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Have you ever looked up the Dutch words zeg, nou or joh? If you have, you probably did not find a satisfying definition. That is because these words are ‘discourse markers’: a type of words used to structure conversation or to give emphasis. You will hear them at the start…

Like the words lekker and gezellig, leuk is one of these words that native Dutch speakers use very often. Leuk is an adjective and primarily means nice or fun. Depending on the context, however, it can also mean good, attractive, cool, beautiful or pleasant. Since it can be used in…

King’s Day, or Koningsdag in Dutch, is an orange-coloured national holiday celebrated on April 27th in honour of King Willem-Alexander’s birthday. Each year the royal family visits a different city and festivities, such as flea markets and music festivals, take place throughout the country. On King’s Day people in the…

This year, early April surprised us with a pack of snow, after the sunniest March ever recorded in the Netherlands. This unexpected winter weather sparked regional and national news media to dust off Dutch weather lore sayings. April doet wat hij wil, or April has a mind of its own,…

Uitwaaien is a Dutch expression for clearing your head by going for a walk when it is windy. Uit means out and waaien is the verb used for the blowing of the wind – as can be read in our Instagram post on Dutch weather. When you have been inside…

Werk ze is the most common Dutch expression to wish someone a good day at work. It is a combination of the imperative werk and the personal pronoun ze. This is why werk ze is correctly written as two separate words. Currently, you probably say doei or fijne dag when…