My Dutch Husband Teaches Me Hilarious Dutch Expressions

Need a laugh? Daniël took some time to share some of the best translations of Dutch expressions into English. Enjoy!

[@katherineneville6201]

In Swedish 🇸🇪 we have a idiom: “Att glida in på en räkmacka.” The English translation is: To slide in on a shrimp sandwich 😂. It means an individual who hasn’t had to work to get where they are.

[@emwilss]

That is a really good one!!!

[@julieberube7981]

That one is sooo funny!!

[@spider-sonicproductions531]

I’m definitely going to say “I’m feeling chicken good” now when people ask me how I’m doing 😂😂😂

[@emberflash1641]

I SO am gonna say "I'm totally fresh and fruity" when I get out of the shower from now on. As if I haven't been annoying my siblings enough during this quarantine... xD

[@liahofstetter5670]

”Ja, bist du denn aus Zucker?” So many of those translate directly to german sayings 😄

[@katleslie3168]

Yes, i noticed that too!,😊

[@emwilss]

Which was your favorite? Is there an expression in your native language that is CRAZY in English?? Tell me!

[@melchizedekwarrior]

In Afrikaans we have the following (your hubby might actually be able to read this one): Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou. Translation to English: The jackal is marrying the wolf’s wife. Meaning: Its used as an expression for when it’s raining and the sun shines at the same time.

[@melchizedekwarrior]

I just thought of another one in Afrikaans. Lepel in die dak steek. Translation: Stick a spoon in the roof. Meaning: Euphemism for someone dying.

[@YvonneMarion]

Definitely unfortunately peanut cheese 😁

[@chantallapalme65]

In French we say: "Il cogne des clous" which in English translates to: "He hammers the nails" For when somebody is falling asleep sitting up and is bobbing their head up and down

[@veron.m..]

Some of these are pretty much common in whole Europe.

[@alexandramartinez9463]

You should do this with American/English idioms! We have some that sound normal to us but pretty weird to non-native speakers! Like "when pigs fly", "cool as a cucumber"

[@maximusmillian7989]

'Je moet een gegeven paard niet in de bek kijken'. Translated as 'you should not look in the mouth of a given horse.' It means you should not complain about a gift someone gave you. Greetings from the 🇳🇱

[@irynavasyliv3384]

In Ukraine we have the same 😄

[@gast128]

I think it is even related to real behavior of the past where the teeth of a horse were a heuristic of how healthy the animal was.

[@jannaventer]

We have a lot of funny ones in Afrikaans, such as: Idiom: Hang aan 'n tak Translation: Hang on a stick Meaning: Hold on a second Idiom: 'n Hond uit 'n bos praat Translation: Talk a dog out of a bush Meaning: To have a great conversation Idiom: Dis 'n feit soos 'n koei Translation: That is a fact like a cow Meaning: A fact you can’t argue with

[@yasmin8433]

The way you said "why don't people care about sausages" !! 😂

[@sarafoss1826]

"To buy a cat in the bag" would be like the saying "buying a pig in a poke".

[@alaynap3778]

"Born in a church" reminds me of "raised in a barn" Edit: I live in Ga, USA

[@irynavasyliv3384]

In Ukraine we say this like "born in an elevator " 😄

[@niki3773]

In Cyprus and Greece we say "raised on a boat"

[@alma1530]

I mexico we say "did you bring mariachi?"

[@emwilss]

Oh my gosh Alma IS THAT what you say?! Like...are they about to walk in behind you? I AM laughing so hard!!!!!

[@jeanne_d_arc___]

So funny, in my language we say "are you born on a boat" to someone who always leaves the door open. Some of the other idioms are similar as well

[@joycevanlaar4787]

Whahaha his accent in Dutch is quite obvious, but it is a nice Dutch accent. And Emily, your Dutch was pretty good👌🏻 greetings from the Netherlands, the Achterhoek 🥳

[@emwilss]

Hey thank you!!!

[@varpuranta5596]

In Finnish language, we also have the exact same expressions "to wake up on the wrong leg"= "Nousta väärällä jalalla" and "to be made out of sugar" = "olla sokerista tehty" There's also one saying in Finnish I'd like to share: "To be a tub full of fermented milk" = "Olla viilipytty" which means to be really calm:D

[@paigemcguirk5041]

“The cat’s out of the bag!” Is our similar expression! Originally it did mean to get cheated because farmers used to sell a pig to someone and instead of giving them the piglet in a bag, they would put a cat in it. If the buyer didn’t check the bag, they would get cheated. If they opened the bag and found the cat they would know they were being cheated and “the cat would be out of the bag”. 🤗

[@lochtessmonsterxoxo]

So good 😂 Will never get over "fresh and fruity"

[@christinka1255]

My favorite part was how excited Emily was to get certain words right! :)

[@mariannamycroft2611]

Wow we have a lot identical phrases in Poland! But here, when someone keeps the door open we say: "Do you live in a barn?" Anyway, I loved this video and you guys are a joy to watch! Cheers!

[@clairebyrd4684]

Lol I’m from Georgia and my family always uses the sugar one when it rains! “I’m made out of sugar, I’ll melt!”

[@tess4823]

In Italian the one about getting up on the wrong side of the bed is "alzarsi con il piede sbagliato", which means "getting up with the wrong foot", so apparently it is very similar to Dutch

[@soniab.7495]

Very funny to watch it as a German 😅 we can understand parts of Dutch, its so hilarious! 😂 Edit: we have a lot of this exact sayings in Germany too 😂

[@theresamarie6258]

The expression for getting gypped is "I got ripped off." Or at least that's the expression I thought of. These are hilarious!

[@sellmeyourheart1]

I was waiting for thisss 🇳🇱

[@alyssajoy08]

"Are you born in a church" seems like our "were you raised in a barn"

[@noamigreblo9503]

in Croatian we say "were you born on a boat?" :)

[@stephanielinden3323]

I live in Germany, not an hour from the Dutch border and the expressions are totally different! Only the “sausage” example and “hand shoes” and “toilet glasses” and “made out of sugar” are the same in German. But I was amazed at the majority which were totally foreign to this Dutch neighbor.

[@HaleyMary]

I love the expression: Wake up on the wrong leg. That's an awesome one!

[@emilyc.7041]

Love this! I love learning about other languages,especially idioms, they are so interesting and fun! Thanks for sharing!

[@7charli7]

I speak Afrikaans, which originated from Dutch. I knew a few of these phrases, but it was so fun to learn of ones that I've never heard of before! Also great job Emily for knowing so many Dutch words, I love seeing you try to pronouce them. Wees veilig, stay safe!

[@hannahdiane7802]

I enjoyed this so much😂 and I learned so much! thanks for the laughter, Emily and Daniel!!

[@emwilss]

I am so glad Hannah! Thanks for telling me!

[@LadyK007]

This was a really cute video! Way to go Emily with your recognition of Dutch words!! Keep it up!!

[@evelyntippie4106]

This was hilarious! Loved it. 😂💞

[@melanyanguilar5620]

Your reactions are priceless😂😂

[@yg0790]

I'm an Afrikaans native speaker living in Austria and I cannot believe how difficult it is to understand the Dutch accent. I can understand German way better although Afrikaans is closer to Dutch. We have some of these expressions in Afrikaans as well. Great video 😊

[@BobWitlox]

The Limburg accent didn't help either ;)

[@MaryScarpati]

Y’all have such a cute relationship and fun banter. 💜

[@cassandrafischer8662]

Love this! My parents have said something similar to the "are you made out of sugar" one when it's raining outside

[@ilsezorn3892]

Hahaha you are so right, as a Dutchie I LOVED this 😂

[@ashleycherucheril1176]

This video is so funny! It's so interesting how Dutch sayings translate in english. Also I just realized that your dad played Biff Tanner in the Back to the Future movies! I saw someone comment about it in one of your videos haha. I loved those movies when I was a kid!

[@MichelleS_Solomon]

I really enjoyed this. Reminds me of all the sayings in Trinidad! There are soo many and I find these sayings very effective when you understand what they mean. Ex. "Mary little lamb turned a goat" means that things have changed drastically over time. Things aren't the same any more. My grandfather has a tone of sayings. They are very metaphorical. Love this!

[@YvonneMarion]

Hahaha love it!! As a Dutchie I never, until now, thought of how stupid most expressions sound 😂 I laughed so hard at the helaas pindakaas/unfortunately peanut cheese 😂😂😂

[@snelheidsmonsters]

It’s really funny hearing Daniël speak Dutch because he’s obviously from the south of the Netherlands 😅

[@yasmin8433]

Just asked my parents for some in Spanish since they're better at the expressions than I am. Here goes: "De el plato a la boca se cae la sopa" literal translation- from the plate to the mouth the soup falls true meaning- nothing is for sure (hence the soup falling even though the trip from the plate to the mouth is short) "Mas vale pajaro en mano que cien volando" literal translation- it's better to have a bird in hand than 100 flying" true meaning- it's better to have something secured/concrete than things up in the air

[@sararad8256]

it's crazy to think that we use some of those in Hebrew even though those two languages aren't similar at all. Btw our equivalent to "born in church" is "were you born on a bus?"

[@countryfan5280]

The one about being made of sugar reminds me of something my mom would say when I complain about the rain; "Are you melting?"

[@prabhabowden-smith764]

Super enjoyed this. Thank you!

[@JosofineXtine]

Can I get a pdf of this dutch transcript/exchange ... I've been in contact with a guy from the Netherlands I met on chatroullete and he is absolutely endearing! He calls me... I'm butchering the spelling on this but I'm going by how he pronounced it... "Leckayr-ding" 🤗

[@tecumseha]

This was so cute! Thanks for the entertainment. 😁

[@meikeanna4660]

Hahah! Its really funny to hear those things as a dutch girl. Thanks for brightening my day. :) I hope you are doing well! ❤Even in the chaos, God is still faithful

[@spieterman3065]

Wauw hahahaha. Daniels accent is best goed te horen. In Nederlands heeft hij een Amerikaans accent maar in Us Engels is het vooral aan het begin van een zin/wanneer hij begint met praten iets wat wel opvalt

[@hildedollen9339]

Also, I went completely out of my roof with this video XD

[@jeniferj]

Well if dooors arent crazy dont tell him he is off his rocker!! Hee hee

[@mollymillar3040]

Well, that was fun! I absolutely love the Netherlands and would live there if I could. I would love to learn Dutch!

[@carlienhuiting62]

This is soooo funny! I am from the Netherlands and you guys made my day.

[@harmonygordon6901]

I LOVE are you born in a Church ? What sweetness that implies! It says that Churches have openl doors! As Churches would ultimately be best to be able to do. Reflects a time when Church doors were never locked That was charming. How I long for the reopening of our Church! I long for the Eucharist. Great video friends. Dutch is a lovely language. Emily, your doing well to learn. I love that your son will be bilingual. HAPPY EASTER SEASON! You two are a beautiful couple A gift from God. I need to see that Sacramental marriage still happens. Even in this dark culture of death. You two are shining Christ's light. BLESS YOU. Love Harmony Portland Oregon USA

[@xxAnouk95]

Greetings from the Netherlands. Love this video. Awesome to hear Daniel talk Dutch :D

[@kristim8796]

What a fun video! I love this!!

[@meandmylife1076]

I'm from Germany and I'm surprised that there are plenty of expressions in Dutch that we also have in the German language! Like "falling with the door into the house" is literally the same: "Mit der Tür ins Haus fallen". And I understood some Dutch words, which is nice :)

[@hariettlisa4816]

Soo good 😂 I am German and we also have a few of this expressions in german 🇩🇪 A few german expressions I like are: „Welche Laus ist dir denn über die Leber gelaufen“, literally: „Wich louse walked over your liver?“ And you use it when someone is in a bad mood and you wanna kmow what happend or what made them mad. „Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul“, literally: „You don't look into the mouth of a gifted gallien“. And it means you shouldn't be to picky or to demanding on something someone gifted to you. And „Jetzt haben wir den Salat.“, literally: „Now we have the salad.“ You say it, when something stupid / bad happens and you want to express, that everything is chaotic now.

[@madisonprincinsky182]

We are being spoiled with fun content! Thank you so much!!!♥️♥️

[@emwilss]

I am SO glad you are enjoying it!!!!

[@maryawah2361]

hahahahahha......"I'm Feeling Chicken Good" right now

[@rachelrichardson257]

Video starts Me: **LIKE**

[@mug5455]

Gloves in German are 'Handschuhe' 😂 in German I think my favorite is "Sie spricht nur Bahnhof" or "She only speaks train"

[@natalieduden630]

The similar one Daniël's thinking of for "bought the cat in the bag" is to "let the cat out of the bag" which isn't the equivalent haha very different but I think thats what he was thinking of.

[@lissy0421]

In German we have the verb "spinnen". It means something like "to be mad" or you can say it when it is really crazy what is going on. So you say "Ich spinne". The funny thing is, that the verb for "Spider" ist "Spinne" too. So in Germany we have the joke to say "I think I spider"

[@Sarah-yi9zn]

Lissy smiles My German friend taught that one to me! Ich glaub ich Spinne 😂

[@mariekevanloon3766]

Hahaha I'm from Groningen (the north of the Netherlands) , so sometimes I couldn't understand what Daniel was saying in Dutch because of his Brabantse accent 😂 Such a funny video to watch! I've learned "helaas pindakaas" to all my international friends. They love it 😂😛 Maybe also a nice one to learn to Emily: Klopt als een bus! Groetjes! 🇱🇺🇱🇺

[@BobWitlox]

Limburgs accent. He switched very quickly between English and Dutch, in combination with his Limburg accent, made it hard to switch gears for me too.

[@lindsayrosejohnson8432]

I think he was thinking of “to let the cat out of the bag.” Which is totally different! You guys are too cute! 💗

[@arv1233]

What a fun video! I really enjoyed this!

[@jasmin240696]

So funny, many of them are also used in german and even sound similar in dutch. 😂😂😂

[@t.tingling6239]

Gold! 😂

[@justMisscrazy]

This is so similar to german!! I love it hahaha

[@TheGeekApprentice]

These were fun to listen to considering all of us southerners have phrases crazier than a chicken with its head cut off...exhibit A. XD

[@silviagreco3807]

Great, I am studying Dutch, this is going to be interesting 😊

[@alexandrajaderamsaroop2213]

Love this!

[@gardenias.o1446]

I absolutely loved this

[@loesvdm117619]

Hilarious! Greetings from the Netherlands ☺️

[@roxanna191]

In regards to the dutch expression about the cat, the English equivalent is, "the cats in the bag" meaning I got it done or taken care of.

[@Nikky170194]

Love this as a Dutchie myself. Is Daniël from the South of the Netherlands? I hear he has an accent which is probably from Brabant or Limburg? Love your vlogs, love these of you together :D

[@yannickmorsen8563]

Daniël zijn accent is zo sterk ik moet soms twee keer er naar luisteren voordat ik enig idee heeft wat hij eigenlijk zei. Ik bedoel, het kan ook zijn dat ik veel te lang hier in Amerika ben dus. Idk. Greetings from Central Florida!!

[@hildedollen9339]

That is so easy. I can do it with two fingers in my nose :)

[@marilynfernandes7288]

In Konkani (a language spoke in Goa, India mainly), we use this expression of Waag Maale which literally translates to tiger is killed. Sounds gruesome but it is used when ppl want to say that "yes!! I've accomplished something big today".

[@ilsezorn3892]

Too be fair some of my students cycle for and hour and a half to and from school 😬. Especially parents who pick a specific faith based school don’t mind the distance

[@limarleykingsale4872]

Superleuk Daniel en Emily! Vieren jullie ook Nederlandse feesten? Zoals Koningsdag en dergelijke?

[@paulast2033]

In Polish, to mean that you have to do sth at once that you don’t really feel like doing, they use the expression “eat the frog” and my husband sais it when speaking English or Spanish

[@thehappyelephant8868]

Maybe the expression Daniel was thinking of is the cat's out of the bag.

[@mirthebentvelzen4133]

It's true that "klopt" would be knock, however it also means something is right. So then only the meter is a bit weird ;)

[@Kimbah9]

So much fun!

[@chiarabirocchi1547]

Loved this!!!!!😍😂😂😂

[@rachelelizabeth1306]

These phrases make no sense. But they are hilarious. 😂😂

[@loisdubois2762]

Hahaha I'm dutch and I love it!

[@hannahvill8387]

Hahaha these are the funniest!!!

[@Jess_ica2927]

Who are the weirdos who are downvoting this. This video is wholesome comedy gold

[@CezzyHaag]

Dit soort videos zijn zo grappig. xD Dit is alleen zo Brabants dat ik hem al bijna niet kan verstaan. Soms is de uitleg en de vertaling ook niet zo goed.

[@gveijer4504]

Haha hilarisch!

[@isas1437]

Hey! Is Daniel from Limburg? I’m from the Netherlands 🇳🇱. Thanks for making this funny video! Blessings, Isa

[@emwilss]

Yes he is from Limburg!

[@theresefrancis9283]

In Spanish (Idk if it's specific to Puerto Rico or not) we say, "¡que pantalones!". Which means, "what pants!". Like if something unexpected or something happens. Like the audacity of someone.

[@emwilss]

I have to start using this one.

[@gast128]

Dutch idioms. When Louis van Gaal was trainer at Manchester United he abused many of them with just literally translations. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3WUmX15jsije9U

[@noortjealbers9526]

Dutch girl hierro!!! 🤗

[@noortjealbers9526]

Comes he from the south?? (Limburg of Brabant)

[@emwilss]

Limburg!

[@ellinorvandentop]

Another Dutchie here! (Or Dutchess, it is whatever you prefer😉) Daniels accent is audible in both English and Dutch and it is wonderful. I tried to explain these sayings to English friends and it is always great fun

[@heloisekerneur9485]

we wake up on the wrong foot in French as well ! thanks for this video, I needed a funny one like this. I am quarantined alone, away from all of my family, in country that I don't speak the language of. So thank you !

[@emwilss]

Oh Heloise that is so, so hard!! I pray and hope this ends soon so you can see your family again.

[@jeniferj]

D Feeling chicken good = eng finger licking good

[@noortjealbers9526]

Kun je het volgende vertalen uit het Maastrichts? "Noe maoks se mich de kachel aon!"