I'm sure that if you got whacked by one of a windmill's rotating blades can do some serious damage.

[@gertvoortman7741]

it can be letal the end of the blades go about 100km/h

[@obelic71]

@@gertvoortman7741 correct getting hit by one of the windmill spars was a serious workhazard for millers. Millers often popped their head out of the window to check the wind/wheater.conditions Litteraly whacked by a spar to the head does not improve your mental condition.

[@mrbigears7077]

french toast in dutch: wentelteefjes... try explaining that one!

[@jacoolckers6465]

Then it is a good thing that french toast is "Franse roosterbrood" in Afrikaans.

[@spvdijk]

Wentelteefjes is not frech toast.

[@dylleke98]

I'd love for you to do a part 2 of this one! So many fun phrases xD one of my favorite video ^^

[@pbhuygen]

I admire your knowledge and curiosity. The most difficult parts of a language are its sayings. Even starting to advance on this slithery slope means you are affectively a native speaker!!

[@daddyleon]

My Korean ex-gf said she loved the 'practical', 'symbolic', and 'child-like' language. What's a turtle? Well, it looks like a toad with a shield: shield-toad. What's a glove, it's like a shoe but on your hands: hand-shoe. What's that bear that lives in icy-cold places: ice-bear. The car for sick people and the place they bring them to? Sick-car, sick-house.

[@c.j.bakker5653]

HAHA, ja klopt. De Belgen gaan nog een stap verder daarin

[@carmenl163]

@@c.j.bakker5653 Hoe dan? Lijkt me grappig om te weten.

[@c.j.bakker5653]

@@carmenl163bv spa blauw: plat water.

[@Doubleranged1]

You are so excited and happy in this video, you barely manage to sit still, haha. I really hope you make more videos about the language, because you clearly enjoy this very much and that makes the video all the more enjoyable to watch. Keep it up!

[@user-rx4jg8lq7h]

Great collection of words! It is so interesting to hear this from the perspective of a native English-speaking person. I throughly enjoyed this video!!

[@JacobHiemstra]

Held op sokken - no hero at all, I suppose running on clogs you can't run fast. On socks you can run faster. So when you're a hero on socks, you want to flee fast. So you're some hero.

[@nfboogaard]

Hi there! Nice vid, love the American perspective. About Klompen: Imagine your shoes are made of wood, at least an inch thick.... Kind of hard to sense anything through that. Therefore, when you actually do sense something, it's most likely to be something big and obvious. Hope that explains :)

[@War4Skills]

Love your videos! Keep up the good work!

[@Finnec123]

Love your videos! - A Dane that found The Netherlands right out exotic once I finally went there.

[@TakanashiYuuji]

12:40 I think what it means is that wearing clogs (wooden shoes) makes you not really notice what you're walking on (as opposed to bare foot). So if you _do_ notice something it must be really obvious.

[@Picca65]

Yep, 💯

[@guidowinter]

I think it's the opposite, because you can feel extremely well where you walk on in clogs. because it is so direct to the ground.

[@damouze]

The Dutch lanaguage is full of little (and big) surprises. I loved the video, as always. I wonder who the 'zeurpiet' (sour-puss) was who disliked the video.

[@rolandlemmers6462]

Dat was weer een leuke video! Ik ga nu ff naar m'n eigen gezeik luisteren.

[@ringerheringa3052]

Great video! Love your enthousiasm.

[@b.elzebub9252]

Apenstaartje @ also works particularly well because it's the letter A with a little tail coming out of the letter's backside. 'Apenstaartje' also starts with an A. So it becomes A-(p)en-staartje. Meaning A-and-tail. I think the P was added because it makes it easier to pronounce. E following A not being a natural progression in Dutch.

[@erictaylor5462]

When I was growing up my family was friends with a family in the Netherlands. when he was about 10 or 11 they sent their oldest child to stay with us for the summer. When he came he didn't speak any English, but that rapidly changed. Literally within a week he had learned enough to talk to us. One day he asked about the word "yellow" and this became his favorite English word. He just enjoyed the way it felt to say I guess. He took to calling everyone a yellow kip, with in English is redundant, (kip is the Dutch word for chicken) but calling someone a kip in Dutch is like calling them a turkey in English. I don't think he really meant to really insult anyone. It was just something he liked to say., Yellow Kip. It *IS* fun to say.

[@SandsOfArrakis]

Well we have a phrase here in the Netherlands "blinde kip" -> blind chicken. Refers to someone who can't seem to find something. Even if that something is right in front of their noses.

[@anthonyanderson2405]

As a Dutch loving guy living in LA, I absolutely love your programs.

[@martinbasten192]

"Hoor" is a word that's mostly used as a way to either lessen the severity of what's been told, or to make something sound a little more exciting

[@dewalddelange3502]

"Hoor" in Afrikaans en probably Dutch means "to hear". So "Ja hoor" means "Yes hear me". Based on a reply and my Afrikaans dictionary, "hoor" in that context is used as confirmation of a reply. In Afrikaans we would interpret it as short for "hoor je me" or English "hear me you". My translation of the dictionary example: "It was a grand affair, hear = I tell you".

[@ducovanderwoude6971]

Yeah, it would be first person singular present, or imperative singular so either (I) hear or hear!

[@wesleydamen2018]

Hoor is indeed hear when talking about sounds but hoor when used in her example is more used as a second aknowledgement Example: hallo zou u mij kunnen helpen met dit product te pakken Awnser : ja, hoor geen probleem Translation : hello could you help me with fecthing this product? Awnser: yes ofcourse no problem

[@DutchDesires]

I like Afrikaans :) Its like Dutch, from before the French made us go all cultured about it n' stuff

[@dewalddelange3502]

@@DutchDesires Afrikaans is close to the Flemish spoken in Belgium, which is partly French. Perhaps the French Huguenots at the Cape also influenced the Dutch. Afrikaans does have a kind of French sound.

[@BAn-hy3ts]

@Dewald de Lange It's better to use 'Belgian Dutch' instead of 'Flemish'. So people who didn't know yet, will know it is Dutch they speak in Flanders/Brussel. And don't think it's a seperate language (which some still do, there are French speakers in Belgium who like to keep this misunderstanding alive, so they can downsize it, and have an excuse not to learn it because it would be a small language spoken in Belgium only).

[@simoneverhoof3750]

My friend laughed so hard when she found out the Dutch word for glove is "handschoen"... for me it had of course been a normal word all my life but ever since that moment I cannot say it anymore without thinking about her laughing and how hilarious it was to her :')

[@creativedutchess4866]

Hahahaha omg nooit zo over nagedacht!

[@JorisSomers]

Voetschoenen??

[@ohmymndy8410]

I translate it as handshoes sometimes, just for fun 🤭

[@GregjohnsonatUtube]

Nothing for your aquaintance to laugh about I'm sure there are lots of things in English that the Dutch could laugh about --- of course I can't think of any but I wonder if the Dutchy's here could come up with something.

[@TheNewPatsyBailey]

Volgens mij betekende schoen oorspronkelijk bedekking of omhulsel, als je het zo bekijkt is het wel logisch dat we die voor handen en voeten hebben 😄

[@4groen]

Heel leuk om jouw video's te luisteren!

[@fbkintanar]

Nice video. I hope you do a playlist for language topics, and maybe a few videos that get into pop science linguistics, if there is such a thing yet.

[@Kie75]

The best/worst Dutch term to try to translate to English has to be "Klootviool / klootviolen" And not only because it's both a noun and a verb because we have this habit of truncating our phrases over time. When trying to explain it after translating, you'll find you're just digging a deeper and deeper hole. Literally translated it's "Testicular violin player". And no we will not be touching the word 'fiddler' in this context because that really gives one the wrong impression.

[@jannetteberends8730]

Hoor dit woord voor het eerst. Wikipedia kende het niet. Google gelukkig wel.

[@eddys.3524]

A rather narrow explanation of the word "Kloot" which originally also meant "piece of earth" or "earth" and "bal".. What you're using is the vulgar meaning of the word. look it up in the dictionary. "Klootviool" means "Somebody who messes things up"

[@raticide4you]

i never heard this word my entire life (almost 70 years)

[@StreamHottieSuperSimp]

Hi Ava, when you said "Ik ga pissen", you said a perfectly Dutch phrase. Piesen (to pee) is the kinder version of pissen (to piss). The meaning however is exactly the same. The reason why your friends laughed was probably because it is very informal, nearly slang, so a native Dutchy wouldn't expect an expat to say such a thing, which makes it funny. But you have said nothing wrong. It is a perfectly common and frequently used phrase. If you use it like that, I would consider you to be perfectly integrated into Dutch society. But just use it among good friends and don't say it in any formal place or setting, would be my humble advice :)

[@BaRtJuHh083]

Unless you are in brabant there we say it a bit more often women not as much unless they are drunk 😅😋

[@babo2303]

Oh my god yes the very first word!! 😂 I have worked with some international colleagues and never realized this when speaking Dutch to them until someone brought this up. It is such a natural thing for us we don’t even think about it. Enlightened to see this as you first word in the video 😂😅

[@brentbaumgartner1198]

Very fun video. Hope you'll do another 'idioms translated' again soon!

[@ConsciousAtoms]

Always fun to hear an outsider's perspective on one's mother tongue! Do you know the word "muggenzifter"? It's a synonym of mierenneuker, its literal meaning being "mosquito sifter". Also, I sometimes use the English translation "on that bicycle" rather than "op die fiets" as it sounds so funny in English. In the same category there's "helaas pindakaas" (too bad, cannot be helped or something like that) which literally means "unfortunately peanutbutter". Another word I was reminded of is "steenkolenengels". It literally translates as "stone coal English" and it means that your English is very very bad, probably with a lot of Dutchisms in it or even partially using Dutch words directly. Dunglish, if you will. I think it originated when there were still coal mines in operation in Limburg, where miners sometimes had to cooperate with international colleagues and resorted to using "steenkolenengels". What I find funny is that the literal translation "stone coal English" is an actual example of the phenomenon that the word describes.

[@moladiver6817]

Steenkolenengels originated in the Dutch ports, from the time before the container when they hauled over raw goods such as coles from boat to shore. Some words actually made it into the Dutch language. One word we all know is aftaaien which was directly derived from the English to tie off. It got the opposite meaning though because to tie off a boat means you're docking a boat and fixing it with ropes whereas aftaaien means to remove the ropes and undock the boat.

[@comasmusica7548]

And in addition to "muggenziften" and "mierenneuken" the Dutch also have the original "haarkloven": "to split hairs". Oh wait... "original"... well...

[@myverypersonalstuff]

@@comasmusica7548 Op alle slakken zout leggen.

[@eefvreeland9472]

Dunglish... hahahahaha

[@70ed81]

"Alsof een engeltje over je tong piest", is usually used for a drink (a liquid) ,not so much for food.

[@NielsNL68]

we (parents and i) used it mostly by delicious desserts met "hemelse modder"

[@70ed81]

An Angel doesn't Pee Mud Niiels :)

[@justincredible.]

I love your Enthousiasme about our language.

[@Depipro]

When restrictions are lifted, I can recommend you take a guided tour at Muiderslot, the castle at the mouth of the Vecht river (southeast of Amsterdam, north of Utrecht). Some of the idioms that have medieval or 17th century roots are explained on that tour, where relevant to things shown in the castle.

[@bassbuffricky]

The 'hoor' you mentioned, is an interjection and its translation into English is entirely dependent on the context. In your example of the kind flight attendent (Ja, hoor), a very natural translation would be 'Sure/No problem'. A professional translator, these idioms remind me of a golden rule in my profession: Translating is not about words, but about what the words are about.

[@eefje6321]

It comes from the verb "horen", to hear. So, it is sometimes a sort of exclamation mark. Yes, I hear you-Sure, no problem! Or if you're saying something not so believeble, then ja, hoor like, do you hear yourself!??? And sometimes also in the way of I have heard you.

[@KCML82]

"Hoor" in the Limburg dialect, means the same as in English. One day a friend of mine went to a shop for hearing aids, and was asking about the "gratis hoortest". We had a good chuckle about that hahaha

[@eddys.3524]

The Limburg dialect has a lot of similarities with German where one talks about "Hure" ( for whore), where the "u" is pronounced as the Dutch "oe".. The transformation from "oe" to "oo" is rather easy.

[@eddys.3524]

@Sjilita Breuls Since Ava is a Native English speaker, references to English are OK... BTW, it was Kobo who started off with a comparison between Limburg dialect and English. And from a historical point of view there are a lot of similarities between Old English and Dutch..

[@jeroenvanrooijen1086]

I think that the expression "alsof een engeltje over je tong pist" is not used for food but only for drinks (like genever).

[@nagranoth_]

"Hoor" translates to "hear" and is used to emphasize an expression. It's kind of an emoticon, but in language. When you just say "Ja" to confirm something it sounds kind of curt, by adding "hoor' you're basically putting a smiley behind it. It transforms "yes" into "sure". Never heard of "tweede leg" must be a regional thing. Seriously, you didn't think of "Oh in that car" as the American version of "Op die fiets"? If there's anything the USA is known for it's an obsession with cars, in the same way the Dutch have bikes. As for "dat kun je op je klompen aanvoelen" clogs are shoes made of wood, or at the very least the sole is. The entire point is you _won't_ feel anything you're walking on. You're even allowed to use them as safety shoes. So if you can "feel something even though you're wearing clogs", it has to be something bloody obvious. Of course to find the dog in the pot, while it's direct meaning is you're too late for dinner, the meaning of the idiom is just you're too late; it can be applied to anything. Want to buy tickets but they were sold out already, you found a dog in the pot.

[@tonnycroezen6165]

Nothing regional when speaking of "tweede leg". I believe it is used all over the country. Another word or actually words for which no english equivalent seems to exist is "plaatsvervangende schaamte", meaning that you feel ashamed for someone else acting strange or weird.

[@nagranoth_]

@@tonnycroezen6165 you believe it's used all over the country. When I JUST said it's not used where I live... proving you wrong before you even said that... But somehow, you still said it...? "Plaatsvervangende schaamte" = vicarious embarrassment, or being ashamed of someone.

[@nlbergsma]

@@tonnycroezen6165 I always thought (but may be wrong) that 'een tweede leg' means having children with a second partner (after separation with the first).

[@frdjuh]

Never heard "tweede leg" in my life too

[@iceFisher101]

Mijn naam is Haas

[@Peacefrogg]

Have you ever wondered why the word vlinder is so different in many languages? Butterfly in english (botervlieg?) schmetterling in german, mariposa in spanish, farfalla in italian, sommerfugl ( zomer vogel?) in norwegian, skoenlapper (schoenenpoetser?) in afrikaans... most words are similar in at least a few languages, but this insects seems to make us linguistically creative...

[@richardbird8623]

The factual/science part of me says that this is why we should use the Latin and /or Greek classification of Lepidoptera that is applied around the the world. The poet in me says that we should use the variation of the English word - Flutter By.

[@CezzyHaag]

Sommige woorden lijken veel op elkaar in verschillende talen, omdat het nuttig is bij het handeldrijven om hetzelfde of een soortgelijk woord te gebruiken. Iets als een vlinder bijvoorbeeld heeft alleen (bijna) geen handelswaarde, waardoor er gemakkelijk verschillende woorden voor ontstaan in verschillende talen en dialecten.

[@comasmusica7548]

Being familliar with Dutch and English, and somewhat with German and French, I discovered as well that it is actually quite hard to establish a list of words of which the respective translations have nothing in common. And of course, now that I come across your reaction, I can't seem to remember most of this list. 😕 Well, there's "Lawaai", "Noise", "Lärm" and "Bruit", and indeed "Vlinder", "Butterfly", "Schmetterling" and "Papillon". Another one would be "Fiets", "Bicycle", "Fahrrad" and "Vélo" but that one doesn't quite count because of the French "Bicyclette". Why can't I come up with the others... anyone?

[@richardbird8623]

@@comasmusica7548 War. Oorlog. Krieg. Guerra. The auto correct is going Mad/Gek/Wahnsinnig/ Loco. Enjoy.

[@caseykilmore]

Such an amazing thing to notice and something I've never realised!!

[@peterhuiskens6548]

so i've been smiling the whole time looking at your video :) , what a beautiful language dutch can be... especially when translating. that never ends well.... Anyway, since you are a linguist i would suggest not to forget Friesland / the Frisian language in your stories. it has a lot of similarities to Dutch, but also to old English. ( and a lot of people still wear clogs here, especially farmers. ), I'm curious to know what you could make of the Frisian language, and love to see you make a video about that

[@b.h.7423]

This was the greatest video! And your are very photogenic!

[@harmenroelf296]

"Like an angel pissing over your tongue" is a bit tongue in cheek...

[@jeroenvanrooijen1086]

There exists a soldiers song called: “Rats, kuch en bonen dat is het soldatenmenu.” Its describes the daily food for soldiers during the mobilisation (rats is old “stamppot”, “kuch” is soldiers bread, “bonen” is beans). Bread made the soldiers strong. Perhaps “spek en bonen” means originally sufficient food to keep you alive. It is just an idea. Now it means that you are able to play with the rest but you are no serious threat.

[@gertvoortman7741]

in the "good" old days there were skating-events the so called "hardrijderijen" were you could win spek en bonen. very welcome in the winters when "schraalhans was keukenmeester" lit. meagerhans was kitchenmaster whitch means there was not much to eat for day-contractors and even small farmers. (the netherlands weren't always as welthy as they are now) I don't know the exact rules but I think it was even more prosporus not to com in first,

[@corjp]

You are rocking, Ava..... I do enjoy your clips. Maar even onder ons.... jij spreekt goed Nederlands.. Ik zeg dank je en bravo👍👍👏👏

[@davidvdbergen]

You can do a bunch of these, they're fun! Het regent pijpenstelen, nu breekt mijn klomp, het kaas van je brood laten eten, het naadje van de kous willen weten, I can go on for days with these. And I love watching you figure them out! More please!

[@pascalrottier4783]

Talking about "mierenneuker". There is an idom in Australian: We're not here to fuck spiders. It doesn't mean the same thing, but it's using the same imagery. In both cases it relates to paying attention to things that don't matter, while missing the things that do matter.

[@myverypersonalstuff]

The Ozzy meaning is not far from the Dutch meaning. I am sure that you could say in Dutch "We zijn niet gekomen om mieren te neuken" and everyone would understand what you mean. Endless fun can be had in Dutch with mangling idioms and making hilarious alternative versions. The older Koot en Bie material is full of that sort of humor.

[@NeoOnyx]

Ava, if you think “hoor” sounds weird to an English person, then how about “ledikant”? 😉

[@MrJimheeren]

Daar moest ik even over nadenken. Maar inderdaad goed gevonden

[@jschouten1985]

Bij mij valt 't kwartje niet 🤔

[@Paul_C]

@Neo Onyx Ledi- or Predi- kant, just the same!

[@1336mg]

@@jschouten1985 Lady-c*nt= dames k*t

[@HarryRMPitt]

🤣😂🤣

[@iwanebbing4944]

I think you can compare "met je neus in de boter vallen' met 'Hitting the mother load/ jackpot', but also you can use it socially. Like when you visit a company and they have something to celebrate that day, and you get to join in the festivity. It's for an unexpected bonus.

[@JVerschueren]

"dat kan je op je klompen aanvoelen" is a literal thing. Clogs transmit vibration from the ground, so you can feel something coming even if you can't see or hear it.

[@randysem]

An episode with your linguist friends discussing their insights might be fun and interesting.

[@timboy103]

Wooden clocs are tick so you cant feel anyting with them on so if you can even feel it in with the clocs on that its realy realy realy obvious

[@richardbrinkerhoff]

clogs, thick

[@engel5]

I love these videos and every time I watch them I feel soooooo glad I'm no American but Dutch. For instance, where a Dutch person has no problem at all saying 'neuken' (even Eva says it multiple times in this video without hesitation), an American person has a hard time saying the English translation. It is so hard to get it out of their mouth and they never get past that first letter. It seems that the letter F has become a word in itself and I wonder why that letter F has not yet got the sentiment as the word it stands for. :) Great video. Thanks.

[@SterrinsWildWorld]

Goed uitgelegd! En je hebt een mooie uitspraak :)

[@AxelRoest]

Here's one that translates directly: "Je moet een gegeven paard niet in de bek kijken" → "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" And of course the famous "Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve", which doesn't.

[@gerhard6105]

Een paard heeft geen bek maar een mond omdat het een edel dier is.

[@m.a.heilbron7633]

"Voor spek en bonen meedoen" means allowing someone else to participate/play, who is not able to play at the same level. Original a child may participate with e.g worthless beans, whereas the adults at the same times play with hard money.

[@mavadelo]

That is what it became but not it's origin. In the past, workers not always got paid in money but in food. (Van Dale Uitdrukkingenwoordenboek) The beans in this idiom are broad beans, the spek would more be the porkbelly than the bacon (which comes from the back)

[@Joakim7471]

”Apenstaartje” was interesting to learn! In Swedish we say ”snabel-a” for ”@”, which means ”an elephant trunk a”.

[@Flossie710]

And a "snavel " is a beak (bird's) in Dutch. An elephant has a "slurf" in Dutch 😯

[@zigisamblak]

When you said idioms with clogs I was a bit disappointed you didn't go for: "En nu breekt mijn klomp!" (and now my clog breaks) meaning extreme surprise. It just sounds so good when said. One of my favourites is always "Een kat uit de boom kijken" (looking a cat out of the tree) for not doing a knee jerk reaction but waiting to see what happens first.

[@jobkramer1359]

"Dat kan je (zelfs) op je klompen aanvoelen." Obviously with clogs on you won't feel much (of the terrain, or when you stump your toe). So something that you can feel while wearing clogs must be pretty obvious.

[@Hallands.]

Ladybug and the dutch phrase has the same reference: In Danish it’s »mariehøne (Mary’s chicken)« and they all refer to Lady Mary. We have an old children’s verse in rural Danish: »Mari-Mari-Marolle. Flyv op til Vorherre og bed om godt vejr i morgen! (Lady-Lady-Ladybug. Fly up to Our Lord and ask for fair weather tomorrow)« - and you’re holding the ladybug on your open palm with one finger pointing to the sky. If it crawls up and flies off from the fingertip, fair weather should be ensured - tomorrow.

[@smegmalasagna]

That’s cute :)

[@Hallands.]

@@smegmalasagna Children often are...

[@GregjohnsonatUtube]

yes, something in English that sounds the same, "Ladybird, ladybird fly away home..... don't know the rest

[@GregjohnsonatUtube]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3K1gneEiNiIq7M

[@veronicaXTR]

I love this, thank you!

[@ducovanderwoude6971]

Tweede leg generally refers to if a bird lays eggs twice in a season when the standard is only once. Tweede being second and leg, in this context, being to lay an egg. It is also occasionally used in the way described in the video.

[@auldfouter8661]

In English we have the word " clutch" for a nestful of eggs laid by a bird, so a second clutch would be what the bird lays if the first has gone wrong.

[@lacdirk]

Voor spek en bonen meedoen: you're not getting paid, you just get a square meal for it. It means you're an amateur, just there for fun.

[@jannetteberends8730]

Yes, important is that the other ones play for real. It more that the others pretending that you are also playing

[@nfiles]

Mierenneuker is one of my favourite words to explain to people who don't speak dutch😂

[@markjacobs1086]

Ya "antfucker" 😆 I still picture a great scene whenever I hear, "it's raining cats & dogs" 😂

[@rene5939]

Muggenziften is the neat variant.....

[@Myriako]

Thank you for this video ! 😊🌹

[@vormpjekanaal]

Heel leuk artikeltje Hoor!

[@hvputten]

Hoor is a form of the verb horen which mans to hear. Ja, hoor would be yes, hear (imperativus). Ok hoor sounds like wh*re wich would be hoer in dutch. No relation between hoor and hoer. The word hoor stresses the previous. Hoor es hier would be now you listen.

[@abacaxiveer]

Indeed. We also have a problem with German here, with our word for renting: "huren". ""Container huren?". Pfff man das is komisch!."

[@MyTubeSVp]

Came here to comment the same.

[@Wuppie62]

"Hoor eens hier". Mag schriftelijk afgekort worden tot "Hoor 'ns hier", of "Hoor 's hier", als er geen nadruk op 'eens' ligt. Laten we er geen gewoonte van maken om straattaal letterlijk en fonetisch uit te schrijven. Iedereen maakt wel eens een spel- of tikfoutje, maar op social media zie je helaas steeds vaker dat mensen niet alleen 'es' maar zelfs 'is' schrijven ("Hoor is hier"). Als dat vaker gaat gebeuren en meer en meer mensen denken dat dit correct is, wordt zo'n fout straks de nieuwe norm. Zoals ook 'groter als' tegenwoordig blijkbaar mag, i.p.v. het correcte(re) 'groter dan'. Soms levert straattaal en 'l337 speek' een verrijking van de taal op, maar nog vaker een vorm van taalverloedering. [/ grammar nazi ] ;)

[@someopinion2846]

@@Wuppie62 Maar een hoer is een dame te huur, hoor.

[@rivkavermeij]

I'm pretty certain 'hoor' in the phrase 'ja, hoor' is never used in the meaning is 'horen' (to hear) by native Dutch speakers. Translating it like that is misleading as to how it sounds in Dutch. It's more like 'yes, sure' or 'yes, of course'

[@charlesvanderhoog7056]

My favorite is "daar kan ik geen chocola van maken". It means: it is confusing to me, I cannot make any sense of it. I have always wondered "why chocolate? And why was it adamant you had to be able to make it into chocolate, and not into a cake or a roll or stew?

[@komkwam]

Maybe the one who came up with that frase was just eating chocolate at that time. 😁 The more likely explanation could be of a pastry chef who didn't have all the ingredients to make chocolate.

[@gharretje]

What do you think about "dat slaat als een tang op een varken" that/it hits like pliers on a pig? Always seemed self referential to me as the phrase doesn't make any sense to me.

[@niekkie555]

Originally it's cheese instead of chocolate. The chocolate version is very new. But I'm hearing it more and more

[@charlesvanderhoog7056]

@@niekkie555 Really? That's even weirder!

[@fredlakota3595]

This one was funny .. you should do a few more of these videos haha

[@Woudje57]

Haha, die was leuk! Vooral om de eerste ( hoor ) moest ik hardop lachen. Ledikant had ook nog in het rijtje thuis gehoord ( 🤭😊 )

[@Depipro]

The probable reason people were laughing when you used "pissen" (or old-fashioned "piesen") instead of "plassen" is not that the word does not exist with that same meaning, but that you're a very well behaved and well groomed young lady, whereas this particular verb is associated more with male construction workers, or with women who hang out with friends and who want to emphasize that they're "one of the guys". I'm not being 100% mathematically accurate here, but you get the picture.

[@vettemuziekjes]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5STh5qbr7JkpJY

[@Paul_C]

Somehow it reminds me of the Disneyfication of fairy tales. Every fairy tale tells a story of some moral construct children have to learn. But Disney made that into a 'enjoyable' experience, instead of a painful one. You really need to experience the fairy tales in their original language. Bloodshed all around. When a mermaid is depicted in the USA she has a bra, maybe you should visit the Efteling and see the sculpture of the mermaid there. Bra-less and that was in the sixties...

[@jschouten1985]

In Amerika zijn ze nog preutser dan de paus....niet zo gek dat ze daar een bh/bikini draagt

[@roaringlaughter3812]

Everything goes in the Netherlands

[@JorisSomers]

Kopenhagen statue!

[@JorisSomers]

Pantoffelheld as synoniem for Held-op-sokken. For indoor cats: huistijger (home tiger)

[@martinaalderink7773]

An Ezelsbruggetje can also be translated as a line of thought, or a rhime or limerick, to help you remember something. Like we have a limerick that helps you remember in mathmatics to subtract, adhere etc. in the right order in complicated sums. Some ppl make up their own for other problems or issues.

[@vogel2280]

And once you have mastered the official Dutch idioms, you'll find a whole world of local dialect idioms. And when your done with them you'll probable stumble upon some Flemish as well . (In Belgium you will get some surprised looks when you say you need to toilet to go "poepen")

[@makkie211175]

with the "hoor"thing, i think every language has that. For example the Americans or English use the word "cut" which is a normal word. You know what probably know what kut means in Dutch... Germans uses the word Geil, Which can be shocked aswell.

[@proclaimed75]

Only cut and kut is not the same....

[@makkie211175]

@@proclaimed75 but hoor and whore are also not the same, that is my point. when an american says cut to the dutch, we start to giggle, because we hear kut from it which means vagina or cunt.

[@arposkraft3616]

@7:35 its quite macabre actually... but also cute because we placed -tje behind it ... btw thats the best tip I can give you... if we use -tje it most probably has a special meaning and not a literal one

[@jared0801]

I was able to get use to "hoor" because it means (and sounds at least a little bit like) "hear". A word I was expecting you to mention because it trips me up in speech even more is "vaak" 😂

[@groerd]

"Voor spek en bonen meedoen" derives from the days when each village organised ice skating competetions where the price was often a sum of money. But everybody who participated received a bowl of warm beans and bacon. For a lot of poor people the the bowl of beans and bacon was the reason why they participated. They would enter for the "spek en bonen".

[@nlbergsma]

To add to that (off topic): the sum of money one could win could be very high in those days. 100 guilders sometimes. Twice a month's salary of an unskilled labourer.

[@dannymolfilmpie]

Grappig. Niet voor het echie dus