Expression of the month
Oh, I really laughed my head off!
Ik krijg het niet voor elkaar
I’m not able to manage it, to get it done
Heb je het nog voor elkaar gekregen?
Have you succeeded? Did you manage
Het zit me niet lekker.
It doesn’t feel right, it is bothering me, I am worried, ..
Het zit me niet lekker dat hij nog niet gebeld heeft
It worries me he hasn’t called yet.
Laat maar zitten
(Lit: let it sit) Never mind / forget it
Hij ziet het niet meer zitten
He is depressed / he quits
Het doorhebben = begrijpen, doorzien, merken
To understand, to see through, to be aware, to notice
Heb je ‘t door?
Do you understand? Are you aware? Do you dig?
(Lit) She understands him
(meaning:) She knows what he is up to
I know him to the core, thoroughly
Wooden cloggs: Everyone in Holland knows what wooden cloggs (klompen) are and what they look like. Nowadays wooden cloggs are worn less than in the past. In those days almost every Dutchman had a pair of wooden cloggs and walked on them every day. It is no surprise that we can find some ‘klompen’ in our language, too:
Nou breekt mijn klomp!
(lit: now my clogg breaks!)
I am flabbergasted!
Dat kun je op je klompen aanvoelen
(Lit: You can feel it coming with your cloggs on)
It is only logical to expect this kind of thing
In the old days there were many wooden shoe-makers, who all made their own models with their own variety of colours and decorations. This large diversity in wooden shoes from the past and also those from today, is a valuable part of the cultural heritage of the Dutch.
Museum “Gebr. Wietzes” in Eelde, which was founded in 1990, presents a wonderful survey of this heritage.
Heb je het contract gelezen? Er schuilt vast een addertje onder het gras
Did you read the contract? There is probably a catch
(Lit.: There is probably a viper hiding in the grass)
This expression refers to: Anguis in herba latet – The adder lurks in the grass
(Vergilius – Vergil’s Eclogues)
Also heard: er zit een addertje onder het gras
Meemaken = beleven
To experience, to participate, to live through
Dat heb ik nog nooit meegemaakt!
I have never experienced this before!
Nog iets beleefd vandaag?
(Lit) Did anything interesting happen to you today?
(meaning:) How was your day?
Ik heb de oorlog niet meegemaakt.
I was born after WW II
Ze heeft veel meegemaakt in haar leven.
She has suffered a lot in her life