mars

Voorwaarts, mars!


amai

According to the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, the term is an evolution of the now obsolete interjections amij, amy or ammy (formed from ah and the personal pronoun mij; compare also French à moi), as an exclamation of sorrow or indignation, of sorrow, pain, aversion, pity, etc.

Amai, wa'ne klap!

Wa'ne stoot, amai!

(Belgium, Zeelandic Flanders) exclamation of surprise or disappointment; boy!

Amai, da'ziet er goed uit!

(Belgium, Zeelandic Flanders) oh my, amazing


toe

From Middle Dutch toe, from Old Dutch *tuo, from Proto-Germanic *tō.

Toe maar!

come on!, go on! (used when trying to coax someone into doing something)


lama

(informal, Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of laat maar (“never mind”).


shit

Borrowed from English shit. Doublet of schijt.


yes

(colloquial) yay (exclamation of happiness or enthusiasm)


man

From Middle Dutch man, from Old Dutch man, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

Man, is me dat schrikken.

Indicates that something is larger/stronger/... than usual.


dada

Zeg dada aan oma.


sorry

→ Papiamentu: sòri

Je hebt me heel erg pijn gedaan toen je dat zei. — Sorry, dat is nooit mijn bedoeling geweest.

You really hurt me a lot when you said that. — Sorry, that was never my intention.

Je stond op mijn voet! — Oh, sorry!

You were standing on my foot! — Oh, sorry!


huh

Huh? Hoe kan dat?

huh (an exclamation indicating puzzlement)


dag

Afrikaans: dag

Berbice Creole Dutch: daki

Negerhollands: dag

→ Indonesian: dag → dah

From Middle Dutch dach, from Old Dutch dag, from Proto-West Germanic *dag, from Proto-Germanic *dagaz.

hello, short for goedendag (“good day”) 'goodday; goodbye'


hallo

Petjo: hallo

→ Indonesian: halo

Borrowed from English hello, halloo, hollo.

hello (a general greeting used when meeting somebody)


au

Negerhollands: au, o

Petjo: aoew

Au, ja dat doet pijn!


gut

Gut, daar heb ik nooit zo over nagedacht.


thanks

Thanks dat je de vaat gisterenavond gedaan had, ik had er zelf geen tijd voor.

Thanks for doing the dishes yesterday evening, I didn't have time for it myself.


ach

Afrikaans: ag

→ Papiamentu: ag

→ Peranakan Indonesian: ach

oh, expresses compassion, surprise and dismay


neen

Berbice Creole Dutch: nene

Jersey Dutch: nên

Negerhollands: neen

→ Virgin Islands Creole: nen (dated)

From Middle Dutch neen, from Old Dutch nēn (“none, not one”), from Proto-West Germanic *nain, from Proto-Germanic *nainaz, from Proto-Germanic *ne + *ainaz. Cognate with English none, German nein.


nee

Afrikaans: nee

Javindo: nee

Skepi Creole Dutch: ne

From Middle Dutch neen, nee, from Old Dutch *nēn (“none, not one”), from *ne ēn, from Proto-Germanic *ne + *ainaz.

1992, A. F. Th. van der Heijden, Weerborstels, Em. Querido's Uitgeverij, page 23

Nee heb je al, ja kan je krijgen.

The only way to find out if someone agrees (with/to something) is to ask. (literally, “You already have "no", but you may still get "yes".”)


zeg

Petjo: seg, seh

Zeg, Leen, kom eens hier. – Hey, Leen, come here for a moment.

hey, used to draw the addressed person's attention.

Nee, ik kom niet, hoepel op zeg.

Wat een vervelende gozer zeg.

Used for emphasis, especially if the message is sudden or contrastive.


hop

Synonym of hoppa (“let's go, hey presto, alley-oop”)


hola

From Late Middle Dutch hola (“wait up!, hold on!, calm down!”), which also had the dialectal form holla; compare Middle Low German hola!, holda! (interjection), Middle High German holā! (interjection), of obscure origin. Possibly from the imperative of Middle Dutch halen, *holen (“to fetch”) (> dialectal holen), or possibly from Old French holà (“hey!”), from ho (“hold!, halt!, stop!”) + là (“there”).


adieu

Negerhollands: adjo, adjoe

→ Virgin Islands Creole: adio

From Middle Dutch adiu, from Middle French [Term?], from Old French [Term?]. Later reinfluenced by French adieu (“to God”).


ja

desctree

Afrikaans: ja
→ English: ja
→ Portuguese: iá

Indonesian: ya

Berbice Creole Dutch: ja

Jersey Dutch: jâ

Negerhollands: ja, ju

Skepi Creole Dutch: ja

→ Saramaccan: jahái, jaái

From Middle Dutch ja, from Old Dutch *jā, from Proto-Germanic *ja.

"Ja!" riep hij luid toen er een doelpunt viel.

Yes! he screamed loudly when they scored a goal.

(Suriname, informal) A casual greeting acknowledging the presence of a person; hey, hi, what's up

(Suriname, informal) Used as a request for someone to repeat something not heard or understood clearly; say again, what's that


nou

From Middle Dutch nou, a variant of nu, from Old Dutch *nu, from Proto-Germanic *nu.

Nou, vertel me de waarheid dan!

(Northern) so, well; when pressing someone

Nou, ik weet het nog niet zo zeker.

(Northern) well; indicates a certain degree of doubt.

Nou, het waait toch wel hard hoor!

(Northern) wow; indicates amazement or surprise.


over

From Middle Dutch ōver, from Old Dutch *ovar, from Proto-West Germanic *obar, from Proto-Germanic *uber, from Proto-Indo-European *upér, from *upo. Compare German ober, English over.

(procedure word, military) over (a radio procedure word meaning that the station is finished with its transmission and is expecting a response.)


amen

Inherited from Middle Dutch amen, from Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אמן (amén, “certainly, truly”).

der

amen; at the end of Judeo-Christian prayers: so be it


io

From Latin io, from Ancient Greek ἰώ (iṓ). Doublet of jo.


s'il vous plaît

Unadapted borrowing from French s’il vous plaît.


pardon

Negerhollands: pardon, bardon

→ Saramaccan: padón


yo

(slang) yo (informal greeting, interjection similar to hey)


joh

(informal) Used to address someone, somewhat like dude or mate.


eureka

Borrowed from Ancient Greek εὕρηκα (heúrēka, “I have found”), perfect active indicative 1st singular of εὑρίσκω (heurískō, “I find”).


jo

Ey! - Jo! - Hey! - Hi!

Later! - Jo! - Later! - Bye!

Fijn weekend! - Jo! - Have a nice weekend! - You too!


lap

(chiefly Belgium) exclamation of dismay, disappointment


bah

onomatopoeic

Exclamatory

An exclamation of disapproval, contempt or disgust: bah, yuck


bingo

bingo; expression to claim a win in bingo.

bingo; expression to indicate that a hit has been landed or that one has an idea.


hum

Onomatopoeia

uttering to attract attention, without literal meaning


gesundheit

From German Gesundheit (literally “health”).

Ik bleef haar aanstaren en moest niezen. Zij bleef lachen en zei: 'Gesundheit.'

2000, Harry Mulisch, Gerrit Komrij, Adriaan van Dis, Maarten 't Hart, Remco Campert, Marga Minco, Hugo Claus, De Schrijver: een literaire estafette, De Bezige Bij, →ISBN, page 142:

I kept staring at her and had to sneeze. She kept laughing and said: 'Bless you.'

'Ja, dat mag. En neem Heidi even mee, alsjeblieft. Ze zit weer te niezen.' Heidi was inderdaad aan het niezen – een hele serie zachte maar spetterende niesjes. 'Gesundheit,' zei Merrick.

2015, Anne Tyler, De blauwe draad, Prometheus, →ISBN, page 96:

'Yes, that's alright. And take Heidi, please. She's sneezing again.' Heidi was sneezing indeed – a series of soft but splattering sneezes. 'Bless you,' said Merrick.

'Gesundheit,' zei hij toen ik moest niezen.

2016, Hans Bogaert, Echo, De Bezige Bij, →ISBN, page 60:

Ik nam een te grote slok water en moest niezen vanwege de prik. 'Gesundheit. Maar er is nog een andere auto gevonden, in Lautenthal zelf.'

2016, Marjolijn Uitzinger, De partijgenoot, Singel Uitgeverijen, →ISBN, page 147:

I took too big of a gulp of water en had to sneeze because it was fizzy water. 'Bless you. But another has been found, in Lautenthal.'

(Netherlands) Said to someone who has just sneezed, bless you


joe

Joe!


hoi

Possibly a spontaneous alteration of the interjection ho. The use as a joyful exclamation is attested from the 16th century; use as an informal greeting appears only in the 20th century.
Another possibility is the borrowing from English ahoy or Middle English hoy; See also ahoi.

Hoi, hoe gaat het?

(Netherlands, informal) A greeting acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence, comparable to English hey, hi

Tot morgen. Hoi!

(Netherlands, informal) A farewell acknowledging someone's departure, comparable to English goodbye, bye

Ik heb een tante in Marokko en die komt, hiep hoi!

I have an aunt in Morocco and she's coming over, yippee yay!


jee

Contracted form of Jezus, used as a minced oath.

an expression of surprise: gosh, golly, gee


schol

Compare Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish skål.


morgen

Berbice Creole Dutch: moroko

Skepi Creole Dutch: murg, mag

→ Lokono: moroko

From Middle Dutch morgen, from Old Dutch morgan, from Proto-West Germanic *morgin, *murgin, from Proto-Germanic *murganaz, from Proto-Indo-European *mr̥Hko (“to blink, twinkle”).
Cognates:
Compare Low German Morgen, German Morgen, West Frisian moarn, English morn, morrow, Danish morgen, Swedish morgon.


jammer

From Middle Dutch jammer, from Old Dutch iāmer, from Proto-Germanic *jēmaraz (“miserable, sorrowful”).


merci

(chiefly Belgium or colloquial Netherlands) thank you


daarom

From Middle Dutch daeromme. Equivalent to a univerbation of daar + om.

Daarom juist!

"Waarom moet dat?" "Daarom!"

because, non-answer to a question of reason or purpose.


hemel

From Middle Dutch hēmel, from Old Dutch himil, from Proto-West Germanic *himil.

Synonym of mijn hemel (“my goodness!; heavens!”)


welkom

Afrikaans: welkom

Jersey Dutch: wälkom

Negerhollands: welkom

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wiljakumô. Cognate to English welcome, West Frisian wolkom, German willkommen, Danish velkommen and Norwegian Bokmål velkommen.

Welkom in Brabant


vaarwel

From varen (“to fare, to go, to travel”) + wel (“well”).

Vaarwel, wrede wereld!

(poetic) goodbye, farewell (connotation is somewhat sad, almost poetic)


succes

From French succès (“success”), from Latin successus, past participle of succedere, from sub and cēdere (“withdraw, yield”).


honderd

From Middle Dutch hondert, from Old Dutch *hundert, from Proto-Germanic *hundaradą.

(Suriname, slang) great, perfect, all right


hode

Zeg hem jij komt niet bij mij, no way // To-toch geef ik ze een kans, hode.

Tell him you're not coming to me, no way // St-still I'mma give her a chance, holy shit.

Ben ik een gangster, dan zeg ik: Hode // Ben jij een rapper, dan zeg je: Hode

Am I a gangster, then I'll say: Hot damn // Are you a rapper, then you'll say: Hot damn

Wordt kanker heet van die boetes // Die bitch moet pijpen niet smoelen (Hode)

It's getting hot as fuck from all those fines // That bitch should suck not blabber (Damn)

(Netherlands, slang) Used to convey surprise: holy shit; bloody hell


kut

Derivation from Proto-Germanic *kweþuz (“abdomen, belly”) (compare Old Norse kviðr (“abdomen, belly”) and Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌸𐌿𐍃 (qiþus, “womb”) is unlikely. Probably kut is cognate with kuit (“spawn”) and kont (“ass”). Also Old Dutch quintuc (“genitals of a female dog”) [8th century] might be related.


hocus pocus

Hocus pocus pilatus pas, ik wou dat het eindelijk weer zomer was.

Hocus-pocus, I wish it was finally summer again.


sund

Regional variety of standard Dutch zonde.


ewa

Borrowed from the conversation-starting Moroccan Arabic اوا.

(slang) an informal greeting, similar to yo


schaak

From Middle Dutch schaec, from Old French escac or directly from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه (šāh), from Classical Persian شاه (šāh, “king”).

check; said when one can strike the opponent's king in chess, but the opponent can still make moves to prevent the king from being taken.


kanker

From Middle Dutch canker, from Latin cancer.

(potentially offensive, vulgar, chiefly Netherlands) An expression of anger, annoyance, etc. damn, fuck


hoppa

Likely an extended form of hop, from the verb hoppen.

Exclamation of encouragement or excitement, often said during the coordination or completion of a physical activity: let's go! alley-oop! there we go! hey presto!


netjes

Je hebt je examens gehaald? Netjes!


hé

Hé, kijk uit waar je loopt!


alstublieft

Berbice Creole Dutch: asblifu

Skepi Creole Dutch: asublifi

A contraction and univerbation of als + het + u + belieft, literally “if it pleases you”. Calque of French s’il vous plaît.

univerbation

(formal) here you are (when handing something to someone else)


graag

From Middle Dutch gradig (“desirous, willing”), from Old Dutch *grādag (“desirous, hungry”), from Proto-West Germanic *grādag, from Proto-Germanic *grēdagaz (“hungry”).

inh

"Wilt u nog een kopje thee?" "Ja, graag."

"Would you like another cup of tea?" "Yes, please."


hoor

The interjection comes from hoor je (“do you hear?”).

Straks komen we nog te laat! — Nee hoor, we hebben nog genoeg tijd.

We'll be late! — Nah, surely not, we have plenty of time.

Wilt u het bonnetje? — Nee hoor, bedankt.

Zeg maar 'jij' hoor.

Lekker weertje hoor.

Chef, halte hoor. (Suriname)

Driver, I'd like to get off the bus here.

modal particle indicating reassurance or confidence from the speaker: certainly, surely, at all, but often weak and untranslatable

De kou valt best mee. — Nou, ik vind het toch wel koud hoor!

The cold isn't so bad. — Well, I still think it's pretty cold regardless!

modal particle indicating disagreement or a certain nuance with an earlier statement: regardless, despite that, anyway, you know


stik

Stik, alweer ernaast!

(Netherlands) drat, darn; Used as an expression of frustration, if something doesn't work out as expected. It is a rather innocent, child-friendly curse.


stoer

Originally the same word as stuurs, of which it is an eastern dialectal variant. Cognate with German stur (itself from Low German). Not immediately cognate with English stour, Swedish stor, but possibly related.


hè

Hè? Wat gebeurde er nou?

Hè, doe niet zo kinderachtig!

ugh, aww; said when disappointed or annoyed.

Dat was niet zo slim van je, hè?

(as a question at the end of a statement) does it?, is it?, right?, eh?; creates a tag question.


tja

Negerhollands: tscha

Variant of ja (“yes”). Compare tjonge (from jongen). Compare also Danish ja (“yes”) vs tja (“well…”); Finnish jaa (“yes; oh, well”), tjaa (“well…”).

Tja, eigenlijk weet ik dat niet.

Waar liggen de autosleutels? — Tja, daar vraag je me wat.

Where are the car keys? — Hmm, that's a good question.

Used to express thinking or pondering; hmm, yeah well

Een zeilboot is wel veel onderhoud, hoor. — Tja, dat hou je toch.

A sailboat requires a lot of maintenance, though. — Oh well, it's part of the game.

Zullen we morgen ergens gaan koffiedrinken? — Tja, of brunchen?

How about we go somewhere for coffee tomorrow? — Hmm, how about brunch?

Iedereen kan er wel eens last van hebben: een inkakmomentje op het werk. Tja, wat doe je eraan?

2017 October 9, Bart van Eldert, “'Creatiever op je werk? Doe een dutje' ['Want to be more creative at work? Take a nap']”, in De Gelderlander, retrieved 2022-11-14:

It can happen to anyone: an energy slump at work. Oh well, what to do about it?

Door alle „onvrede” gebruikte hij deze zomer weer eens harddrugs. Maar thrills vindt René sinds kort ook in de supermarkt. Hij steelt. Een gewoonte van vroeger. Tsja. Hij komt nog altijd nauwelijks rond.

2022 October 17, Ingmar Vriesema, “Dan maar douchegel gebruiken als scheerschuim [Making do with shower gel in stead of shaving cream]”, in NRC Handelsblad, retrieved 2022-11-14:

All the "disquiet" made him use hard drugs once more this summer. But recently, René has gotten his thrills in the supermarket, too. He has been stealing. An old habit. Oh well. He still barely makes ends meet.

Used to express ambivalence or resignation

Zal ik een tatoeage laten zetten? — Tja. Dat moet je zelf weten.

Should I get a tattoo? — What can I say? It's up to you.

Heb je de nieuwe Star Wars-film al gezien? — Tja, ik heb echt helemaal niets met sciencefiction.

Did you see the new Star Wars movie yet? — Well, I'm not into science fiction at all.

Er zaten voornamelijk vijftigplussers in de zaal. — Tja, wat verwacht je bij een Bach-uitvoering?

There were mostly over-50s in the audience. — Well, what do you expect at a Bach performance?

Ik ben kletsnat geworden. — Tja, had je maar een regenjas moeten meenemen.

I got soaked. — Well, should have brought a raincoat, shouldn't you?

Used to express that something is to be expected or anticipated

Gerard Cox is een geweldige zanger. — Tja, vind je?

Gerard Cox is an amazing singer. — Hmm, you think so?

We hebben heerlijk gewandeld tijdens onze vakantie. — Tja, ik lig liever aan het strand.

We had some lovely hikes during our holiday. — Well, I, for one, would rather be at the beach.

Hij vindt dit een goed voorstel... Tja.

He thinks this is a good proposal... I have my doubts.

Used to indirectly express disagreement or disapproval


goedemorgen

Negerhollands: guj morgen

Sranan Tongo: kumorgu

→ Papiamentu: mòru, morge, morgen


HGH

(Internet slang) Acronym of Hoe gaat het?. (which means how are you doing?)


godverdomme

→ Indonesian: hotperdom

→ Walloon: godferdom

Univerbation of God + verdomme. Literally, “God dammit, may God damn”. The -me is not the pronoun me, but represents the dated subjunctive suffix -e (preceded by a second -m- to mark the penultimate syllable as closed and the pronunciation of its vowel as short).

(vulgar, potentially offensive) Goddamn!


gezondheid

/ɣəˈzɔntˌɦɛi̯t/

From Middle Dutch gesontheid. Equivalent to gezond + -heid. Compare German Gesundheit.


akkoord

Afrikaans: akkoord


ju

onomatopoeic

onomatopoeic


prut

Onomatopoeic, presumably a metonym from the sound made by a substance or something falling into it. First attested in early modern Dutch. The same in regional German Prütt.

Sound of a thick, almost-solid substance.

Ondanks zijn 27 jaar in de Verenigde Staten, hoor je nog steeds een licht Rotterdams accent bij Maarten Sierhuis. Als hij met een biertje op het zonnige terras naast zijn kantoor middenin San Francisco proost, zegt hij „Prut!”

2016 April 30, Wouter van Noort, “‘Ik heb twee banen, het enige wat ik doe is werken’”, in NRC Handelsblad:


tyfus

From New Latin typhus, from Ancient Greek τῦφος (tûphos, “fever, stupor”).


sterkte

From Middle Dutch stercte, sterkede. Equivalent to sterk + -te.

Gecondoleerd met het verlies van je opa. Heel veel sterkte!

I'm sorry to hear you lost your grandpa. Wishing you lots of strength!

expression used to wish someone the strength to persevere whatever hardship they are experiencing (usually illness, or the death of a loved one)


zeg maar

Ik voel me raar vandaag, zeg maar gewoon verdrietig.

an expression that indicates the speaker's hesitation (e.g. unable to find a precise word to describe an idea) or simply as an expletive between two phrases or ideas; roughly equivalent to the English phrases you know, like, let's say


hup

Synonym of hoppa (“let's go, hey presto, alley-oop”)


halleluja

Borrowed from Latin alleluia, from Hebrew הַלְלוּיָהּ (hal'luyáh, “Praise Yah”).


gunst

From Middle Dutch gunst, gonst, prefixed from ge- + onst, onste, the latter from Old Dutch anst, from Proto-West Germanic *unsti, from Proto-Germanic *unstiz.
Equivalent to gunnen + -st.

(formal, somewhat dated) good grief, gosh


zucht

Afrikaans: sug

From Middle Dutch sucht, socht, from Old Dutch *suft (“sigh, sip”), from Proto-West Germanic *sūftu.


mazzel

Borrowed from Yiddish מזל (mazl, “luck”).

(Netherlands, informal) Alternative form of de mazzel


schijt

From Middle Dutch schite, from Old Dutch skīta, from Proto-West Germanic *skiti, from Proto-Germanic *skītaz, *skitiz.
Cognate to Low German Schiet, German Scheiße, English shit, Danish skid, Swedish skit. Doublet of shit.

Ik heb mijn verdomde telefoon stukgemaakt, schijt.


weet je

Ik was met haar naar d'r huis gegaan, weet je.


jongens

Jongens, wat een grote vis!


goedendag

Univerbation of goeden dag (“good day”, accusative phrase).

hello, good day (greeting used during daytime)


lm

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of laat maar (“never mind”).


tjo

From Italian ciao (“hello, goodbye”), from Venetian ciao (“hello, goodbye, your (humble) servant”), from Venetian s-ciao, s-ciavo (“servant, slave”), from Medieval Latin sclavus (“Slav, slave”), related also to Italian schiavo, English Slav, slave and old Venetian S-ciavón (“Slav”) (from Latin Sclavonia (“Slavonia”)).


je weet toch

/jə ˈʋeː ˌtɔx/

(Netherlands, slang) you know (tag question particle)


houdoe

→? Sranan Tongo: ódi

→ Saramaccan: ódi

From the phrase Houd oe (eige) goed (Standard Dutch: Houd u (zelf) goed).


dankje

(colloquial) Alternative spelling of dank je


dank je

Afrikaans: dankie
→ English: dankie

Berbice Creole Dutch: danggi

Jersey Dutch: dānki

→ Ambonese Malay: dangke

→ Papiamentu: danki


boe

onomatopoeic

Imitative

boo, exclamation expressing strong disapproval

(onomatopoeia) moo, the sound of lowing cattle


gaap

an exclamation of sleepiness, boredom or disinterest: yawn!


of zo

or something, or so; indicates indifference to the exact details


zuiver

From Middle Dutch suver, from Old Dutch *sūvar, from Latin sōbrius. Doublet of sober.

(Suriname, colloquial) that's right, correct, exactly, agreed


vooruit

come on, go on (used to drive someone forward)

fine, oh all right then (said when grudgingly accepting a suggestion for a certain action)


waf

Waf waf! — Woof woof!


smakelijk

Shortening of eet smakelijk and/or smakelijk eten.


dank U

dank u


helaba

From French hé (“hey”) + là-bas (“there”).

(Belgium) hey, you - Used to point out somebody has to watch out 'watch it!', or to (work up to) reprove


boeiend

Hij zei dat mijn hondje in zijn tuin had geplast. Nou, boeiend!

He said my dog had urinated in his garden. Seriously, who cares!


boeien

From Middle Dutch boeyen. Equivalent to boei + -en.

Alternative form of boeiend; don't care, whatev


groetjes

Hey, groetjes!

(informal) regards (often used at the end of a letter/email)


kukeleku

cock-a-doodle-doo, onomatopoeia for the cry of the rooster.


hemeltje

Synonym of mijn hemel (“my goodness!; heavens!”)


proost

Ultimately from Latin prōsit. The contracted form is first attested in 1880; possibly a belated attestation of an informal/dialectal pronunciation, otherwise from German prost (early 18th c.).

(Netherlands) bless you (response to sneezing)


waarachtig

Afrikaans: wragtig

Negerhollands: waarachtig, waeragtig

From Middle Dutch waerachtich. Equivalent to waar + -achtig.

Jezus antwoordde: ‘Waarachtig, ik verzeker u: niemand kan het koninkrijk van God binnengaan, tenzij hij geboren wordt uit water en geest.

Jesus answered: Verily, I assure you: no one can enter the kingdom of God, unless he is born out of water and Spirit.


hoezo

Berbice Creole Dutch: hoso, huso

desc

Negerhollands: hoeso, hoso, huso, hueso, husso

→ Virgin Islands Creole: hoeso (dated)

Univerbation of hoe + zo. Compare English how so.


deksels

Probably borrowed from West Frisian [Term?] or Dutch Low Saxon [Term?]. Equivalent to deksel + -s as a minced oath for duivels.


euh

The spelling is probably influenced by French euh.

er, erm, um, uh; used as a space filler or pause during conversation

er, erm, um, uh; used to express hesitation, confusion, or doubt

er, erm, um, uh; used to express embarrassment or subtle disagreement


tot straks

see you later (implies that you will see the person later the same day)


arrè

(Belgium) exclamation used for emphasis, when giving something to someone, commenting etc.


flens

Compare German Plinse, Flinse, Flins, of Slavic origin.

(Northern, dialectal, dated) An exclamation used to express hitting or throwing.


klos

The sound of clumsily placed, heavy footwear.


kiele

(chiefly childish) An expression said when one is tickling someone.


allemachtig

Allemachtig! Achtentachtig krachtige vrachtwagens brachten prachtige, zachte vachten.

Oh my! Eighty-eight powerful trucks brought beautiful, soft furs.

An expression of surprise or excitement: oh my God!, holy macaroni, God Almighty!


plons

the noise made from something splashing against a surface


mwa

Meestal heb ik zoiets van “mwa, niet zo belangrijk”.

Usually I am like, “meh, not that important.”

(informal) An expression of indifference: meh


godverdorie

Two possible origins have been proposed:
* From Middle Dutch God verdore di (“may God make you crazy”), from verdoren (“to make crazy, to mislead”).
* A minced oath of godverdomme.


gadverdamme

A minced oath from godverdomme (“goddamnit”).


welterusten

(chiefly Netherlands) good night; sleep well


alaaf

Originally from the carnival tradition of Cologne: either a corruption of elf (“eleven”), or from Kölsch all af (“all gone”).

Over carnaval moet je geen les geven. Carnaval moet je vieren. Alaaf.

2000, Harrie Rook, “CARNAVAL”, in nl.onderwijs.algemeen (Usenet):

You shouldn't teach about Carnaval in class. Carnaval should be celebrated. Alaaf.

(Brabant, Limburg) A greeting used during carnaval.


oef

An onomatopoeia. Similar to English oof and German uff.

(onomatopoeia) oof, phew, whew (expression of disgust, tiredness or relief)


achenebbisj

/ˌɑ.xəˈnɛ.bəʃ/

From ach + -e- + nebbisj, from Yiddish נעביש (nebish), from נעבעך (nebekh, “poor, unfortunate”), from a Slavic language. Compare English nebbish.


hoera

Petjo: hooréé

→ Caribbean Javanese: oré


oei

an expression of uncertainty or mild shock; similar to wow, oh dear, oh my, oy


hupsakee

Likely an extended form of the exclamation hup; compare hop, hoppa, hoppakee and the like.

hey presto, ta-da (when the result of one's work becomes apparent)


nijg

Contraction from nijdig.
Part of the local slang of some Flemish rural areas; not understood everywhere.

"Lebron scoorde 44 punten." — "Nijg!"


truste

'Truste,' zei ze, 'en niet kijken als ik mij uitkleed.'

2010, Gerwin van der Werf, chapter 47, in Gewapende man [Armed man], →ISBN:

'Good night,' she said, 'and don't look while I undress myself.'

Ze schudde zich los en gaf een kusje op zijn wang. 'Truste.'

2014, Henriëtte de Smet, chapter 1, in Valse start [False start], →ISBN:

She shook herself loose and gave a kiss on his cheek. 'Night.'

'Goed, kindje. 'Truste dan.' 'Truste mam.'

2019, Anna Hope, Verwachting [Expectation], →ISBN:

'Okay babe. Good night then.' 'Night mum.

(colloquial) Clipping of welterusten; night


awel

Awel meneer, aan uw vraag zie ik wel dat ge slecht op de hoogte zijt.

Well, sir, your question tells me that you are ill-informed.


boeie

Ze hoopt vurig dat het haarzelf nooit is overkomen: dat zij als enige iets niet wist. Maar ja, dan wist ze het toch niet dus: boeie!

2014, Kasper van Kooten, Karakters: cabaroman, Singel Uitgeverijen, →ISBN, page 68:

She hopes intensely this never happened to her: to be the only one who doesn't know something. But then again, in that case she didn't know anyway so: whatev!

Zodra Ali en de anderen binnen zijn, gaat Yessin onder de camera staan, zodat de deuren open blijven. 'Hé, jongen. Ga daar eens weg. Het tocht hier.' 'Boeie.'

2014, Lydia Rood, Ali's oorlog, WPG Kindermedia, →ISBN, page 19:

As soon as Ali and the others are inside, Yessin positions himself below the sensor, so the doors remain open. 'Hey, boy. Get out of there. I'm feeling a draft.' 'Whatev.'

Ik leg een hand op haar schouder. Misschien iets te hard, want ze maakt een geluidje. Nou ja, boeie.

2015, Ryan Gattis, Zes dagen, Singel Uitgeverijen, →ISBN, page 32:

I put a hand on her shoulder. Maybe a bit too rough, because she makes a little sound. Oh well, whatev.


gecondoleerd

gecondoleerd (adverbial positive predicative)
gecondoleerde (feminine indefinite masculine positive singular)
gecondoleerd (indefinite neuter positive singular)
gecondoleerde (indefinite plural positive)
gecondoleerde (definite positive)
gecondoleerds (partitive positive)

Ik hoorde dat je oma is gestorven, gecondoleerd.

I heard that your grandmother passed away, my condolences.

condolences; said to express sympathy with someone when hearing of a close death.


daag

By apocope from Middle Dutch dage, plural of dach.


hieperdepiep

Hieperdepiep hoera!
Hip hip hurray!


katjes

En om hem ‘s avonds in de keuken van haar stoel te krijgen, ging zij tot in ’t deurgat en riep: ‘Katjes, Baron! Zoek de beestjes!’

1930, Jozef Simons, “Tintelenteen”, in De laatste flesch, J. van Mierlo-Proost, Turnhout, pages 78-79

And to get him off her chair in the kitchen at night, she went and stood in the doorway and shouted: “‘Sic ’em’, Baron! Find the critters!”


verroest

Exclamation of surprise at a newly discovered fact.


goedenavond

→ Sranan Tongo: nafu, navoen

→ Saramaccan: nááfu

Univerbation of goeden + avond, the accusative of goede avond.

Goedenavond, hoe gaat het met je?


rits

Onomatopoeic. As a noun, a shortening of ritssluiting.

sound of tearing or closing a zip fastener


gelukkige verjaardag

/ɣəˈlʏkəɣə vərˈjaːrdɑx/


saluut

Wij Beatrix, bij de gratie Gods, Koningin der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, enz. enz. enz. Allen, die deze zullen zien of horen lezen, saluut! doen te weten: (...)

2012 November 1, “Wet van 1 november 2012, houdende nieuwe regels omtrent aanbestedingen (Aanbestedingswet 2012) [Act of 1 November 2012, concerning new rules on procurement (Procurement Act 2012)]”, in Overheid.nl, retrieved 2023-09-12:

We Beatrix, by the grace of God, Queen of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, etc. etc. etc. To all who shall see these presents or shall hear them read, greetings! make it known: (...)


dinges

From older dings, from ding (“thing”). Compare German Dings and Dingens in the same sense.

Wat ben je daar aan het doen? — Ja, eh... dinges!

What are you doing there? — Yeah, uh... something or other!

said when one can't or is too busy or distracted to think of the proper thing to say


helaas pindakaas

Literally, “alas, peanut butter”, pindakaas being included for humorous effect and because it rhymes with helaas. Became common in the late 1980s.

(humorous, idiomatic) too bad; oh well; too bad, so sad


proficiat

Borrowed from Latin prōficiat (“may it benefit”).


doeg

Derived from the Dutch dialect Zaans, where doeg means dag (“day”).


asjemenou

/ˌɑ.ʃə.məˈnɑu̯/

Univerbation of as je me nou (“if you ... me now”) with omission of a predicate verb (in Dutch the word order is SOV in dependent subordinate clauses). As is a colloquial Northern form of als.

(Holland) what the heck (expression of surprise)


nou ja

would you look at that!, well well well.

Introducing a relativization of what was just said, similar to English “that is to say”.

A delaying filler, similar to English “I mean” and “well”.


plomp

Representing the sound of a heavy falling object hitting a liquid; splash


wablief

Berbice Creole Dutch: wabli

→ Papiamentu: ablief

→ Saramaccan: abíí

From wat + belieft + u ("what would you like?").


miljaar

Probably an abbreviation of the Flemish expression miljaarde nondedju, from French milliards de noms de Dieu (“billions of names of God”). See also Dutch nondeju.


mvg

met vriendelijke groeten
met vriendelijke groeten#Dutch

(Internet slang) Acronym of met vriendelijke groeten.


klote

Pronunciation spelling of kloten, the plural of kloot (“testicle”).


dju

Dju - wee' gemist/bedroge'!

(Brabant) expression of disappointment or upsetness


nietes

"Jullie waren weer te laat vandaag." "Nietes!"

"You were late again today." "We were not!"

"Jíj hebt mijn glas gebroken." "Nietes!" "Welles!"

"It was you who broke my glass." "Did not!" "Did, too!"

(negation, informal, childish) used to contradict a positive assertion


de groeten

Zou je me duizend euro willen lenen? — Ja, de groeten!

Could I borrow a thousand euros? — Yeah right, no way!

(colloquial) no way, screw that, yeah right


laat maar

Petjo: laatmaar


beterschap

From Middle Dutch beterscap. Equivalent to beter (“better”) + -schap (“-ship, -ness”).

suffix

get well; used to wish someone well when they are sick


van harte

Literally, “from the heart”. The form harte is an old dative case form of hart. An even older form, still attested in Early Modern Dutch, was van harten.


hebbes

Hebbes! Jij ontsnapt me niet meer!

Gotcha! You're not getting away anymore!


slaapwel

(chiefly Belgium) good night, sleep well


nondeju

From French nom de Dieu (“name of God”).


s.v.p.

Abbreviation of s'il vous plaît (“please”).


oorlof

From Middle Dutch orlof (“permission”), equivalent to oor- + lof. Related to the verb oorloven. Cognate to German Urlaub.

1628, Philips Marnix van Sint Aldegonde, "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", (modern, redacted version), couplet 14.
Oorlof, mijn arme schapen / die zijt in grote nood, / uw herder zal niet slapen, / al zijt gij nu verstrooid.

(please add an English translation of this quotation)


kolere

Formerly spelled colère. The modern Dutch term for the disease is cholera.

(Netherlands, vulgar) damn! "What the fuck?"


duvels

Variant of duivels, equivalent to duvel + -s.

Alle duvels!


heisa

Compound of hei + sa or borrowed from German heisa.

(dated) huzzah, hey, hurrah; expression of happiness or excitement.


lijkt mij

Dat is wel het minste wat je kan doen, lijkt mij.


slukes

A shortening of salukes (“goodbye”), the Belgian regiolectal diminutive of French salut (“goodbye”). The -t in the French word is not pronounced.


verdorie

Short for Godverdorie, which is God verdore je (“may God make you lose your mind”), related to archaic door (“crazy”), German Tor (“fool”), or alternatively God verdorre je (“may God make you wither, shrivel”), related to dor (“dried out, sere”). Sometimes interpreted as a minced oath for verdomme (“damn”). Compare regional German verdorri.


wdj

(Internet slang) Acronym of Wat doe je?.


ammehoela

From the Afghan king Amanullah Khan, who fled his country in 1929.

We zijn voor zonne-energie, zeggen de oliemaatschappijen. Ammehoela!

We're in favor of solar energy, the oil companies say. Yeah right!

(Netherlands, informal, sarcastic, indicates disbelief) no way!, yeah right!, I don't think so!

Ik moet om elf uur thuis zijn, maar mijn lift gaat pas om twaalf uur weg, dus ammehoela!

I'm supposed to be home at eleven, but my ride doesn't leave until twelve o'clock, so whatever!

(Netherlands, informal, sarcastic, indicates refusal) not on your life!, I don't think so!, whatever!


mensenkinderen

Mensenkinderen, wat is het hier een rotzooi!

My goodness, what a messy place this is!

my goodness (exclamation of consternation or indignation)


wollah

Borrowed from Arabic وَٱللّٰه (wa-llāh).

Wollah, dit is niet mijn winkel vriend!

(slang) an interjection serving to intensify a statement or to indicate astonishment


verhip

(dated) by Jove! gadzooks! (expression of surprise)


toedeloe

Borrowed from English toodeloo, which is itself from French à tout à l’heure.

(Netherlands, often humorous) bye, toodeloo


het is kermis in de hel

2014, Stef Bos, "Beter Mens", from Mooie Waanzinnige Wereld (CD), Niemandsland (publ.)

Het regent en de zon schijnt / Het is kermis in de hel

2015, Loes den Hollander, Naaktportret. Thriller, De Crime Compagnie, first edition from 2007

'Kijk nou eens,' riep mijn moeder, 'het is kermis in de hel.'

2015, Jaap Toorenaar, Mijn moeder zei altijd. De mooiste uitspraken van onze ouders en grootouders, Thomas Rap (publ.)

Als de zon scheen en het tegelijkertijd regende, zeiden mijn ouders altijd: “Het is kermis in de hel.”

devil's beating his wife
devil's beating his wife

devil's beating his wife (said when a sunshower occurs)


Jezus Christus

Jesus Christ (expression of frustration, annoyance, shock or surprise)


boter bij de vis

Literally, “butter with the fish”. Compare German Butter bei die Fische.

indication that one wants to be paid immediately


tering jantje

(Netherlands, vulgar) holy shit, expression of surprise, impression, frustration, etc.


jottem

(Netherlands, colloquial, childish) General expression of enthusiasm or happiness.


huilie

Mock-childish. From slightly earlier huilie huilie doen, equivalent to huilen + -ie.

(Netherlands, Internet slang, derogatory) boohoo, contemptuously mimicking crying or complaining.


jawadde

Equivalent to ja (“yes, yeah”) + wat (“what”). Possibly from West-Flemish Dutch.

(scholier): Jawadde, wee nul op tien, pff ...

(Belgium) exclamation of surprise, amazement, disappointment, etc.


foert

Foert, doe het allemaal zelf!

I have had it, you do all of it yourself!

(exclamation, Belgium) get all lost/fucked; I've had it


krijg nou tieten

Literally, “get/grow boobs now”, originally self-referential.

(Netherlands, colloquial, vulgar) an expression of surprise


chic de friemel

Parody of French terms used in exclusive, expensive cuisine.

(colloquial, humorous, Netherlands) An expression of amazement.


dikke vinger

/ˌdɪkə ˈvɪŋər/

Literally, “fat finger”, a penile euphemism.

(Netherlands, vulgar, derogatory) impolite way of turning down a request or expressing disagreement: fuck off, get lost


dag moeder

(colloquial) an interjection indicating indignation


nou en of

(informal) you bet, certainly, hell yes (enthusiastic affirmative)


welles

"Jij bent helemaal niet in Den Haag geboren." "Welles!"

"You weren't born in The Hague at all." "I was, too!"

"Nietes!" "Welles!"

(affirmation, informal, childish) used to contradict a negative assertion


wat de fok

Calque and phono-semantic matching of English what the fuck.


gaan met die banaan

Literally, “go with that banana”. Gaan is an infinitive with imperative force.

2011, Lisa Gardner, Spaar het meisje, tr. by Ralph van der Aa of Live to Tell.
Haar broek uittrekken, Alex' gesteven blauwe overhemd van zijn lijf rukken en gaan met die banaan.

Strip off her jeans, rip off Alex's starched blue shirt, and go to town. (original English)

(colloquial, Netherlands) go on, get going (commence), go ahead


hoogachtend

(formal) yours sincerely, yours faithfully (ending of a formal letter)


hatseflats

First attested in the 1980s; compare earlier hatsekidee. For similar formations, compare hupseflups, oepsefloeps.

Hatseflats, dat was de laatste!

(Netherlands) Expresses a sudden or completed occurrence.


zo lust ik er nog wel een paar

Literally, “[if it's] like that I have appetite for another pair of them”.

m-g

􂀿if it's􂁀 like that I have appetite for another pair of them

lit

Sarcastically indicates skepticism on the part of the speaker.


maak dat de kat wijs

Literally, “go convince the cat that's true”.

'Nee,' zei ze meteen. Er was niets. Ze was wat moe en zo. Maak dat de kat wijs, dacht Bertha. Ze zei het ook hardop.

2012, Johanne A. van Archem, De dag dat de onrust kwam, →ISBN:

'No,' she said instantly. There was nothing. She was just tired. Tell it to the marines, Bertha thought. She said it out loud too.


lariekoek

God zegt, met norse, donderende stem, in surround sound die de muren van de wereld doet trillen: ‘Lariekoek!’ En de mens beeft.

2010, Cody Macfadyen, Tijd om te sterven, Bruna Uitgevers B.V., A.W., →ISBN, page 128:

God says, with a gloomy, thundering voice, in surround sound that makes the walls of the world tremble: ‘Nonsense!’ And man shivers.


kat in 't bakkie

(Netherlands, informal) Bob's your uncle, easy-peasy


hatsjoe

achoo; onomatopoeia for the sound of sneezing.


warempel

Warempel, je bent op tijd!

(uncommon) response to something that is unexpected, amazing


hèhè

Hèhè, we zijn eindelijk thuis.

Hèhè, het is weer droog.

Hèhè, even zitten.

Ik heb eindelijk nieuwe schoenen gekocht. – Zo, hèhè!

I finally bought new shoes. – About time too!

Van het gesprek over de Nederlander en zijn identiteit, dat vorig jaar door Nederland rumoerde, is me één bijdrage in het bijzonder bijgebleven. Dat was een ingezonden brief over een Engelsman die in de metro van Londen alle Nederlanders ogenblikkelijk herkende aan hun gewoonte op een bankje te gaan zitten onder de verzuchting ‘hèhè’.

2008, Marjolijn Februari, “Frans Kellendonk-prijs 2008. Dankwoord door Marjolijn Februari [Frans Kellendonk Prize 2008. Acceptance speech by Marjolijn Februari]”, in Jaarboek van de Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde, page 204:

One contribution to the discussion on the Dutch and their identity that rumbled through the Netherlands last year particularly struck me. It was a letter to the editor about an Englishman who, on the London underground, instantly recognised all Dutchmen by their habit of sighing 'hèhè' when sitting down on a bench.

(Netherlands, colloquial) Used to express a feeling of mild satisfaction and/or mild relief about having concluded a certain task or activity, or about a certain condition, event, or part of the day having come to an end; used to mark a transition from a state of being active or vexed to a state of relative rest and peace of mind.

Ja hèhè, het is niet dat ik dat niet snap.

Well duh, it's not like I don't get that.


van onderen

Exclamation to indicate that a large object is falling; timber


kutjebef

(slang, Netherlands) An expression of annoyance or surprise; fuck, shit, holy shit


asjeblieft

(colloquial, chiefly Northern) Alternative form of alsjeblieft


jakkes

Petjo: jakkies

Expression of disgust or revulsion: yuck, ew, bah


de beer is los

Literally, “the boar is loose”, though beer is often misinterpreted as “bear” in this expression.

(idiomatic) Used to indicate a chaotic situation; hell broke loose


blikslager

(obsolete, euphemistic) Minced oath for bliksem.


wat de neuk

(vulgar, often humorous) Alternative form of wat de fok


jemig

Euphemistic form of Jezus, indicating (mostly unpleasant) surprise, wonder or amazement.


jeempie

Alteration of jemig, itself a euphemistic alteration of Jezus.

(Netherlands) A mild exclamation of (perhaps unpleasant) surprise, wonder or amazement.


tjeempie

Alteration of jeempie with fortition of the initial consonant. Compare tjonge (from jongen), and tja (from ja).


tjonge

Alteration of jongen with fortition of the initial consonant. Compare tjeempie (from jeempie), and tja (from ja).

Tjonge, wat een boel mensen hiero zeg.

An exclamation of (mild) surprise, wonder or amazement.


tjongejonge

Tjongejonge, wat een troep.

An exclamation of (mild) annoyance, surprise, wonder or amazement.


doeidoei

Reduplication of doei; compare hoihoi and English bye-bye.


aju paraplu

Literally, “bye, umbrella”. Coined for its rhyme - comparable with "see you later, alligator". Popularised (but probably not coined) by Peter Knegjens.

1971 May 6, "Juffrouw Ooievaar had weer wat te zeuren" (section "Uit de schoolkrant geklapt"), Leeuwarder Courant, vol. 220, no, 1105, page 9.
Hij zei: „Ik moet even naar Truus de Mier, aju paraplu!”
He said: "I briefly have to go to Truus de Mier, tatty bye!"


dankjewel

/ˌdɑŋk.jəˈʋɛl/


hatsjie

Berbice Creole Dutch: hetjé


geflapstaart

Shortening of gefeliciflapstaart, itself a jocular alteration of gefeliciteerd.


gefeliciflapstaart

Jocular alteration of gefeliciteerd, made popular by the children’s TV serial Pipo de Clown in the 1960s and 70s.


potverdorie

Likely originating as a lengthening of potver, a minced oath derived from godver; alternatively analogically formed from godverdorie, but potverdorie has been attested somewhat earlier, although this could be due to godverdorie being more taboo.


toedeledokie

Expansion of toedeloe, from English toodeloo.

(Netherlands, chiefly humorous or ironic) toodeloo, so long


afblijven

hands off!, leave be! (telling someone not to touch something)


houzee

Probably from English huzza, probably from English hissa (“hoist”). Formerly explained as ‘hou zee’: ‘keep sea’, but this is probably wrong.


oeps

oops (exclamation used to acknowledge a minor mistake)


werk ze

An idiomatic phrase literally meaning "work it" or "work them". This construction, involving a verb (usually intransitive) in the imperative with ze as direct object to wish good luck with the activity described by the verb, is chiefly found in this phrase. Occasionally one may encounter variants with other verbs, e.g. studeer ze (“good luck with studying!”), eet ze (“chow down!”).


lorre

Colloquial alteration of lori, from Malay lori.

An exclamation used to summon or lure a parrot or to draw the attention of a parrot.


gossie

Ach gossie, wat een lief snuitje!

(Netherlands) expresses compassion, endearment or surprise; gosh, golly


mij best

Overdrijf niet zo! Zo vol zit die kroeg niet! ... Maar mij best, dan gaan we gewoon naar het café.
Stop exaggerating! The pub isn't that crowded! ... Fine, let's just go to the café.

(fine): fine, fine by me, that's okay by me, that's fine


nietwaar

Dit is een goede definitie, nietwaar?

Used to form tag questions, with the implied expectation that the addressee will agree with the speaker: isn't it, doesn't it, aren't they?


tot dan

see you later (referring to a specific moment in time when one expects to meet or communicate again)


drommels

darn, the devil, tarnation (rather mild profanity)


godsamme

A contraction of God zal me (...) "God will (...) me", with an unspoken verb (e.g., damn, fool, break, smite...) implied.

(Netherlands, offensive, colloquial) damnit


oek

Oek oek ak!

ook (onomatopoeia for the cry of a monkey)


klop klop

‘Klop, klop, klop’. De stem van de vrouw verraadde een zekere ironie. De twee op de veranda hadden haar al zien aankomen. Het was een aankondiging en groet tegelijk.

1992, Morales Wijngaarde, “Wonen op stolk buiten [Living in Stolk Buiten]”, in OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis, page 56:

‘Knock, knock, knock’. The woman's voice betrayed a certain irony. The two [people sitting] on the porch had already seen her coming. It was an announcement and a greeting at the same time.

(Suriname, colloquial) used to announce one's presence when standing outside, or entering, someone's premises


jahoor

Univerbation of ja (“yes”) + hoor (“of course”)

univerbation

We moeten vanavond naar buiten. Is dat oké met jou? Jahoor, dat is oké!

We have to go outside this evening. Is that okay with you? Certainly, that is okay!


missie geslaagd

mission accomplished
mission accomplished


weet ik veel

what do I know, how should I know, I don't know, search me, beats me


hz

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of hoezo (“how so, why”).


godzijdank

/ˌɣɔt.zɛi̯ˈdɑŋk/

/ˈɣɔt.zɛi̯ˌdɑŋk/


werk prettig

(Suriname, colloquial) Used to wish someone well or to encourage someone at the start of their working day; have a good day at work, good luck with your work today


goed volk

De twee Turkse politie-aspiranten kwamen toch, op een zomeravond, in uniform. De honden renden op ze af, maar de twee jongens lieten hun Nederlandse paspoort zien en riepen: goed volk. De honden zwegen.

2007, A.L. Snijders, “Aantekening [Note]”, in Raster, page 157:

The two Turkish probationary police constables showed up anyway, one summer evening, in uniform. The dogs ran towards them, but the two lads showed their Dutch passports and shouted: good folk. The dogs went silent.

(Netherlands, dated) Used to announce one's presence when standing outside, or entering, someone's premises


eerlijk gezegd

Eerlijk gezegd word ik er niet blij van.

Truth be told, it doesn't make me happy.


ja toch

A: Dat feest was echt nice. B: Ja toch, was echt dik.

A: That party was really nice. B: Right? It was really great.

(Holland, informal) Interjection affirming something someone else said.


de mazzel

(Netherlands, informal) see you later, bye


godverkanker

Univerbation of God + verkanker, imperative of verkankeren. Literally, “God, afflict it with cancer!”.
Essentially a stronger, angrier version of godverdomme.

lit

Bonuskind, Saskia Noort, p. 187

(please add an English translation of this quotation)

Ik moet godverkanker helemaal niets'. Ik zeg het niet hard, maar Laura schrikt.

(vulgar, potentially offensive) God fucking damn!


hopla

Likely an extended form of hop, from hoppen.


lou loene

From a Yiddish version of Hebrew לֹא לָנוּ (lo lánu, literally “not to/for us”).

(informal) Indicates that something is useless, unavailable or unlikely to happen.


goede bekomst

Good wishes addressed at all tablemates after a meal.


qowed

Borrowed from Moroccan Arabic قود (qawwad).


schip ahoi

(nautical) ship ahoy (used to hail or attract attention to a ship)


ijs en weder dienende

Literally, “if ice and weather serve”; that is, "weather permitting" - an absolute construction. Traditionally used to express hope for suitable weather and ice thickness for ice skating, now more generalized in meaning, though remaining somewhat uncommon.

Lord willing and the creek don't rise
Lord willing and the creek don't rise

(idiomatic) if circumstances are suitable; Lord willing and the creek don't rise


tjakka

Hij scoorde in de tweede minuut een goal, tjakka!

He scored a goal in the second minute - booyah!

Exclamation of enthusiasm, somewhat similar to English booyah


Mozes kriebel

(humorous, dated) Exclamation indicating (mostly unpleasant) surprise, wonder or amazement.


zo zijn we niet getrouwd

Literally, “that's not how we got married”; similar in usage to English I didn't sign up for that/this.

lit

Ho eens even, zo zijn we niet getrouwd!

Mijn baas wilde dat ik ook na werktijd bereikbaar zou zijn, maar zo zijn we niet getrouwd!

My boss wanted me to be available after working hours as well, but I didn't sign up for that!

(idiomatic, humorous) Said to indicate that the speaker disagrees with an unexpected action or intention affecting them.


sodeju

Blend of sodemieter (“sodomite”) + nondeju (“damn”).


ziehier

Univerbation of zie (“see”) + hier (“here”). Compare French voici and voilà.


ziedaar

Univerbation of zie (“see”) + daar (“there”). Compare French voilà and voici.


isg

(Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of is goed (“okay, sure, all right”).


genacht

Presumably a contraction of goedenacht or a closely related phrase.


hupseflups

Humorous extension of hup; compare hatseflats and oepsefloeps (from oeps).

(humorous) Synonym of hoppa (“alley-oop”)


oepsefloeps

Humorous extension of oeps; compare hatseflats and hupseflups.


jeetjemineetje

Rhyming variant of jeetjemina, from jee, a minced oath of Jezus.


godezijdank

Univerbation of gode + zij + dank, gode being the dative of god.


olrijt

Borrowed from English alright, with the orthography humorously adjusted to reflect a hyper-Dutch pronunciation.


no spang

(Suriname, Netherlands, slang) no worries


fawaka

De zaktelefoons van de jonge Surinaamse Amsterdammers komen nauwelijks uit boven de schetterende salsa en de Afrikaanse drums. „Fawaka? Waar ben je? Rustig.“ De sfeer in het Bijlmerpark is flex. Er wordt hard gepraat en vooral veel gelachen. Gesoigneerde jongens fluiten en sissen naar de meisjes die paraderen rondom het voetbalveld.

1999 August 2, Gerben van der Marel, “'Praten over Suriname, dat doen we liever thuis' ['When we discuss Suriname, we prefer to do so at home']”, in NRC Handelsblad, retrieved 2024-08-20:

The sound of the pocketphones of the young Surinamese Amsterdammers barely rises above the blaring salsa and African drums. "Wagwan? Where are you? I'm fine." The atmosphere at the Bijlmerpark is relaxed. People talk loudly and, above all, laugh a lot. Dapperly dressed young men whistle and hiss at the girls parading around the football pitch.

(Suriname, Netherlands, slang) what's up, how are you


nebbech

From Yiddish נעבעך (nebekh, “poor, unfortunate”), from Czech nebohý (“poor, pitied”). Compare English nebbish.

der

(cry of pity or regret)


(informal, text messaging) Abbreviation of succes (“good luck”).


(humorous, text messaging) Alternative form of suc6, abbreviation of succes (“good luck”).


hellep

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

Pronunciation spelling of help, when pronounced with epenthetic schwa


okidoki

(colloquial) an exclamation of accordance; okey-dokey


oeh

An onomatopoeia, related to German uh and English ugh.

Oeh, lekker hè, die chips!

Oeh, nou stinkt het nog meer.


komt voor de bakker

a) Kan jij dat even doen?
b) Ja hoor, komt voor de bakker!
a) Could you do that real quick?
b) Sure, consider it done.

(idiomatic, colloquial) Interjection affirming that the speaker will get something done.


go your gang

Pseudo-English alteration of the imperative verb phrase ga je gang.


goddomme

Syncopic form of godverdomme (“goddamnit”)


al sla je me dood

Literally, “even if you hit me to death”, with a following phrase to the effect of “I wouldn't know” being left implicit. Compare English for the life of me.


ocharm

From Middle Dutch ocharmen. First attested in 1300. Equivalent to a univerbation of och + arm.


lieve help

heavens above, dear me, goodness gracious


hatsekidee

(Netherlands) Expresses a sudden or completed occurrence.


kaboem

Onomatopoeic, perhaps from English kaboom.

kaboom (sound of an explosion or other loud noise)


was het maar zo'n feest

Literally, “if only there was such a party going on”.

lit

Ik heb geen zeiljacht - was het maar zo'n feest!

I don't have a sailing yacht - if only that were the case!

(idiomatic, informal) if only that were the case!