8 DUTCH WORDS that can NOT be translated into English 

"natafelen" means not leaving the table after the meal because you enjoy the company and keep having conversations and drinks/snacks.

"Dan ben je nog niet jarig" is a threat. Implying that someone won't reach is next birthday alive.

I'd say the meaning of "Ik gun hem dat" is closer to "I think he deserves that"

I think the best way of translating 'Ik gun het hem.' is 'I feel like he deserves it.' or 'I want it for him.'

Natafelen isn't about being stuffed with food. That is uitbuiken. Natafelen is when you had dinner with family or friends and you enjoy the company so much that you continue to sit at the dinner table, talking and or drinking.

“Voel je je jarig” you can interpret it as “do you feel festive” like are you happy or having fun on your birthday.

'Verjaardag' is a noun, just like 'birthday' whereas 'jarig' is an adjective. So rather than a different meaning, the words serve different grammatical purposes in a sentence and are therefore used differently. Maybe this is helpful?

Jarig is actually a state that you are in at your birthday. That's why Dutch ask you if you feel jarig, and, by the way, they do that because the Dutch want you to feel happy on your birthday.

When we ask someone "voel je je jarig?" or "do you feel like it is your birthday?" the actual question behind that is "does it feel like your special day?". It's meant to be polite, because the one who asks it usualy implies that he or she hopes that you are having that special day, being in the center of attention, getting showered with love and gifts. It might be an odd saying, but it has lovely intensions behind it! :)

I think Van Dale has the definition of 'voorpret' the wrong way around. Instead of 'pleasureable anticipation', I'd say its 'anticipatory pleasure', or better yet, 'anticipatory joy'.

I feel like "uitwaaien" is something like "Going outside to catch a breeze"

Being Dutch, I would translate "Voel je je jarig?" with: Do you emotionally realise your birthday is celebrated? or: Are you happy it's your birthday? "Dan ben je nog niet jarig" can mean: It would have unpleasant consequences for you (not necessarily depending on you/ your behaviour), but it is mostly used as a warning, meaning: If you do (repeat doing) something, it will have unpleasant consequences for you. I would translate "Uitbuiken" with: To digest in a relaxed way and "Natafelen" with: To chat (usually with alcoholic drinks) after diner. and "Gunnen" with: To think someone deserves something.

There's even such a thing as a 'voorpretborrel'. Example: a week before your skiing trip, the whole group will meet in a bar for some drinks and talk about how much fun it will be to go skiing together.

I feel that "voorpret" isn't just the anticipation, but the actual feeling of joy you can have before an event. As in "Oh this is gonna be so much fun! :D" and then you feel like it's already happening. "Gunnen" is related to "gunst", which means favor. "Iemand iets gunnen" would then translate to "I wish he gets this favor/have this favorable thing happen to him". It's a well-meant wish, which I guess automatically means the other deserves it.

"Dan ben je nog lang niet jarig" is more like a threat or warning Example: If you fuck this up, dan ben je nog lang niet jarig. (You will have to deal with the consequences)

This was a fun list. I made up some (nonsense) translations for these words that I'm now going to share for the benefit of US-Dutch relations, even though this is a 2 year old video. 1 jarig - anniversarious 2 voorpret - forebliss 3 borrel - drink (I think this actually works well since when you're going for a drink or having a drink with someone it becomes a social engagement) 4 uitwaaien - to bebreeze oneself 5 uitbuiken - gastrospanding 6 natafelen - metaphagous dialectics 7 gunnen unbegrudge 8 gezellig convivial

Dan ben je nog niet jarig roughly translates to: "You're in trouble if you do that". This video is really good! Uitwaaien, uitbuiken, natafelen, gunnen. I was in Paris wearing jeans and a t-shirt, this French guy at the café asked me if I was Dutch...yes we stand out a mile... Just keep it gezellig!

"gunnen" is a verb.... I explain it as the opposite of jeleousy. you want someone to have something, or if they allready have it. you are happy for them that they got it. "Ik gun het je van harte"... nice list

Voorpret = "prefun" The excitement in the anticipation itself.

A not so positive word that could be on the list: leedvermaak. In English they often use the German version shadefraude, but in Dutch we use leedvermaak for that: the joy of someone else suffering.

Gezel means companion. Originally a younger less experienced and skilled companion to a craftsman, but the egalitarian spirit goes back centuries here. Vergezellen means to accompany, gezelschap means company. Gezelligheid always has to do with company, it's always social, it can be having coffee and cake and staring out of the window with grandma, but also a drug infested dance festival. So also with rooms it is about cosyness fitting for pleasurable social interaction. With nice weather and lots of people on the sidewalk cafes the city is gezellig so the weather is inviting to gezellligheid just like a room can be. But just like 'lekker' very common words like gezellig and ongezellig are also used a lot for understatement, irony and sarcasm and then it's about intonation. Gunnen is somewhat between granting, permitting and favouring. 'Iemand een gunst doen' is doing someone a favour. 'Bij iemand in de gunst komen' means that someone looks favourable towards you. A boss for example could 'gun' an employee a special task that other employees would like too. But in the same egalitarian spirit people who are not boss and have no grants, permission to give or favours to do, people claim the judgement part of it for themselves nontheless. I'm favourable to this person, 'ik gun haar dit', the fact that I'm not in the position to offer her anything doesn't matter, I can still express my opinion about what she deserves like I would.

Actually, 'uitwaaien' has two meanings, where blow out is a perfectly usable meaning for example when a flame dies due to heavy wind. Blow out. The second meaning indeed has no translation to English, where it means to clear your head litteraly and figuratively speaking, by walking in usually cool maybe frosty and windy or even stormy weather. (edit) Uitwaaien is like having a breath of fresh air, utilizing an actual winter storm. Oh, a non-rainy winter storm because you can't properly clear your head with rain gear on.

Both "voorpret" and "binnenpret" are special words. Voorpret is already described below. Binnenpret is when you are recalling or anticipating something funny and smile to yourself. And then if someone asks you what you are smiling about, it's sometimes difficult to tell the whole story or it may be embarrassing to share, so you can just say: "ik had een binnenpretje". And then people will enter into your joy without questioning the content of what you were smiling about. It is a good-natured word, so the word "binnenpret" implies that the cause for your smile is kind.

You missed the word "gedogen" for me that is even a more dutch word than gezellig. It means something like it is forbidden but we (officially) don't care.

'"voel je je jarig" is basically a way of politely asking them if their birthday isnt disappointing. Kinda checking if its fun enough to warrant being called their birthday. Also 'jarig' is whats called a 'bijvoegelijk naamwoord' which is a type of word in dutch (and many other languages) that describes a characteristic of something else. For example 'een rode auto' would be 'a red car' where 'red' or 'rood' is a 'bijvoegelijk naamwoord' because it describes a characteristic of the car. In that sense, calling someone 'jarig' is basically like calling someone 'red'. It being their birthday is administered as one of their characteristics at that moment. "Dan ben je nog niet jarig" means something along the lines of "youre screwed". Often even used as a threat "als ik je betrap met mijn dochter dan ben je nog niet jarig!" (if i catch you with my daughter im gonna kick your ass). As for 'uitwaaien'. Imagine your room is a bit... murky. You had a drink with friends, you have a hangover, your friend on the couch has one too. Its not exactly stinky but its far from fresh smelling in your room. So you open the windows and let the wind blow through it. 'Uitwaaien' is something like that but as a person. Youve had a busy day, youre tired, you stared at your screen too long, its winter so its very warm inside generally. So you go outside (not just the beach) despite the weather not necessarily being welcoming to kinda freshen up.

Dutch gunnen can be used the way English grant is used, but when it's used like "hope" as you say, it's not just only hope, but it also includes this feeling that they really deserve it. There's a karma-element to gunnen.

Thank you for the video, as a dutch person I always enjoy outside perspective on our culture and language so please keep them coming :) That being said here's my two cents on the words: "Jarig" is a state of being rather than a consequence of it being your birthday and mostly tied to the mystical sense of happiness that a young child feels when it's their birthday. Feeling like it is a momentous occasion and the day revolves around you. Something most people lose in their teens but everyone always hopes they can retain or get back. So asking someone if they feel "jarig" means, hey do you feel the inexplicable sense of happiness because it is your birthday today? I would personally translate this with either "it's someones birthday" or "birthdayhappy(ness)" depending on context. "Voorpret" I think the translation of pleasurable anticipation is a good one as it does mean that. It just doesn't work well colloquially. I think I would translate this with "a moment of joy because of anticipation" not a single word. "Borrel" Obviously the drink part is clear, though I think a borrel more specifically means a ~2cl drink of hard liquor, a shot. Sometimes interpreted as more but always high alcoholic content. For the gathering I would never use "Happy Hour", A borrel is a socializing gathering and can be both a casual thing or professional (i.e. for networking). The pretext for these gatherings is drinking Alcohol but it can also involve snacks ("borrelhapjes"). "Borrels" tend to be a bit more organized than just going for some drinks. It describes a wide array of happenings from the FridayAfternoonDrinks (VriMiBo: Vrijdag Middag Borrel) going for a drink with colleagues to end the workweek to a well organized event to bring clients and businesses in contact. I think the most common word borrel replaces in the english language is "function" but it can mean anything from a very casual party to a formal function (as long as there are drinks involved). "Uitwaaien" I can imagine this is a strange one to translate because it is an activity that can only come up due to climate and geography. It can mean many things but they all have to do with being in a disruptive emotional state and trying to get out of it by getting some fresh air not nescessarily on the beach by the way. So to let your anger blow away or to not feel so stressed for a moment and afterwards you veel reinvigorated or calmed down, a bit of a meditative moment, which doesn't have to be solitary but can be. I would translate this with "getting some fresh air" because it is used colloquially a lot rather than specifically having to do with it being in the wind. "Uitbuiken" I think you got the sense of this word very right. It is when you feel like you have overindulged on food and get the sense you are going to be out of commission for the next 30 minutes or so. So you need to spend that time "uitbuiken". Essentially it is the active verb for dealing with a food coma, so I would translate this as "dealing with a foodcoma" "Natafelen" however has nothing to do with overeating or overindulgence, it is the activity of staying at the table after a meal and enjoying the company some more after the main event (the meal) is over. This is often done with a cup of coffee or some drinks, but also not uncommon without anything else to consume and just some conversation. I think this can be translated by "after-dinner"+ any synonym for conversation appropriate for the context. "Gunnen" Is kind of like hoping and wishing for something to happen to or for someone because they deserve it. Generally without the thing you "gun" affecting you yourself. This can be used negatively aswel, you can "gun" someone their just deserts for example. Which is the meaning you are looking for here, it can however also mean grant as in you are the actor in this activity and give something to someone. I don't think gunnen is directly translatable but has to be translated by the verb appropriate to the context and then given an additional sense of intent. In absence of a better option I think the best way to translate it on its own would be to say you "welcome it for someone". "Gezellig" honestly has a decent translation, it a catchall word (kind of like borrel), and means different things depending on what it describes, be it a person, a room or a happening. Whenever I explain it someone not Dutch I say coziness out in the open. It is not "gezellig" to curl up somewhere, but it can be used as an endearing term for a small room. "Gezelligheid" outside of that endearing term always involves a social aspect. While I think the "Van Dale" is a reputable if not the most reputable dutch dictionary, the translations seem to be very bare bones. If people want a better sense for the words It might be better, though tedious, to pick up an actual "Van Dale" the Dutch version and translate the explanations given. Considering that people will probably understand what that means and have a working knowledge of their own language you might get to a better fitting solution. If you are at a loss you need to ask someone in person anyway because a book can't answer your direct questions. I think trying to translate most of these words with one word would cause them to lose nuance and the place they hold in spoken language. Describing something or using more than one word is not a crime and can prevent miscommunications. Sorry for the long read. ;)

I think “Gunnen” might be best translated to: I really think that person deserves x y or z.

"Natafelen" does not allways have to be with a huge full belly, it is more like sitting with your family or friends at the table and enjoying eachothers company after a pleasurable meal.... There might be some coffee or drinks on the table too... ;-) :-) "Uitbuiken" is more like you had a meal and you ate so much that it is allmost trying to burst the belt in your jeans, so you loosen them and go and hang on your couch just to get some releif... :-) :-) "Dan ben je nog niet jarig" is more like a threat/warning/promiss when someone does someting verry stupid or your kid does something he/she is told not to do and it literally means "you won't get to your next birthday"....

I think it is really helpful to translate "Jarig" as an adjective, because basically it is (the -ig suffix indicates this as wel). So literally it would be "year-y". It is then not "are you feeling birthday" but "are you feeling yeary?" where yeary describes the state one is in when one is having their birthday. "verjaardag" also literally should be translated as expiry-day because it is literally the day when another year "expires".

Your pronunciation is soooo good ! Thumbs up !

"Jarig" can be loosely translated as "having aged another year" and is often used as an adjective. You're absolutely right, it's usually said when it's someone's birthday or in some cases, even an organisation's "birthday" - which would colloquially refer to an event such as the founding of that organisation. Whether or not you "feel" jarig then refers to your mood, so whether or not you feel as though it's your birthday (while not specifying what that feeling might be described as; this could be different to you compared to the person asking). Saying "het is Franks verjaardag" means it's Frank's birthday, which emphasizes the date. Saying "Frank is jarig vandaag" technically means the same, but -from my perspective- emphasizes the event and to a lesser degree the relevance to Frank, rather than the date. The female variant of "Jarige Job" would be "Jarige Jet". Did you say American/British? To me your accent sounds American, not British (but then again, I'm not a native speaker of English, and I often get accents wrong). Your pronunciation of Dutch is really good by the way. Uitbuiken... is fairly local. Gunnen is very common. So is "gezellig" (in German it would be "gemütlich"). In any case if you should ever struggle with some Dutch or you simply seek an additional perspective or simply someone to discuss it with, feel free to contact me. Always good to have a pleasant conversation. For many Dutch linguistic questions there is a better source than Van Dale though. Try taaladvies.net whenever having to make hard choices about grammar. Thank you for a fun video :)

The literal translation of "Borrel" is a shot of Jenever, the Dutch version of Vodka, but now people use it for every alcoholic beverage exept for beer and wine: "Zullen we een borrel halen?" is "Do you want to go out for drinks?" For the second meaning of Borrel as a social gathering you are close in understanding it, but I think there is still 1 thing missing: The goal of organizing a borrel is to make people sociolize that don't know eachother well and/or personally. That is for example why a company would give a Vrijmidagmiddagborrel (VrijMiBO), so that people can socialize and talk about non work related issues as a way of teambuilding. Even though it is often not stated, you are usually expected to come and have at least 1 drink now and then. Never attending a Borrel at work will get noticed. Now if you invite your friends over at your house for drinks, you can put as many borrelhapjes out as you want, that doen't make it a Borrel. Than it is just a party. Hope this helps a bit!

"gezellig" for me is linked to the word "gezel" which in rather old dutch means a member of a group of people with the same status, in the old times especially used for pupils of the same master/artist or members of a guild. So when it is gezellig, you assume that there are no ranks, you can be yourself without feeling obliged to do or to act with a certain posture. You can speak out freely, make fun as long as you don't hurt anuone, because then the "geselligheid" is gone. You feel welcome. No obligations. You can talk about your weak points without being critizied. You don't have to hide behind a mask. So anything that adds to this feeling of being able to be yourself without caring too much for any obligation or posture can be called "gezellig". A simple cookie can be gezellig, as well as a person who makes you feel comfortable. Someone who tells funny stories without hurting anyone is gezellig, Singing songs together even falsly can be gezellig, as long as you can laugh about it. A room can be gezellig if it invites you to act informally. The list is endless as long as you feel comfortable and no presure is applied.

I’m happy to have found your channel. I’ve been living in GOUDA, I’m a chiropractor from US, for 4 yrs now and trying my best to learn the language. Your videos fill in the blanks we English translators often struggle with, so again thank you 😊 cheers

Gezellig kanaal! Gives me a smile on my face.

Uitwaaien: Some possible translations or descriptions. 1) clearing the cobwebs from your head 2) getting a fresh view of things. If you struggle trying to find a solution, it can be a good strategy to go first uitwaaien before you make a decision. 3) Clearing up your mind

"Gunnen", I would translate as I want this person to get this, because they deserve it. Sometimes Dutch people also use gunnen in a negative way (but less often). Like for example, some people may say "ik gun Trump het coronavirus"/ I gun Trump the coronavirus. (Though now he already has it, so it doesn't really work anymore)

I was about to go down to the comments and explain the little details I know about these words as a dutch person... Then I saw half of the Netherlands already here proudly talking about our language :P I love your videos! :)

First of all I would like to compliment your Dutch. Your pronunciation is really good. Uitbuiken is a tricky word for non-native speakers, but you nailed it. I would add another word to the list: wel. A very frequently used word in Dutch. In some cases it can be translated to well in English, but wel actually means the opposite of not. There's no English word for that (as far as I know at least). Je hebt je huiswerk zeker weer niet gedaan, hè? (You didn't do your homework again, did you?) - Jawel, dat heb ik wel gedaan! (I did do that!). Wel puts emphasis on the fact that you actually did do something when someone suggests you didn't. And jawel is a positive answer to a negative question. You didn't do your homework, did you? - both yes and no as an answer would confirm the question: you didn't do it. In Dutch you can answer jawel which means you actually did do it. I haven't found an English translation yet. There's one good thing about it though: no "welles-nietes discussies".

Ava, interesting! I agree: it's his/her birthday refers to the biological annual repetition. Feeling 'jarig' relates to the experience of others celebrating with you that it's your special day today. I think, besides being traditional, it's a sort of check to see if you have been made to feel special enough so far. And, if not, to act on that and help make it so.

Most people use 'Jarige Job' for both girls and boys, I rarely hear anyone use 'Jarige Jet'. They're not very common names either, pretty sure we use it just because both words are short and start with J.

Your best video so far. Goed werk!

Love the video And truly uitbuiten had to be the hardest to translate lol It’s when people get up from the table after let’s say your thanksgiving diner and struggle to the couch to sit and don’t move for the first half hour because you’re just too full I’m still thinking of an English word that would closely resemble uitbuiten but no luck... maybe “I’m stuffed” would be the closest but that translated to “ik ben vol” on my translator Fun stuff!! Maar je video’s zijn leuk!! Ga zo door

I would translate "Uitwaaien" as "Catching a breeze"

Borrelen also means: when bubbles come up in a liquid.

Hi Ava. I just visited Holland and while I was there I discovered your channel and really enjoyed your videos. I have another Dutch expression for you: "Dat zit wel snor", which means "don't worry about it".

Your videos are very gezellig to me because your tone and expression are very relaxed. Welcome to my home town where i have lived all my life.

Voorpret, pre-fun, in my opinion refers to having fun now because of some future event. 'looking forward' is referring to future fun only. So in my opinion they are a lil different.

natafelen = having a cup of coffee after diner, sometimes still on the dinner table. and sometime accompanied by brandy. And a good conversation.

Echt super leuk gedaan. :) Mijn dochter leert nu ook Nederlands via jou youtube filmpjes. Ze woont in Armenie met haar moeder en leert veel talen zoals frans, russisch, en engels. Misschien kan je ook een filmpje maken met de uitspraken :) ou uu oe ee etc... :)) thanks for your very great video's, my daughter is learning from your youtube movies :))) Greetings from Armenia. Ik woon zelf in Nederland (katwijk aan zee)

Having spent a considerable amount of time in NL and DK as a foreigner, I would say the Dutch and the Danes simply enjoy overstating the untranslatability of gezellig/hyggelig, because the words describe something about their cultures that they are very proud of. It’s like trying to translate the American expression of ‘chilling’ as relaxing. People from the U.S. would always tell you there is more to the word. For them, it represents the carefree and rock-and-roll spirit of the Americans. Likewise, the Dutch love sitting outside a kroeg on the canal over the summer months, to have a few drinks and snacks for hours with good company. That’s gezellig. The similar concept of coziness in Denmark, though, is more about lighting candles indoors during the long winter nights, or having a picnic in the park during the long summer days, to feel intimate with a few friends, family, etc. That’s hyggelig. If you ask the Dutch and the Danes, they would tell you there is a difference between gezellig and hyggelig - not because the Dutch don’t find winter candles and small summer picnics gezellig, or the Danes don’t find drinks at an outdoor cafe hyggelig. They most definitely do. Their different ideas about that warm gushy feeling are just tied to different habits. When you compare the two cultures, gezellig/hyggelig really reflects how the Dutch tend to be more extroverted. Yes, the Germans have gemuetlich, and that’s like the warmed-up version of Americans chilling lol. They are proud of their German efficiency and the ability to shut down work stress on command. No offence to those who dislike cultural stereotypes. Just sharing some observations that make us appreciate one another more :)

"Gunnen" has 2 meanings: a client can award (or grant) a contract to a contractor. That is "gunnen" of a contract. Or it can be used as in your example, hope for someone to get something, because you think he deserves it. And only in a positive way.

Heya, I love your interpretations of these words. I'd say you are very accurate! Here are some of my thoughts as well: Jarig is an adjective, so personally I'd translate it to yeary, or birthy, but that also doesn't make sense :D Borrelen means to bubble. So a borrel more specifically refers to a carbonated drink. Most people understand a borrel as a beer, or indeed as going for a beer together. But as you said, it can also just mean going for a drink together, and have some 'borrelhapjes' on the side. Gunnen is difficult to translate in one word, but you could probably say someone is deserving of getting something, or you wish for someone to get something, or to wish someone something (like "I wish you the best" sounds good, but using anything in place of the best sounds unnatural, why is that!). Also, the other commenters are right that it's mostly used in positive situations, but I've also heard it being used negatively, although most of the time it's with a hint of sarcasm or with some 'funniness' to it.

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you. And your command of Dutch is improving awesomely, it really is. It is very apparent that you live with a person for whom Dutch is her first/native language. I watched this video with a notepad and pen (because I have nothing productive to do) and literally wrote down my first translatory thought when you mentioned the words. So here's my own "van Dale" work. I am not insisting that I am right, just my interpretation, given my knowledge of both languages. Jarig does not necessarily pertain to birthdays, it can be used in the context of a work anniversary for example. Jarig also does not by definition depict a single day, people can say for example: "In twee weken is Koos jarig". What I came up with is Jarig = Annual commenseration (I know....not sexy sounding) Voorpret is quite simple. Voorpret = excitement Excitement is often used in English, not quite correctly. When we do it is a literal translation, no more needs to be said. I had a hard time with borrel. I am going to have to make a word by mending two words with a forward slash; Borrel = drink/gathering There's an English word for uitwaaien but I am having a brain fart and can't think of it but an English phrase came to mind: "catching a breeze". But it doesn't work completely, uitwaaien doesn't merely pertain to people it can also pertain to articles. For example: "Ik ga mijn blouse buiten ophangen om het een beetje te uitwaaien". (Ouch!, my Dutch is getting bad). We wouldn't really say in English that we're going to hang our shirt outside to let it catch a breeze. Or, maybe we would? Uitbuiken = "bloated" in slightly slang language. There is an English word for "natafelen" but I can't come up with it. I studied (in The Netherlands) to be, and I am a Chef. In the science of menu construction, sometimes natafelen is actually a dinner course (without food). That is a French word and I have forgotten it too. Because in the US, in the country clubs when I actually physically wrote 9 course dinner menus for private parties I would write it as "coffee course" Gunnen = to wish for Yeap, the world baffles over how to translate gezellig. My first thought is Gezellig = intimately joyful

Voorpret is often associated with preparing for a fun activity, and getting exited in the process. For instance, you have planned a camping trip and are now in the process of shopping for a tent, hiking boots, a portable gas stove, and so on. Dutch people would say that shopping spree is voorpret. Voorpret is not really about sitting quietly and contemplating the upcoming trip. The noun borrel usually means an organized event, it's not just going to happy hour; it's often a private affair for a certain group of people, a social event. You wouldn't refer to a group of colleagues meeting in a bar as a "borrel". However the verb borrelen can refer to such a gettogether: "We gaan na werk nog even borrelen" i.e. "We're going for drinks after work".

There is a third meaning of "borrel". A beverage with a high alcohol percentage, like "jenever" (gin), which you serve in a "borrelglaasje" (shot glass)!

i'd say "uitwaaien" is used to refer to going for a walk or on a trip, though particularly to the beach. It's mainly related to how windy it gets near the shoreline(and thereby basically the whole country), "to get winded" i feel is more often related to exertion which isn't what the word refers to. The hairdryer thing is actually quite close to what the origin of the word is i think (though again, it's often simply used to mean 'going outside' in some form). "Uitbuiken" refers to resting after a big meal to allow the food to "settle" if that makes sense and "natafelen" is related to continuing conversations and drinks (and maybe snacks) at the table after a meal (though it doesn't necessarily have to be a big meal), especially on special occasions like a dinner at a restaurant with friends/family. "ik gun hem die baan" i'd translate as something like "i think he deserves to get that job"

Gezellig also applies the ambiance as well for me. It's the combination of the situation or room feeling good / positive and it being cozy/comfy

A propos the “borrel”: an interesting variety of the borrel is the VriMiBo. The VrijdagMiddagBorrel :) And with regards to “uitbuiken”, we also use the expression “je broek op de vreethaak zetten” for the moment you noticed you actually ate too much. “Gunnen” is actually really old. It’s already present on an Old Dutch inscription in runes, with the exact same meaning, but without the “g”. Modern English still has the word (to) “own”, but it has a slightly different meaning/focus. The old Dutch “onne(n)” could also mean “to wish” or “to bestow”.

I really waited for 'gezellig' 😂

I enjoyed this een hele boel. I lived in Holland before you were born, unless you are over 50 and I rarely get a chance to hear a discussion about the Dutch Language which Ik find erg interesant. I don't know if this is correct but I'm still trying to learn Nederlanse after decades of trying, it is good exercise for the brain, and my friends love it when I sing the "hele groote bloemkool, eh?" song. So I thank you for this and hope you do more on this topic. What fun.

This is such a great list! In my workplace, we typically call our borrels drinks, and that works! (and to really get the voorpret across, I'll add an intensifyer, like I'm sooooo / really looking forward to it!) Gunnen is a word that I have also really struggled to translate. It's when you want good things for people because they are worthy of having them because they are nice :). I was so relieved when I learned a new language and discovered that it had its own version of gunnen! (Norwegian)

"Het is Freds verjaardag" sounds like a fact, and "Fred is jarig!" sounds like "Pie and gezelligheid tonight!" so I get what you mean!

A borrel or borreltje was originally a small glass of “jenever” but now it’s more commonly used for a strong alcoholic drink , but not for beer ect.

#2 I'm stoked.

wat een vrolijke filmpjes post jij toch steeds Ava, leuk en gezellig :-), en aangezien je Nederlands wilt leren, hier even mijn antwoord in Nederlands. Zelf zou ik 'iemand of jou het gunnen' vertalen als... i really like you to have it! , komt dat dan niet meer in de richting? En bij 'cozy' denk ik aan knus, en knus kán gezellig zijn maar hoeft niet. Maar kan 'cozy' ook eh... 'cozy' zijn? :- ) Nou volgens mij hebben we inderdaad een woord extra in het Nederlands..gezeliggg!

Gunnen is like the opposite of envy. You hope someone gets something because you wish well upon them.

The "Van Dale" is not _a_ reputable dictionary, it is _the_ reference after "het groene boekje". Het groene boekje is a spelling guideline that is actually official, but is not a dictionary.

This is a fun list of Dutch words! You did a great job finding words that are not cliche. Did you know that there is a verb for participating in a borrel? It is called borrelen. I think that your explanation of natafelen is actually the description of uitbuiken. Natafelen is when after dinner people remain seated at the table for a long time to have a gezellige conversation. You don’t necessarily have to feel stuffed, it’s rather a description of the social activity. I think that gunnen translates as “to wish for”. Your partner wishes for her friend to get that job.

This is sooo funny. I now appreciate my language more, thank you 😃

My explanation for “jarige Job” is that in the Bible in the book of Job chapter 3, Job cursed his birthday: “After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months. Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day: Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck? For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest, With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves; Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver: Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” ~ Job‬ ‭3:1-26‬ ‭KJV‬‬ And that because of this we now jokingly say to someone who’s birthday it is: “hey jarige Job”.

Gunnen is less "I HOPE he gets the job" and more "I hope HE gets the job" if that makes sense... Hm, this really is a difficult one!

So much enjoyed your video. I am a native Dutch speaker, but live abroad and therefore speak mostly English all the time. So yes, sometimes I want to use a word that exists in Dutch, but cannot find the English equivalent. Such as "binnenpretje". The best I can come up with for a "borrel" (as in a social gathering with drinks and snacks) is a "cheese-and-wine". Of course, the Dutch word 'par excellence' in the entire dictionary is "lekker". You can use it for anything: drinks, food, a chair, a pair of trousers, a room, a bicycle, a walk, the weather, sex, etc. "Lekker ding!". "Lekker belangrijk!"

Hi Eva, I love this video. Very good! Regarding 'gunnen' , pleasd check the nounces 'gunst' and (the opposite) 'afgunst' for a good English translation.

"natafelen" is always "gezellig", otherwise, why bother and, as others have pointed out, is more about enjoying the company then being stuffed until you reach critical mass. "uitbuiken" can be extremely "ongezellig", it's basically undoing your belt, perhaps your top button or two (unzipping partways if you use zippers) and giving your belly room to expand freely.

Gezellig can be best translated to the vibe that's hanging around the room when you're with your friends drinking a beer and having a good time. Never in my 23 years have I heard someone asking my opinion on the "gezellig" weather hahaha

Hey I watched your videos a couple of times and it’s really interesting to me. Very cool you moved to Amsterdam and enjoy your time here in the Netherlands, and nice that you are interested in the language and culture and make video’s about it. Sometimes it makes me laugh because I think yes indeed... but sometimes i think,, but how is that going in America? I really wanna know, I love America. What’s the difference between our toilets? I dont get it, i’ve never been in America. I just think Amsterdam is different in a lot of things than the rest of the Netherlands, with the bikes not ringing bells for instance... i always ring my bell on the “fietspad” when i need to pass someone, thats normal to me, attention please im passing you, watch out. And here its not even that dangerous as in amsterdam. Iget crazy in Amsterdam! I live in a small village in Noord-Holland, and I find it very busy and chaotic in Amsterdam. Van Dale didn’t really impress me. No there are no direct words in english to translate. But they didn’t really go out of their way to explain it haha... i love the words you use to directly translate!! They should be used in English ! In dutch we also say someone has an gun-factor , which means you feel like compassionate and really want them to win an talentshow for instance, because you like the person and feel like they deserve it. You can also gun someone something bad, like i don’t gun you anything, that’s very hateful. This cant be literally translated into anything Uitwaaien I would say to go outside for a walk, letting the wind go through your hair, to freshen up, get new energy. uitbuiken.... i really love your translation.. what you said about being full after dinner and unzipping your pants comes really close. My grandfather always unzipped his pants during the uitbuiken and laid his hands on his belly and said l’ve had too much too eat, it was delicious hahha. You’re right uitbuiken goes together with natafelen. Which means staying at the dinner tabel to let the food get down and enjoy time together at the table. Natafelen is not something you do alone. Well,maybe you can, but that’s not very gezellig Voorpret- joy in preparing and being exited about something thats going to happen Gezellig- having fun in terms of being around other people, or an gezellige home, looks gezellig, what you said cozy, pleasant, nice Being jarig, you are the birthday girl or boy, feeling jarig is when you enjoy your birthday.... if people forget your birthday, you don’t feel jarig, like it’s your birthday.. and know some of people who dont want to be jarig and dont even want to celebrate their birthday. When I was a kid I always really enjoyed my birthday and felt very jarig. With all the people coming over and cake and presents and i was so proud of my age! Now i dont feel very jarig anymore. All day taking care of all the guests exhausts me and im not really proud and exited about getting older anymore. I think you get all of this, just wanted to chat I guess, and let you know i watch your videos and find it interesting how you experience your time in Amsterdam/the Netherlands. Oh , i know my name Merle, is a mans name in America, but I’m a woman, and I think its very difficult to pronounce in English... even dutch people sometimes pronounce it wrong... like Meerle or merlee... there is just one e second jn the front of my name and one at the end... it’s spelled is literally how you pronounce it. How can people pronounce it wrong. Haha , I wonder how difficult it might be for you to pronounce my name, translating the letters into dutch sounds... im gonna watch your videos about names now. Bye.

We're a bit of a smaller company and we have often have a "borrel" at the office on Friday evening. The construction workers start early and by 3pm-4pm they're generally done and then they go to our office and we have a few beers or other drinks and just have a good time socializing. Sometimes it's 2 of them that show up, sometimes all 6. But it's always a lot of fun. We at the office still try to get some work done but it's while chatting, drinking, somebody might have some Belgian chocolates to share, etc.

Voorpret, I never used that. I usually say “ ik kijk er naar uit”

P.S. Dutch author Rudy Kousbroek wrote a wonderful booklet called "De Aaibaarheidsfactor" (about cats). No idea how to translate that into English... hahahaha...

You're pronunciation of the 'r' is one of the best I've heard from a non-southern Dutch speaker. Props.

I like your vlogs, they satisfy my analytical mind, heart, soul and guts. When I saw this one I immediately took my notebook to note down the words you would come up with. To my surprise none of them were in my little list of such terms. Without comment I'll just give you 4 of them: 1. Bevindelijk; 2. Men; 3. Wezen (verb) and 4. Geborgen I am curious as to how you would translate those four.

The Dutch don't really have a translation for 'Happy Hour', we just also call it happy hour 😁🍻

Natafelen doesn't nessecarily mean youre stuffed. I use it when its too 'gezellig' to leave the table when everyone finished their food. So when everyone is finished but you keep sitting at the table having a chat. That is 'na tafelen'

I'd say 'gezellig' is the vibe when you are having a drink with your friends. When everyone is having a laugh and a great time it is 'gezellig'

The context of 'Ik gun hem de baan.' Is more a feeling of the hart. You are very fond of someone and know the person really worked hard to get the job and you want them to do well etc. If you could give the job yourself, you would. Because the person deserves it to your opinion. But it can also be f.i. There is one piece of applepie left, and you realy want it, but you know your friend loves applepie so you leave it for him to take. So you 'gun' it your friend. It's not just give or share, you give something up to please your friend. It's a realy nice thing to do.

Suggestion: ask your friend for some funny idioms and discuss them. My favorite is "Daar kan ik geen chocola van maken" (I cannot make chocolate out of thàt). I never could figure out why a person had to be able to turn something into chocolate to prove to himself he understands something. LOL

To me "dan ben je nog niet jarig" is more ominous... "in that case you're in trouble".,.. maybe even "big trouble".

About 'gezellig': As a Dutch person I do use gezellig to describe the weather quite a lot actually. I think rain is gezellig in a way, cause when it rains, it's cold and wet outside, while I'm inside drinking my tea or sth and that just feels cozy to me. So I think you can use gezellig in many different ways, even to describe weather:)

Most Dutch cabinet in the background! :) Awesome!

I think "dan ben je nog niet jarig' actually means something like the idiom 'dan zwaait er wat' and means something like:: 'you will regret that'

Jarig zijn = being birthy Borrel = a gulp Uitwaaien = extreme catching some fresh air Gunnen = thinking they deserve to get it

Uit te waaien seems to me like the English phrase to ‘blow the cobwebs away’, when you go out for a walk to just get some fresh air and refresh, energise....

You can "natafelen" after a meeting, where you discuss the meeting. Doesn't have to include eating (certainly not excessive eating - as in uitbuiken (which is a rather crude word)). Gunnen has two meanings: 1 is grant, 2 is to feel that someone deserves it. But gunnen is more subtle. It is more that the balance strikes out into someone's favour. (otherwise: hij verdient het). It also involves social capital as in "brownie points"

"Uitwaaien" means to connect with vast space and nature. This is very beneficial to one's mind. It relaxes and acts a bit like taking vitamins. You feel invigorated afterwards, mentally, for it is quite tiring of course. Dutch live in small spaces and their cities and villages are cramped. The BIG difference between the USA and The Netherlands is space. The USA has endless space. Compare the Netherlands to New York city and Long Island and you got it, I think. In some Woody Allen movies, they are also doing "uitwaaien'. For instance, they go to Coney Island in the fall and it is all grey and drizzly and deserted, in other words, lots of mental and physical space. Apparently, the Atlantic beach is too far away.

When you gun someone something, you specifically hope someone gets something as a reward. You feel they deserve something

Voorpret is having fun before the occasion takes place, when you think about what could happen or what you or another person will be experiencing. Like if you plan a prank or booked a holiday trip or organize a party. You think about what you will do or how much fun you will have. It’s a sort of longing to the occasion and thinking how much fun it will be. Natafelen is indeed remain seated at the table after dinner because it is gezellig. Tafelen is also another word for eating at the table with company. We also say: we’re going at the table (we gaan aan tafel) when the table is set and food is on the table, everything is ready and only the people are missing. Uitbuiken is giving your body/belly a rest after a good meal where you ate plentiful. You go and sit at a place where your belly has more space than sitting at the table. You shove your chair away from the table to have more room, give your belly more room by shifting your belt a notch and lean backwards. Or you’re going to sit at the couch doing the same like Al in Married with children, but without the hand...

Here's a free tip form a translator. Aside from looking in an (online) dictionary, you can also use sites like linguee.com, or, in case of Working with the Dutch language, linguee.nl. There, apart from seeing aan 'official' translation (which, in case of Dutch, comes from Van Dale), you also get to see a list of resources (documents) from various agencies, where the word has been used. This can give you some valuable insight into how people work around words that may not have a counterpart in another language. I do have to stress that you should always use _more than one_ resource when investigating things like these, especially when the investigation is carried out for your work. Never just use the dictionary _or_ these websites I just provided. Try to combine them.. Apart from this, I must say I really liked this video and I agree with you where Van Dale's translation for *gezellig* is concerned. Thanks for pointing that one out to us!

Gunnen is more like wishing someone gets what he deserves. It doesn’t have to be positive. For example: I gun Trump a relatively difficult recovery from corona. And I gun you a lot of subscribers, cause your videos are awesome.❤️