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 your Dutch roommate or partner leaves the house in the morning. If you want to take your Dutch language to the next level, next time try using the expression werk ze!
How to use this typical Dutch expression in your daily life
The expression werk ze is used informally to wish someone a successful or pleasant day at work, but it has many variations. You might hear Dutch people say sport ze to wish someone a good workout or vergader ze to wish someone a good meeting. Slaap ze is used as an alternative for welterusten and eet ze can be heard before the start of a meal and is similar to eet smakelijk. Endless variations are possible, so you can get really creative! Simply add ze to the imperative of a verb.
A final word of advice
Keep one thing in mind though: Dutch people only use this expression for pleasant and beneficial activities. There is for instance no such thing as steel ze. In English this would translate as have a good burglary, which would be just as strange! So next time you want to wish someone a pleasant walk, workout or day at work, go ahead and use this typical Dutch expression.
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Written by Eveline Mineur
Ellipsis Text and Translation
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