Dutch proverbs and sayings
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The Dutch use many 'spreekwoorden en uitdrukkingen' (proverbs and sayings). These will make zero sense to foreigners if you do not know the actual meaning of them. In this chapter, you will be introduced to some common Dutch proverbs and sayings!
Below, you will find some common Dutch proverbs. As you can see, animal names are used in a lot of Dutch proverbs.
Dutch proverb | Literal translation | Actual meaning |
---|---|---|
Van een mug een olifant maken. | To make an elephant out of a mosquito. | Exaggerating. |
Als de kat van huis is, dansen de muizen op tafel. | When the cat leaves the house, the mice dance on the table. | Without supervision, people do whatever they like. |
Als er een schaap over de dam is volgen er meer. | If one sheep crosses the dam, more will follow. | If one person tries something new, others will have the courage to do so as well. |
De aap komt uit de mouw. | The monkey comes out of the sleeve. | The truth is revealed. |
Over koetjes en kalfjes praten | To talk about little cows and little calves. | Chit-chatting. |
Een kat in de zak kopen. | Buying a cat in the bag. | Making a bad bargain. |
Het regent pijpenstelen | It is raining pipes. | It is raining very hard. |
Lachen als een boer met kiespijn. | To laugh like a farmer with toothache. | An obvious fake laugh. |
De kogel is door de kerk. | The bullet is through the church. | A decision has been made. |
Beter een goede buur dan een verre vriend. | Better a good neighbour than a far-away friend. | A good neighbour is worth more than a distant friend. |
Hij staat met zijn mond vol tanden. | He's standing there with his mouth full of teeth. | He's speechless. |
Al draagt een aap een gouden ring, het is en blijft een lelijk ding. | A monkey may wear a golden ring, but it will always be an ugly thing. | One's appearance doesn't make up for their negative personality. |
De appel valt niet ver van de boom. | The apple does not fall far from the tree. | A child's character reflects their parents'. |
Hoge bomen vangen veel wind. | High trees catch a lot of wind. | People in a high position have many responsibilities. |
Een ezel stoot zich niet twee keer aan dezelfde steen. | A donkey doesn't stub itself against the same boulder twice. | One who makes the same mistake twice is a fool. |
Some of these proverbs may be easier to remember, since there is an English proverb that has the same meaning:
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Here you can find some common Dutch sayings. In general, sayings are used more often than proverbs.
Dutch saying | Literal translation | Actual meaning |
---|---|---|
Één april, kikker in je bil! | First of April, frog in your bottom! | Exclaimed when one falls for an April Fools joke. |
Helaas pindakaas! | Unfortunately peanut butter! | Too bad! |
Apenstaartje | Monkeytail | The @ in an E-mailaddress |
Een bakje troost | A cup of comfort | A cup of coffee |
Kippenvel | chickenskin | When the hair on one's skin stands up straight. |
Een fluitje van een cent. | A whistle of a penny. | It's easy. |
Mierenneuker | Someone who makes love to ants | A nitpicker. |
Kiplekker | Chicken-delicious | When you are feeling very well. |
Slapend rijk worden | Becoming rich while sleeping | Earning a lot of money without doing any work. |
Er is werk aan de winkel. | There is work at the store. | There is work to be done. |
Iemand onder vier ogen spreken. | To talk to someone among four eyes. | To have a private conversation with someone. |
Uit het oog, uit het hart. | Out of the eye, out of the heart | Forgetting about someone you do not see every day anymore. |
Liefde maakt blind. | Love makes blind. | Not seeing someone's poor characteristics because you're in love with them. |
Oost west, thuis best. | East west, home best. | Wherever you are, home is where you'll feel most comfortable. |
Samen uit, samen thuis. | Out together, home together | If you start something together, you should finish it together. |
Some English sayings have similar meanings as these Dutch sayings:
Avoid literal translation of the Dutch proverbs and sayings to English, and vice versa.
Hopefully these Dutch proverbs and sayings will come in handy at some point! Train your knowledge of the Dutch proverbs and sayings by doing the exercises below.
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Helene is an excellent teacher and a pleasure to work with. She has an organized lesson at the start and has a easy and clear communication style. I took Dutch classes from her, so I know she is at least fluent in English and Dutch. I also understand she is fluent in French as well. I plan to continue taking classes with Helene!
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Why should you choose me? Take a look at what people say who have taken online classes with me.
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- prepare Dutch exams "Basisinburgering A1" and "Inburgeringsexamen A2". Your full commitment and my energetic, professional approach are the winning combination to help you succeed at once!
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Learning a foreign language is not a matter of doing much effort, but rather of being consistent, enjoying the lessons and allowing your intuition to work with you. You will book immediate results while having fun!
I've been teaching Dutch, Spanish and Italian for many years, in The Netherlands, for private institutes, for the integration of foreigners into society (Inburgering), and online from Italy, where I currently live.
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Elena is very good at keeping the conversation going, she nicely corrects my pronunciation mistakes (which I like) and teaches me new words and expresions useful for the conversation in question. I like how she adapts to my learning wishes and needs, prepares interesting subjects and promotes deep, professional and personal exchanges of ideas. Highly recommended!
Elena P.Thank you for your feedback, David! I am happy to know that you are satisfied with the classes. Keep going because you are learning fast and well!
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Learn to communicate in Dutch from the first lesson! Enjoyable classes with teaching materials tailored to your needs. First 15 min. class for free. My name is Karin and I'm from Holland, but I live on the Canary Islands. I love teaching DUTCH and have done so for more than 20 years. I have a Diploma in English Philology. I also have two methodology degrees: the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults of the University of Cambridge) and the FCTBE (Foundation Certificate for Teachers of Business English of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry).
I have taught at a Business School and ten companies. In the last two years I've mainly been giving private lessons and I've developed a variety of online self-study DUTCH courses. My schedule is flexible and I adapt myself to the needs and interests of my students so that they reach their objectives in the shortest possible time.
Enjoyable classes, with teaching materials tailored to your needs.
How do the classes work? A class lasts 45 minutes. I'll send you the materials we are going to use in class beforehand so you can print them. After the class I'll send you audios of the notes we made, vocabulary etc. My speciality is communication, from beginner level to advanced. So, you will speak some Dutch in the first class already! Why wait any longer? Let's get started! :-)
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It is my fourth class with Karin and I am delighted, I already spoke Dutch because I have lived in Holland for 4 years, but what I need now is to perfect it and, with Karin, I find it super enjoyable because his philosophy and way of teaching is just what I was looking for. I am very happy and, of course, eager to continue with the classes in order to one day achieve my goal of speaking Dutch as well as she speaks Spanish.
Karin L.Thank you very much, Laura! I am also delighted with you as a student :-)
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Hello there,
I'm Eveline Debouvere, polyglot and a world citizen! It would be my pleasure to help you improving your Dutch or German language skills. Tell me what you want to learn and I'll adapt my course to your needs. As I am working as a sales person for the Scandinavian and German markets in a medium-sized company, I am able to improve my own language skills every day. Knowing the importance of learning languages in a good, but fun way makes it easier to teach myself. On top of that I've already taught different languages to different students. All of them were amazed by the way the course is adapted to their needs during the teaching process.
Do you want to find this out yourself? Please contact me!
Until then I wish you all the best!
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It was great. We went through the first introduction round, then through important base of language - alphabet and "double sounds" to improve my pronunciation. Then we read article - to improve my pronunciation and understanding. It was a great lesson and I am looking forward to the next one.
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Hello,
I'm offering informal Dutch and English lessons based on conversation and will conduct my lessons for as much as possible in the target language.
I use text, weblinks to tv shows to get us talking and am a fan of the TPRS method.
There's a lot of information on that method online. Basically it's getting to know the structure Dutch and English through simple conversation. (questions about 1 or several sentences on any topic)
I have some useful weblinks to tv shows in Dutch (with subtitles in Dutch) adjusted to your level and the shows are entertaining too. :-)
We can discuss the shows preferably in the target language of course.
I can explain some grammar too if needed and have articles and books ready to read from. This again will be adjusted to your proficiency. But of course if you'd like to focus on a topic which has your interest that is possible as well. This makes it more personal and more fun.
I've been teaching for about a year now on another platform to students from all over the world and really enjoy having the experience again as I used to be a vocal coach back in the days when I attended conservatory in the Netherlands.
I hope to see you here on Co language. :-)
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Less is knowledgeable about teaching. He was positive and encouraging. During the lessons we followed a good routine. Reading aloud and accent corrections. Then review of homework followed by a TPRS exercise. He was always well prepared and punctual. I highly recommend him.
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I was born in the Netherlands and was living there for most of my life. I did a bachelor in Economics and Languages. That means I can help anyone with Dutch. From Recreational to Business use of Dutch, I will make sure we get to your goals.
Furthermore I have been using my second language, English, for many years while I was studying in England at NENE university in Northampton. I worked for a US based company for almost 10 years. I was teaching English in India and Nepal. Currently I am residing in Poland.
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Jeff is a wonderful teacher. He listens well and understood my personal needs if it comes to learning Dutch. Highly recommended!
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Good individual help and giving personal attention. She always had a way of communicating info so you could understand.
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Hello,
I'm offering informal Dutch and English lessons based on conversation and will conduct my lessons for as much as possible in the target language.
I use text, weblinks to tv shows to get us talking and am a fan of the TPRS method.
There's a lot of information on that method online. Basically it's getting to know the structure Dutch and English through simple conversation. (questions about 1 or several sentences on any topic)
I have some useful weblinks to tv shows in Dutch (with subtitles in Dutch) adjusted to your level and the shows are entertaining too. :-)
We can discuss the shows preferably in the target language of course.
I can explain some grammar too if needed and have articles and books ready to read from. This again will be adjusted to your proficiency. But of course if you'd like to focus on a topic which has your interest that is possible as well. This makes it more personal and more fun.
I've been teaching for about a year now on another platform to students from all over the world and really enjoy having the experience again as I used to be a vocal coach back in the days when I attended conservatory in the Netherlands.
I hope to see you here on Co language. :-)
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I am very satisfied with the lessons with Less. very understandable and interesting. highly recommend)
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I am learning Czech with Dita since a few weeks and I willingly recommend her. She has very good communication skills and she makes sure that the lessons are motivating. The lessons are a good mix of dialogues, reading and exercises. Of course there is also some grammar, but limited to what is needed, never too long.
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Hi!
My name is Kirstine. I'm an experienced English and Danish teacher. I teach at a primary and lower secondary school. (Students aged 6-16). But I'm also very interested in teaching both younger and older/adult students.
I'm an international coordinator at my school, and very used to working with students and teachers from all around the world.
I'm used to online teaching.
I love having contact with people from all around the world. I used to travel a lot, but now I love to meet people from other countries either at my AirBnB or through online sessions.
I love to hear from you and teach you either Danish or English.
I have an informal way of teaching, and will work together with you to make the sessions how you prefer them.
We can use a textbook if you prefer, but I also like to read the news, small books, look at online videos and more, and to discuss and learn from that.
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We can definitely recommend Kirstine as a Danish teacher. Our main goal is to learn how to speak Danish and we have been progressing very well through a mix of conversational, grammar, reading, and homework exercises. Kirstine was very open to tailor the classes to our specific needs.
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Hello and nice to meet you!
My name is Laura Borger and I am a qualified language teacher. I have been teaching Dutch to young and old for the past seven years.
I have been teaching online for a year now and I love it. My students range from beginners to advanced, so I have collected tons of materials for all levels.
Also, at the University of Leiden I completed the Master Linguistics and the Master Education.
My lessons are based on the needs and interests of my students. For example, if you are in need of grammar, I will adjust my material accordingly. Or if you want to focus on speaking skills, I have tons of activities to develop this skill too!
My personal goal is to ensure that my classes are dynamic, active and fun! I use games, current topics and digital exercises and I feel the proudest when I can really observe the progress in my student's Dutch level.
I offer a free trial lesson of 25 minutes!
If this sounds good to you, press the button and we will see each other soon!
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Speaks clearly, corrects positively, steers the class confidently at a pace that suits the student. Great teacher.
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Hi!
My name is Natalia and I am a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language. I was born in Uruguay and I’m currently living in Spain.
I have a degree in International Relations and I have been developing my career as a teacher.
My classes are designed following a natural and communicative, action-oriented approach. In each class you will be able to participate, think, give your opinion and thus you will develop step by step all the necessary skills to learn and master the language.
One-on-one Spanish lessons with me include:
- Authentic materials adapted to your needs and interests.
- Exercises and activities that will keep you motivated.
- Feedback and tips to progress.
If you…
- would love to travel through Latin America or Spain
- need to improve your pronunciation in Spanish, your fluency, your comprehension
- would like to invest in your professional career and you know that speaking Spanish is essential
- need Spanish to do business.
- or just want to learn this language because you like it
Book a free trial lesson with me and start learning this beautiful language!
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Natalia is a lovely and passionate teacher who clearly adores teaching and sharing her taste for languages to her pupils. She knows how to tailor them to her students, helping them to reach their goals. She adapts the subjects and themes to their tastes and is always available for help. I truly recommend her to anyone who wants to learn Spanish in a fun, informative way!
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Dutch lessons (all levels).
I specialize in teaching you how to apply grammar, have a fluent conversation and to improve your writing skills. Moreover, I have helped Dutch speaking students to pass their NT1 exams as well as NT2 students with their language-exams.
So....
Would you like to take some extra lessons, before, in between or after your regular courses or prepare specifically for your exams? Contact me for a trial lesson.
Are you a Dutch student, struggling with the NT1 exams? Book a lesson with me and we can do this together.
Are you an expat, new resident or student in the Netherlands and looking for a loyal language companion who helps you through the dazzling maze of the Dutch language? Book with me and let me know how I can be of any help.
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Monique is a very friendly, charismatic, positive and encouraging teacher. Her lessons are always extremely interesting, dynamic and very productive. I am focusing mostly on improving my speaking abilities and it is always an interesting discussion on different topics. The lessons with her are a real pleasure for me. I just always regret, that our lesson past so quickly. I highly recommend Monique :)
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Dutch lessons (all levels).
I specialize in teaching you how to apply grammar, have a fluent conversation and to improve your writing skills. Moreover, I have helped Dutch speaking students to pass their NT1 exams as well as NT2 students with their language-exams.
So....
Would you like to take some extra lessons, before, in between or after your regular courses or prepare specifically for your exams? Contact me for a trial lesson.
Are you a Dutch student, struggling with the NT1 exams? Book a lesson with me and we can do this together.
Are you an expat, new resident or student in the Netherlands and looking for a loyal language companion who helps you through the dazzling maze of the Dutch language? Book with me and let me know how I can be of any help.
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Monique is very sweet and attentive to my needs. It has been a pleasure to navigate the Dutch language with her help!
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Linda is pleasant to work with, very thorough and careful to make sure that her students understand what is being taught. She's an excellent language teacher.
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