What is Pentecost Sunday in the Netherlands?

Each year, the Netherlands observes the Pentecostal celebration to remember the Covenant between God and Israel, as well as the descension of the Holy Spirit onto Christians. The Day of Pentecost is celebrated both as a religious holiday and as an opportunity to relax and enjoy life.

In learning about the Dutch traditions for the Feast of Pentecost, you’ll see how Dutch culture intertwines with a holiday celebrated in various parts of the world. In turn, you’ll better absorb the Dutch way of life and the Netherlands’ culture, especially regarding religion. Understanding culture is one of the most essential steps in mastering any target language, and at DutchPod101.com, we hope to make this learning endeavor both fun and insightful!

1. What is Pentecost?

So, what is the Day of Pentecost?

Many people in the Netherlands view Pentecost as just a day off. For the younger generation especially, this is all Pentecost means. But we all know there’s way more to the story of Pentecost.

It so happens that Pentecost derives from the Jewish Feast of Weeks, also known as Shavuot. Whereas Pentecost was formerly just a feast of thanks for bringing in a good harvest, Pentecost received a new meaning after the second century AD, namely as the day we commemorate the Covenant between God and Israel.

2. Day of Pentecost: When is Pentecost?

The date of Pentecost varies from year to year in correspondence with Easter. For your convenience, here’s a list of this holiday’s date for the next ten years.

• 2019: June 9
• 2020: May 31
• 2021: May 23
• 2022: June 5
• 2023: May 28
• 2024: May 19
• 2025: June 8
• 2026: May 24
• 2027: May 16
• 2028: June 4

3. Reading Practice: Pentecost Celebrations in the Netherlands

How do the Dutch celebrate Pentecost? Read the Dutch text below to find out (and find the English translation directly below it).

—

Pinksteren wordt gekenmerkt door veel openlucht muziekfestivals, vakanties en andere outdoor activiteiten.

Wist u dat de steden Amsterdam, Utrecht en Den Haag behoren tot de drie meest populaire steden om te gaan winkelen op een vrije dag? Naast het eindeloze aanbod van winkels, uitgaansgelegenheden, restaurants en musea staat Den Haag ook bekend om zijn stranden.

—

Whit Sunday is marked by a great deal of outdoor music festivals, vacations, and other outdoor activities.

Pinkpop is an annual, three-day pop music festival in Landgraaf that takes place during the Pentecost weekend. The festival runs for three days and attracts about 60,000 people a day. Pinkpop is one of the longest running annual pop festivals in the world. The event is always held during Pentecost in theory, but if Pentecost falls early in the year, it is celebrated on a different weekend where the dates are in or come closer to the month of June. Around the month of June, most bands are on tour throughout Europe, given the many festivals here. Many attendees wear the iconic pink Pinkpop hats during the festival.

In the Netherlands, many people make a point of attending church on Whit Sunday, even if they do not go to church most of the time. It is also a day to enjoy the great outdoors by riding bikes or walking. Since this holiday falls during the spring, it is typically marked by people enjoying the fresh, spring weather.

There are also some traditions still practiced throughout the Netherlands. In some areas, the single men of a town select a Pentecost bride, a single girl who also lives in the town. Townspeople decorate her with flowers and place a crown on the head. She leads a procession through the town, which then starts a time during which couples were traditionally formed. Many Dutch couples get together during this time, so it is a popular time of year for engagements or the beginning of a dating relationship.

Did you know that Amsterdam, Utrecht and the Hague are among the three most popular cities for going shopping on a day off? In addition to the endless supply of stores, nightlife, restaurants and museums, the Hague and Amsterdam are also known for their beaches.

4. What Does Pentecost Mean?

Do you know what the Greek word Pentecoste means in Dutch?

Pentecost is a cognate that derives from the Greek word Pentēkostē, which signifies the number fifty. This number refers to the day when Pentecost is celebrated.

5. Useful Vocabulary for Pentecost in the Netherlands

Here’s some vocabulary you should know for Pentecost in the Netherlands!

• Kermis — “Fair”
• Geboorte — “Birth”
• Muziek — “Music”
• Doop — “Christening”
• Christening is the giving of another (Christian) name to someone after baptism, usually a baby.
• Hemel — “Heaven”
• Katholieke Kerk — “Catholic Church”
• Voorjaarsfeest — “Spring-celebration”
• Pinkstergemeente — “Pentecostal congregation”
• Heilige Geest — “Holy Spirit”
• Pinksteren — “Pentecost”
• Kerkdienst — “Religious service”

To hear each vocabulary word pronounced, check out our Dutch Pentecost vocabulary list. Here, each word is accompanied by an audio file of its pronunciation.

Conclusion

Does your country celebrate Pentecost too? If so, what kind of traditions and celebrations do you have? Let us know in the comments!

If you want to learn more about Dutch culture and the language, visit us at DutchPod101.com! It’s our goal to make your language-learning journey both fun and informative, and we provide this experience through practical learning tools and our whole-hearted support! Read more insightful blog posts like this one, study some of our free Dutch vocabulary lists, and chat with fellow students on our community forums.

Know that your hard work will soon pay off, and you’ll be speaking Dutch like a native before you know it! DutchPod101.com will be here with you on each step of your journey to mastery!

In the Netherlands, holidays are celebrated with a lot of heart; Moederdag may be celebrated with even more heart! Moederdag (”Mother’s Day̶ in the Netherlands is special among Dutch holidays, as it gives children and grandchildren a day to rejoice in their mothers.

Another fun fact about family holidays: Netherlands first celebrated Mother’s Day before it celebrated Father’s Day! Do you know when each holiday was first celebrated here? We’ll give your curious mind the answer later.

At DutchPod101.com, we hope to make learning about holidays in Netherlands both fun and informative! So let’s get started.

1. What is Mother’s Day?

We celebrate Mother’s Day being mindful of the fact that our mothers assume the role of caregiver for the family throughout the entire year, and that they have always done so. For this reason, Mother’s Day is when their children (and grandchildren) show their appreciation, respect, and love for them.

Mother’s Day has been celebrated in the Netherlands for close to a century, each year seeing mothers cherished through gifts, quality time, kind words, and more!

2. Mother’s Day Date: When is Mother’s Day?

The date of Mother’s Day in the Netherlands varies each year, but is always the second Sunday in May. For your convenience, here’s a list of this holiday’s date for the next ten years.

• 2019: May 12
• 2020: May 10
• 2021: May 9
• 2022: May 8
• 2023: May 14
• 2024: May 12
• 2025: May 11
• 2026: May 10
• 2027: May 9
• 2028: May 14

3. Reading Practice: How do the Dutch Celebrate Moederdag?

Read the Dutch text below to find out how the Dutch celebrate Mother’s Day (and find the English translation directly below it).

—

Op deze ene dag in het jaar word moederlief vrijgesteld van haar taken en op een voetstuk geplaatst. Kinderen leggen de moeder in de watten en begint de dag vaak met ontbijt op bed plus een cadeautje. Bij hele jonge kinderen wordt het cadeautje vaak een week van te voren al gemaakt op school. Op een latere leeftijd wordt het al gauw een bloemetje of zelfs een luchtje.

—

On this one day of the year, mommy dearest gets to take a break and is put on a pedestal. Children pamper the mother and often start the day with breakfast in bed, plus a gift. As for really young kids, they often make the gift at school a week in advance. When they’re older, they move on to giving a flower or even perfume spray.

4. Beginnings of Mother’s and Father’s Day

When do you think Mother’s Day and Father’s Day were first celebrated in the Netherlands?

Mother’s Day was celebrated in the Netherlands for over a decade before the first official Father’s Day ever was. Mother’s Day began around 1925 in the Netherlands, and Father’s Day didn’t start until 1937. So, Mother’s Day officially came earlier, so the fathers still have over a decade of catching up to do on presents!

Another tidbit of information for you:

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are not to be confused for Mama and Papa days. These days, it’s becoming more common for both parents to hold jobs and the children to spend the day in elementary school and a daycare center. To keep this to a minimum, we have days off for parental leave in the form of “Mama” and “Papa” days.

5. Useful Vocabulary for Mother’s Day in the Netherlands

Here’s some vocabulary you should know for Mother’s Day in the Netherlands!

• Zondag — “Sunday”
• Zoon — “Son”
• Dochter — “Daughter”
• Chocolade — “Chocolate“
• Diner — “Dinner”
• Roos — “Rose”
• Houden van — “Love”
• Moeder — “Mother”
• Cadeau — “Present”
• Wenskaart — “Greeting card”
• Moederdag — “Mother’s Day”
• Cadeaubon — “Gift certificate”
• Vieren — “Celebrate”
• Ontbijt op bed — “Breakfast in bed”

To hear each of these vocabulary words pronounced, check out our Mother’s Day vocabulary list. Here, you’ll find each word accompanied by an audio file of its pronunciation.

Conclusion

What do you think of Mother’s Day celebrations in the Netherlands? In what ways do you see the country’s culture reflected in this popular holiday? Are celebrations similar in your own country? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.

To learn more about Netherlands culture, visit us at DutchPod101.com. We offer insightful blog posts on a variety of topics about the Netherlands, as well as podcasts to keep you informed on the go! You can also check out our free vocabulary lists to expand your Dutch word bank, chat with fellow Dutch learners on our forums, and upgrade to Premium Plus to take advantage of our MyTeacher program! At DutchPod101.com, there’s something for every learner and every learner can master the language and culture of beautiful Netherlands!

In the meantime, Gelukkige Moederdag! (”Happy Mother’s Day!” in Dutch). Be sure to give your mother, grandmother, or motherly figure some Mother’s Day flowers or a meaningful Mother’s Day gift!

Do you often feel lonely and sad? Do you long for romance and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet that special person? Speaking another language could revolutionize your love life! So, why wait? Learning how to say ‘love’ in Dutch could be just what you need to find it.

Or perhaps you were lucky, and have found your Dutch partner already. Fantastic! Yet, a cross-cultural relationship comes with unique challenges. Learning how to speak your lover’s language will greatly improve your communication and enhance the relationship. At DutchPod101, our team will teach you all the words, quotes and phrases you need to woo your Dutch lover with excellence! Our tutors provide personal assistance, with plenty of extra material available to make Dutch dating easy for you.

Table of Contents

1. Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date
2. The Most Romantic Ideas for a Date
3. Must-know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary
4. Dutch Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day
5. Dutch Quotes about Love
6. Marriage Proposal Lines
7. 15 Most Common Break-Up Lines
8. Will Falling in Love Help You Learn Dutch Faster?

Start with a bonus, and download the ‘How To be a Good Lover Cheat Sheet’ for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date

So, you have met your Dutch love interest. Congratulations! Who knows where this could take you…?! However, the two of you have just met and you’re not ready to say the Dutch word for love just yet. Great, it is better to get to know him/her first. Wow your prospective love by using these Dutch date phrases to set up a spectacular first date.

Would you like to go out to dinner with me?

• Heb je zin om met mij uiteten te gaan ?

The important question! In most cultures, this phrase indicates: ‘I’m romantically interested in you’. Flirting in Dutch is no different, so don’t take your date to Mcdonald’s!

Are you free this weekend?

• Ben je dit weekend vrij?

This is a preamble to asking your love interest on a date. If you get an immediate ‘Yes’, that’s good news!

Would you like to hang out with me?

• Heb je zin om samen iets te gaan doen ?

You like her/him, but you’re not sure if there’s chemistry. Ask them to hang out first to see if a dinner date is next.

What time shall we meet tomorrow?

• Hoe laat zullen we morgen afspreken?

Set a time, and be sure to arrive early! Nothing spoils a potential relationship more than a tardy date.

Where shall we meet?

• Waar zullen we afspreken ?

You can ask this, but also suggest a place.

You look great.

• Je ziet er goed uit.

A wonderful ice breaker! This phrase will help them relax a bit - they probably took great care to look their best just for you.

You are so cute.

• Je bent zo schattig.

If the two of you are getting on really well, this is a fun, flirtatious phrase to use.

What do you think of this place?

• Wat vind je van deze plek?

This another good conversation starter. Show off your Dutch language skills!

Can I see you again?

• Mag ik je nog eens zien ?

So the date went really well - don’t waste time! Make sure you will see each other again.

Shall we go somewhere else?

• Zullen we ergens anders naartoe gaan?

If the place you meet at is not great, you can suggest going elsewhere. It is also a good question to follow the previous one. Variety is the spice of life!

I know a good place.

• Ik weet een leuke plek.

Use this with the previous question. However, don’t say if you don’t know a good place!

I will drive you home.

• Ik zal je naar huis rijden.

If your date doesn’t have transport, this is a polite, considerate offer. However, don’t be offended if she/he turns you down on the first date. Especially a woman might not feel comfortable letting you drive her home when the two of you are still basically strangers.

That was a great evening.

• Dat was een geweldige avond.

This is a good phrase to end the evening with.

When can I see you again?

• Wanneer kan ik je weer zien?

If he/she replied ‘Yes’ to ‘Can I see you again?’, this is the next important question.

I’ll call you.

• Ik zal je bellen.

Say this only if you really mean to do it. In many cultures, this could imply that you’re keeping the proverbial backdoor open.

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2. The Most Romantic Ideas for a Date

You learned all the Dutch phrases to make a date - congratulations! Now you have to decide where to meet, which can be tricky. Discuss these options with your lover to gauge whether you like the same things. Check out romantic date ideas in Dutch below!

museum

• museum

If you’re looking for unique date ideas that are fun but won’t break the bank, museums are the perfect spot! You won’t be running out of things to say in the conversations.

candlelit dinner

• diner bij kaarslicht

A candlelit dinner is perhaps best to reserve for when the relationship is getting serious. It’s very intimate, and says: “Romance!” It’s a fantastic choice if you’re sure you and your date are in love with each other!

go to the zoo

• naar de dierentuin gaan

This is a good choice for shy lovers who want to get the conversation going. Just make sure your date likes zoos, as some people dislike them. Maybe not for the first date, but this is also a great choice if your lover has children - you’ll win his/her adoration for inviting them along!

go for a long walk

• een lange wandeling maken

Need to talk about serious stuff, or just want to relax with your date? Walking together is soothing, and a habit you can keep up together always! Just make sure it’s a beautiful walk that’s not too strenuous.

go to the opera

• naar de opera gaan

This type of date should only be attempted if both of you love the opera. It can be a special treat, followed by a candlelit dinner!

go to the aquarium

• naar een aquarium gaan

Going to the aquarium is another good idea if you need topics for conversation, or if you need to impress your lover’s kids! Make sure your date doesn’t have a problem with aquariums.

walk on the beach

• een strandwandeling maken

This can be a very romantic stroll, especially at night! The sea is often associated with romance and beauty.

have a picnic

• gaan picknicken

If you and your date need to get more comfortable together, this can be a fantastic date. Spending time in nature is soothing and calms the nerves.

cook a meal together

• samen een maaltijd koken

If you want to get an idea of your date’s true character in one go, this is an excellent date! You will quickly see if the two of you can work together in a confined space. If it works, it will be fantastic for the relationship and create a sense of intimacy. If not, you will probably part ways!

have dinner and see a movie

• dineren en naar de film gaan

This is traditional date choice works perfectly well. Just make sure you and your date like the same kind of movies!

3. Must-know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary

Expressing your feelings honestly is very important in any relationship all year round. Yet, on Valentine’s Day you really want to shine. Impress your lover this Valentine’s with your excellent vocabulary, and make his/her day! We teach you, in fun, effective ways, the meanings of the words and how to pronounce them. You can also copy the characters and learn how to write ‘I love you’ in Dutch - think how impressed your date will be!

4. Dutch Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day

So, you now have the basic Valentine’s Day vocabulary under your belt. Well done! But, do you know how to say ‘I love you’ in Dutch yet? Or perhaps you are still only friends. So, do you know how to say ‘I like you’ or ‘I have a crush on you’ in Dutch? No? Don’t worry, here are all the love phrases you need to bowl over your Dutch love on this special day!

I love you.

• Ik hou van je.

Saying ‘I love you’ in Dutch carries the same weight as in all languages. Use this only if you’re sure and sincere about your feelings for your partner/friend.

You mean so much to me.

• Je betekent ontzettend veel voor me.

This is a beautiful expression of gratitude that will enhance any relationship! It makes the receiver feel appreciated and their efforts recognized.

Will you be my Valentine?

• Wil jij mijn Valentijn zijn?

With these words, you are taking your relationship to the next level! Or, if you have been a couple for a while, it shows that you still feel the romance. So, go for it!

You’re so beautiful.

• Je bent zo mooi.

If you don’t know how to say ‘You’re pretty’ in Dutch, this is a good substitute, gentlemen!

I think of you as more than a friend.

• Ik zie in jou in meer dan alleen een vriend.

Say this if you are not yet sure that your romantic feelings are reciprocated. It is also a safe go-to if you’re unsure about the Dutch dating culture.

A hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you.

• Honderd harten zijn te weinig om al mijn liefde voor je te dragen.

You romantic you…! When your heart overflows with love, this would be the best phrase to use.

Love is just love. It can never be explained.

• Liefde is gewoon liefde. Er is geen verklaring voor.

If you fell in love unexpectedly or inexplicably, this one’s for you.

You’re so handsome.

• Je bent zo knap.

Ladies, this phrase lets your Dutch love know how much you appreciate his looks! Don’t be shy to use it; men like compliments too.

I’ve got a crush on you.

• Ik ben verliefd op je.

If you like someone, but you’re unsure about starting a relationship, it would be prudent to say this. It simply means that you like someone very, very much and think they’re amazing.

You make me want to be a better man.

• Je zorgt er voor dat ik een betere man wil zijn.

Gentlemen, don’t claim this phrase as your own! It hails from the movie ‘As Good as it Gets’, but it is sure to make your Dutch girlfriend feel very special. Let her know that she inspires you!

Let all that you do be done in love.

• Laat alles wat je doet uit naam van de liefde zijn.

We hope.

You are my sunshine, my love.

• Mijn liefste, jij bent mijn zonneschijn.

A compliment that lets your lover know they bring a special quality to your life. Really nice!

Words can’t describe my love for you.

• Woorden kunnen mijn liefde voor jou niet omschrijven.

Better say this when you’re feeling serious about the relationship! It means that your feelings are very intense.

We were meant to be together.

• Wij zijn voor elkaar bestemd.

This is a loving affirmation that shows you see a future together, and that you feel a special bond with your partner.

If you were thinking about someone while reading this, you’re definitely in love.

• Als je aan iemand denk terwijl je dit leest ben je zeker verliefd.

Here’s something fun to tease your lover with. And hope he/she was thinking of you!

5. Dutch Quotes about Love

You’re a love champ! You and your Dutch lover are getting along fantastically, your dates are awesome, your Valentine’s Day together was spectacular, and you’re very much in love. Good for you! Here are some beautiful phrases of endearment in Dutch that will remind him/her who is in your thoughts all the time.

6. Marriage Proposal Lines

Wow. Your Dutch lover is indeed the love of your life - congratulations! And may only happiness follow the two of you! In most traditions, the man asks the woman to marry; this is also the Dutch custom. Here are a few sincere and romantic lines that will help you to ask your lady-love for her hand in marriage.

7. 15 Most Common Break-Up Lines

Instead of moving towards marriage or a long-term relationship, you find that the spark is not there for you. That is a pity! But even though breaking up is never easy, continuing a bad or unfulfilling relationship would be even harder. Remember to be kind to the person you are going to say goodbye to; respect and sensitivity cost nothing. Here are some phrases to help you break up gently.

8. Will Falling in Love help you Learn Dutch faster?

Most people will agree that the above statement is a no-brainer - of course it will! Your body will be flooded with feel-good hormones, which are superb motivators for anything. DutchPod101 is one of the best portals to help help make this a reality, so don’t hesitate to enroll now! Let’s quickly look at the reasons why falling in love will speed up your learning of the Dutch language.

Three Reasons Why Having a Lover will Help you Learn Dutch Faster!

1- Being in a love relationship with your Dutch speaking partner will immerse you in the culture
DutchPod101 uses immersive methods and tools to teach you Dutch, but having a relationship with a native speaker will be a very valuable addition to your learning experience! You will gain exposure to their world, realtime and vividly, which will make the language come alive even more for you. The experience is likely to expand your world-view, which should motivate you to learn Dutch even faster.

2- Having your Dutch romantic partner will mean more opportunity to practice speaking
Nothing beats continuous practice when learning a new language. Your partner will probably be very willing to assist you in this, as your enhanced Dutch language skills will enhance the relationship. Communication is, after all, one of the most important pillars of a good partnership. Also, you will get to impress your lover with the knowledge gained through your studies - a win/win situation!

3- A supportive Dutch lover is likely to make a gentle, patient teacher and study aid!
With his/her heart filled with love and goodwill for you, your Dutch partner is likely to patiently and gently correct your mistakes when you speak. This goes not only for grammar, but also for accent and meaning. With his/her help, you could sound like a native in no time!

Three Reasons Why DutchPod101 helps you learn Dutch Even Faster when you’re In Love

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1- All the Resources and Materials Will Help Both of You
Falling in love with a man or woman speaking Dutch is an opportunity for both of you to learn a new language! For this reason, every lesson, transcript, vocabulary list, and resource at DutchPod101 is translated into both English and Dutch. So, while your partner can help you learn Dutch faster, you can potentially also help him/her learn and master English!

2- Lessons Are Designed to Help You Understand and Engage with Dutch Culture
At DutchPod101, our focus is to help our students learn practical vocabulary and phrases used by everyday people in Netherlands. This means that, from your very first lesson, you can apply what you learn immediately! So, when your Dutch partner wants to go out to a restaurant, play Pokemon Go, or attend just about any social function, you have the vocabulary and phrases necessary to have a great time!

3- Access to Special Resources Dedicated to Romantic Dutch Phrases
You now have access to DutchPod101’s specially-developed sections and tools to teach you love words, phrases, and cultural insights to help you find and attract your Dutch soul mate. A personal tutor will assist you to master these brilliantly - remember to invite him/her to your wedding!

Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day around the world!

Table of Contents

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day
2. Dutch Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day
3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody
4. How Can DutchPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?
5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Dutch - Testing New Technology

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day

Do you want to know how to say April Fools’ Day in Dutch? Well, there are millions of ways and words, but here are the top one million Dutch words you really need to know! Simply click this link. Here are some of them you will find useful:

1. joke - grap maken
2. funny - grappig
3. prank - geintje
4. humor - humor
5. lie - liegen
6. fool - dwaas
7. deceptive - misleidend
8. surprise - verrassen
9. sneaky - stiekem
10. prankster - grappenmaker
11. April 1st - één april
12. play a joke - een grap uithalen

2. Dutch Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day

Don’t limit yourself to practical jokes - use these April Fools’ phrases in Dutch to prank your favorite Dutch friend or colleague!

1. I learned Dutch in 1 month.
   • Ik leerde Nederlands in 1 maand.
2. All classes for today got canceled.
   • Alle lessen voor vandaag zijn uitgevallen.
3. I’m sorry, but I’ve just broken your favorite pair of glasses.
   • Het spijt me, maar ik heb zojuist je favoriete bril gebroken.
4. Someone has just hit your car.
   • Iemand rijdt net tegen je auto aan.
5. I’m getting married.
   • Ik ga trouwen.
6. You won a free ticket.
   • Je hebt een gratis kaartje gewonnen.
7. I saw your car being towed.
   • Ik zag je auto worden weggesleept.
8. They’re giving away free gift cards in front of the building.
   • Ze zijn gratis cadeaubonnen aan het weggeven aan de voorkant van het gebouw.
9. A handsome guy is waiting for you outside.
   • Een knappe man staat buiten op je te wachten.
10. A beautiful lady asked me to give this phone number to you.
    • Een mooie dame vroeg me om dit telefoonnummer aan jou geven.
11. Can you come downstairs? I have something special for you.
    • Kun je naar beneden komen? Ik heb iets speciaals voor je.
12. Thank you for your love letter this morning. I never could have guessed your feelings.
    • Dank je wel voor je liefdesbrief vanmorgen. Ik had je gevoelens nooit kunnen raden.

Choose your victims carefully, though; the idea is to get them to laugh with you, not to hurt their feelings or humiliate them in front of others. Be extra careful if you choose to play a prank on your boss - you don’t want to antagonize them with an inappropriate joke.

3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody

Right, now that you know the top million April Fools’ words in Dutch, let’s look at some super pranks and tricks to play on friends, colleagues and family. Some April Fools ideas never grow old, while new ones are born every year.

Never joke in such a way that it hurts anyone, or humiliates them badly in front of others - the idea is for everybody to laugh and enjoy the fun! Respect is still key, no matter what day of the year it is.

1- Infestation

This trick is so simple, yet so creepy, it’s almost unbelievable. Take black paper, cut out the silhouette of a giant cockroach, a spider or another insect, and stick it inside the lampshade of a table lamp. When the lamp is switched on, it will look like a monstrous insect is sitting inside the lampshade. Or, get a whole lot of realistic-looking plastic insects, and spread them over a colleague’s desk and chair, or, at home, over the kids’ beds etc. Creep-factor: stellar.

2- Which One Doesn’t Fit?

Put the photo of a celebrity or a notorious politician in a frame, and take it to work on April Fools’ Day. Hang the photo on the staff picture wall, and wait. You’ll be surprised how long it can take for people to notice that one picture doesn’t fit.

3- Something Weird in the Restroom

At work, replace the air freshener in the restroom with something noxious like insect killer, oven cleaner or your own odious mixture in a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the bottle’s body so no one suspects a swap.

Or paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish, and leave it at the hand wash basin. It will not lather.

Or, if your workplace’s restroom has partitioned toilets with short doors, arrange jeans or trousers and shoes on all but one of the toilet covers, so it looks like every stall is occupied. Now wait for complaints, and see how long it takes for someone to figure out the April Fools’ Day prank. You’ll probably wish you had a camera inside the restroom. But, unless you don’t mind getting fired, don’t put your own recording device in there!

4- Call Me Funny

Prepare and print out a few posters with the following instructions: Lion Roar Challenge! Call this number - 123-456-7890 - and leave your best lion’s roar as voicemail! Best roarer will be announced April 10 in the cafeteria. Prize: $100. (Lion’s roar is just an example; you can use any animal call, or even a movie character’s unique sound, such as Chewbacca from Star Wars. The weirder, the funnier. Obviously!) Put the posters up in the office where most of the staff is likely to see them. Now wait for the owner of the number to visit you with murderous intent. Have a conciliatory gift ready that’s not a prank.

5- Minty Cookies

This is another simple but hugely effective prank - simply separate iced cookies, scrape off the icing, and replace it with toothpaste. Serve during lunch or tea break at work, or put in your family’s lunch boxes. Be sure to take photos of your victim’s faces when they first bite into your April Fools’ cookies.

6- Wild Shopping

At your local grocer, place a realistic-looking plastic snake or spider among the fresh vegetables. Now wait around the corner for the first yell.

7- The Oldest Trick in the Book

Don’t forget probably the oldest, yet very effective April Fools’ joke in the book - smearing hand cream or Vaseline on a door handle that most staff, family or friends are likely to use. Yuck to the max!

8- Sneeze On Me

Another golden oldie is also gross, yet harmless and utterly satisfying as a prank. Fill a small spray bottle that you can easily conceal with water. Walk past a friend, colleague or one of your kids, and fake a sneeze while simultaneously spraying them with a bit of water. Expect to be called a totally disgusting person. Add a drop of lovely smelling essential oil to the water for extra confusion.

9- Word Play Repairs

Put a fresh leek in the hand wash basin at home or work, and then tell your housemates or colleagues this: “There’s a huge leak in the restroom/bathroom basin, it’s really serious. Please can someone go have a look?!” Expect exasperation and smiles all around. Note that this prank is only likely to work where people understand English well.

10- Scary Face

Print out a very scary face on an A4 sheet of paper, and place it in a colleague’s, or one of your kid’s drawers, so it’s the first thing they see when they open the drawer. You may not be very popular for a while.

11- Wake Up To Madness

Put foamy shaving cream, or real whipped cream on your hand, and wake your kid up by tickling their nose with it. As long as they get the joke, this could be a wonderful and fun way to start April Fools’ Day.

12- Computer Prank

This one’s fabulous, if you have a bit of time to fiddle with a colleague, friend or your kid’s computer. It is most effective on a computer where most of the icons they use are on the desktop background itself (as opposed to on the bottom task bar).

Take and save a screenshot of their desktop with the icons. Set this screenshot as their background image. Now delete all the working icons. When they return to their computer, wait for the curses when no amount of clicking on the icons works.

13- Monster Under the Cup

This one will also work well anywhere people meet. Take a paper cup, and write the following on it in black pen: “Danger! Don’t lift, big spider underneath.” Place it upside-down on prominent flat surface, such as a kitchen counter, a colleague’s desk or a restaurant table. Expect some truly interesting responses.

14- Prank Door

Write in large letters on a large and noticeable piece of paper: PUSH. Tape this notice on a door that should be pulled to open, and watch the hilarious struggle of those clever souls who actually read signs.

4. How Can DutchPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?

If you happen to visit Netherlands, or if you work for any Dutch company, knowing the above Dutch prankster phrases can really lighten up your day. Showing you have a sense of humor can go a long way to cement good relationships in any situation. These phrases are at your disposal for free, as well as are these 100 core Dutch words, which you will learn how to pronounce perfectly.

Also, don’t stop at learning April Fools’ phrases in Dutch - bone up your Dutch language skills with these FREE key phrases. Yes, DutchPod101 doesn’t joke when it comes to effective, fun and easy learning.

Now, as a bonus, test our super-learning technology, and learn the Top 1000 most useful phrases in Dutch below! But that’s not all. Read on to learn how you can be eligible for large enrollment discounts at DutchPod101.

5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Dutch - testing new technology

Help us by being a language guinea pig! Listen to this video above with embedded cutting-edge, frequency-based learning technology that enables you to learn large amounts of data in record time.

• Note: This technology is in beta-phase of development, and we invite your input for fine-tuning.
• To participate: Watch the video for instructions, and leave a comment to rate it. Your comment will make you eligible for large enrollment-fee discounts. To watch the video, please click the play button.

Thank you for helping DutchPod101! We’re serious about making learning Dutch fun.

Learn all the Dutch New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join DutchPod101 for a special Dutch New Year celebration!

Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March - December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated.

So, how do you say Happy New Year in Dutch? Let a native teach you! At DutchPod101, you will learn how to correctly greet your friends over New Year, and wish them well with these Dutch New Year wishes!

Table of Contents

1. How to Celebrate New Year in Netherlands
2. Must-Know Dutch Words & Phrases for the New Year!
3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions in Dutch
4. Inspirational New Year Quotes
5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes
6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages
7. How DutchPod101 Can Help You Learn Dutch

But let’s start with some vocabulary for Dutch New Year celebrations, very handy for conversations.

1. How to Celebrate New Year in Netherlands

Like in other countries, Dutch people greet New Year’s Day full of hope and goodwill. It may be because for most Dutch, this day offers the perfect excuse to eat an extra apple fritter, or [oliebol] in Dutch.

Let’s learn how Dutch people celebrate New Year’s Day [Nieuwjaarsdag] and New Year’s Eve [Oudejaarsavond]!

Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?

Although apple fritters are not consumed everywhere in the world, they are well-known in many countries. Do you know what they are called in other countries?

If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.

When the year changes, Dutch people all over the nation clink glasses of champagne together, and wish each other the best for the New Year. If you’re in Holland for the occasion, you’ll undoubtedly hear people say [Gelukkig Nieuwjaar], meaning “Happy New Year.” This goes hand in hand with beautiful firework shows that can be seen throughout the whole country. Children are allowed to shoot off small fireworks, or [vuurwerk], starting at 10 in the morning on New Year’s Eve. The big fireworks are reserved for adults, of course, to start off the New Year with a bang.

On New Year’s Eve, or [Oudejaarsavond] in Dutch, friends will gather together to enjoy a drink and snacks, and to watch the New Year’s Eve shows on TV. The New Year’s Eve shows are presented by well-known cabaret performers, who prepare comedy sketches about events that happened during the year. Just before midnight, the champagne bottles are brought out and everyone watches the countdown on TV. When the New Year finally arrives, Dutch people yell out Happy New Year, or [Gelukkig Nieuwjaar].

On New Year’s Day, or [Nieuwjaarsdag], you’ll likely see many tired faces out and about. This is because many Dutch people don’t sleep on New Year’s Eve, partying late into the morning on New Year’s Day. But that doesn’t mean they stay in bed all day on the first day of the year. It’s actually the opposite. Along the coasts of Holland, thousands gather for the annual New Year’s polar bear plunge, or [nieuwjaarsduik]! The most popular location for this is called [Scheveningen] in The Hague. For many Dutch, this is the only true way to start the New Year afresh.

Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-

Do you know what other countries call apple fritter or [oliebol]? In English, it’s called “Dutch Doughnuts” or “Dutchies.”

Happy New Year!
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

2. Must-Know Dutch Words & Phrases for the New Year!

1- Year

jaar

This is pretty self-explanatory. Most countries follow a Gregorian calendar, which has approximately 365 days in a year, while in some cultures, other year designations are also honored. Therefore, New Year’s day in Netherlands could fall on a different day than in your country. When do you celebrate New Year?

2- Midnight

middernacht

The point in time when a day ends and a new one starts. Many New Year celebrants prefer to stay awake till midnight, and greet the new annum as it breaks with fanfare and fireworks!

3- New Year’s Day

Nieuwjaarsdag

In most countries, the new year is celebrated for one whole day. On the Gregorian calendar, this falls on January 1st. On this day, different cultures engage in festive activities, like parties, parades, big meals with families and many more.

4- Party

feest

A party is most people’s favorite way to end the old year, and charge festively into the new one! We celebrate all we accomplished in the old year, and joyfully anticipate what lies ahead.

5- Dancing

dansen

Usually, when the clock strikes midnight and the New Year officially begins, people break out in dance! It is a jolly way to express a celebratory mood with good expectations for the year ahead. Also, perhaps, that the old year with its problems has finally passed! Dance parties are also a popular way to spend New Year’s Eve in many places.

6- Champagne

champagne

Originating in France, champagne is a bubbly, alcoholic drink that is often used to toast something or someone during celebrations.

7- Fireworks

vuurwerk

These are explosives that cause spectacular effects when ignited. They are popular for announcing the start of the new year with loud noises and colorful displays! In some countries, fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits. In others, the use of fireworks is forbidden in urban areas due to their harmful effect on pets. Most animals’ hearing is much more sensitive than humans’, so this noisy display can be very frightful and traumatising to them.

8- Countdown

aftellen

This countdown refers to New Year celebrants counting the seconds, usually backward, till midnight, when New Year starts - a great group activity that doesn’t scare animals, and involves a lot of joyful shouting when the clock strikes midnight!

9- New Year’s Holiday

nieuwjaarsdag

In many countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday - to recuperate from the party the previous night, perhaps! Families also like to meet on this day to enjoy a meal and spend time together.

10- Confetti

confetti

In most Western countries, confetti is traditionally associated with weddings, but often it is used as a party decoration. Some prefer to throw it in the air at the strike of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

11- New Year’s Eve

oudejaarsavond

This is the evening before New Year breaks at midnight! Often, friends and family meet for a party or meal the evening before, sometimes engaging in year-end rituals. How are you planning to give your New Year greetings in 2018?

12- Toast

toost

A toast is a type of group-salutation that involves raising your glass to drink with others in honor of something or someone. A toast to the new year is definitely in order!

13- Resolution

voornemen

Those goals or intentions you hope to, but seldom keep in the new year! Many people consider the start of a new year to be the opportune time for making changes or plans. Resolutions are those intentions to change, or the plans. It’s best to keep your resolutions realistic so as not to disappoint yourself!

14- Parade

parade

New Year celebrations are a huge deal in some countries! Parades are held in the streets, often to celebratory music, with colorful costumes and lots of dancing. Parades are like marches, only less formal and way more fun. At DutchPod101, you can engage in forums with natives who can tell you what Dutch New Year celebrations are like!

3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions

So, you learned the Dutch word for ‘resolution’. Fabulous! Resolutions are those goals and intentions that we hope to manifest in the year that lies ahead. The beginning of a new year serves as a good marker in time to formalise these. Some like to do it in writing, others only hold these resolutions in their hearts. Here are our Top 10 New Year’s resolutions at DutchPod101 - what are yours?

Learn these phrases and impress your Dutch friends with your vocabulary.

1- Read more

meer lezen

Reading is a fantastic skill that everyone can benefit from. You’re a business person? Apparently, successful business men and women read up to 60 books a year. This probably excludes fiction, so better scan your library or Amazon for the top business reads if you plan to follow in the footsteps of the successful! Otherwise, why not make it your resolution to read more Dutch in the new year? You will be surprised by how much this will improve your Dutch language skills!

2- Spend more time with family

meer tijd met de familie besteden

Former US President George Bush’s wife, Barbara Bush, was quoted as having said this: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” This is very true! Relationships are often what gives life meaning, so this is a worthy resolution for any year.

3- Lose weight

afvallen

Hands up, how many of you made this new year’s resolution last year too…?! This is a notoriously difficult goal to keep, as it takes a lot of self discipline not to eat unhealthily. Good luck with this one, and avoid unhealthy fad diets!

4- Save money

Geld sparen.

Another common and difficult resolution! However, no one has ever been sorry when they saved towards reaching a goal. Make it your resolution to save money to upgrade your subscription to DutchPod101’s Premium PLUS option in the new year - it will be money well spent!

5- Quit smoking

stopen met roken

This is a resolution that you should definitely keep, or your body could punish you severely later! Smoking is a harmful habit with many hazardous effects on your health. Do everything in your power to make this resolution come true in the new year, as your health is your most precious asset.

6- Learn something new

iets nieuws leren

Science has proven that learning new skills can help keep brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s at bay! It can even slow down the progression of the disease. So, keep your brain healthy by learning to speak a new language, studying towards a qualification, learning how to sew, or how to play chess - no matter how old you are, the possibilities are infinite!

7- Drink less

minder drinken

This is another health resolution that is good to heed any time of the year. Excessive drinking is associated with many diseases, and its effect can be very detrimental to good relationships too. Alcohol is a poison and harmful for the body in large quantities!

8- Exercise regularly

Sport regelmatig.

This resolution goes hand-in-hand with ‘Lose weight’! An inactive body is an unhealthy and often overweight one, so give this resolution priority in the new year.

9- Eat healthy

Eet gezond.

If you stick with this resolution, you will lose weight and feel better in general. It is a very worthy goal to have!

10- Study Dutch with DutchPod101

Nederlands leren met Dutchpod101.com

Of course! You can only benefit from learning Dutch, especially with us! Learning how to speak Dutch can keep your brain healthy, it can widen your circle of friends, and improve your chances to land a dream job anywhere in the world. DutchPod101 makes it easy and enjoyable for you to stick to this resolution.

4. Inspirational New Year Quotes

Everyone knows that it is sometimes very hard to stick to resolutions, and not only over New Year. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but all of us need inspiration every now and then! A good way to remain motivated is to keep inspirational quotes near as reminders that it’s up to us to reach our goals.

Click here for quotes that will also work well in a card for a special Dutch new year greeting!

Make decorative notes of these in Dutch, and keep them close! Perhaps you could stick them above your bathroom mirror, or on your study’s wall. This way you not only get to read Dutch incidentally, but also remain inspired to reach your goals! Imagine feeling like giving up on a goal, but reading this quote when you go to the bathroom: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” What a positive affirmation!

5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes

Still undecided whether you should enroll with DutchPod101 to learn a new language? There’s no time like the present to decide! Let the following Language Learning Quotes inspire you with their wisdom.

Click here to read the most inspirational Language Learning Quotes!

As legendary President Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” So, learning how to say Happy New Year in Dutch could well be a way into someone special’s heart for you! Let this year be the one where you to learn how to say Happy New Year, and much more, in Dutch - it could open many and unexpected doors for you.

6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages

Here’s a lovely bonus for you! Why stop with Dutch - learn how to say Happy New Year in 31 other languages too! Watch this video and learn how to pronounce these New Year’s wishes like a native in under two minutes.

7. Why Enrolling with DutchPod101 Would Be the Perfect New Year’s Gift to Yourself!

If you are unsure how to celebrate the New Year, why not give yourself a huge gift, and enroll to learn Dutch! With more than 12 years of experience behind us, we know that DutchPod101 would be the perfect fit for you. There are so many reasons for this!

• Custom-tailored Learning Paths: Start learning Dutch at the level that you are. We have numerous Learning Pathways, and we tailor them just for you based on your goals and interests! What a boon!
• Marked Progress and Fresh Learning Material Every Week: We make new lessons available every week, with an option to track your progress. Topics are culturally appropriate and useful, such as “Learning how to deliver negative answers politely to a business partner.” Our aim is to equip you with Dutch that makes sense!
• Multiple Learning Tools: Learn in fun, easy ways with resources such 1,000+ video and audio lessons, flashcards, detailed PDF downloads, and mobile apps suitable for multiple devices!
• Fast Track Learning Option: If you’re serious about fast-tracking your learning, Premium Plus would be the perfect way to go! Enjoy perks such as personalised lessons with ongoing guidance from your own, native-speaking teacher, and one-on-one learning on your mobile app! You will not be alone in your learning. Weekly assignments with non-stop feedback, answers and corrections will ensure speedy progress.
• Fun and Easy: Keeping the lessons fun and easy-to-learn is our aim, so you will stay motivated by your progress!

There’s no reason not to go big in 2018 by learning Dutch with DutchPod101. Just imagine how the world can open up for you!

Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Dutch? DutchPod101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of Dutch Christmas phrases!

Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native Dutch speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas phrases and vocabulary, DutchPod101 will teach you the most important ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Dutch!

Table of Contents

1. How to Celebrate Christmas in the Netherlands
2. Holiday Greetings and Wishes
3. Must-Know Christmas Day Vocabulary
4. Twelve Days of Christmas
5. Top 10 Christmas Characters
6. How DutchPod101 Can Help You

1. How to Celebrate Christmas in the Netherlands

Christmas season is the time of year when shopping streets are decorated with lights and pine branches, making a truly delightful family celebration!

Let’s talk about how Dutch people celebrate Christmas!

Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?

Which flower takes center stage at Christmas time and even has its own Christmas carol?

If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.

Christmas Eve, or [kerstavond], in Dutch marks the beginning of the Christmas celebrations. Most Dutch people go to church on this evening, to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Midnight Mass, or [nachtmis], on Christmas Eve is the busiest church service of the year.

Unlike in the United States, Dutch people actually celebrate two Christmas days. The three major holidays in Holland, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, all enjoy a second day of vacation following the main holiday. One of the reasons for this extra day is that it provides people with more than just a church trip. Many people use this day to go shopping, or to visit other family members or friends.

December 25 is the first Christmas day and the first day of the Christmas celebrations. The best and most beautiful Christmases in most people’s minds are those that bring a fresh load of snow, or [sneeuw], in Dutch. When new snow greets the dawn on Christmas morning, Dutch people call it “witte kerst” meaning “White Christmas”.

Dutch people usually celebrate Christmas day at home with their families. In the evening, everyone gets together and enjoys a wonderfully delicious Christmas dinner, or in Dutch [kerstdiner]. The traditional dishes eaten during the Christmas season are turkey and rabbit, which some people like to slather in cranberry sauce.

In many Dutch and Flemish communities, you’ll see people burning a Christmas tree, or [kerstboom]. Every year in the Netherlands, Dutch people hold an event called a “Christmas Tree Burning” at the beginning of the New Year. This tradition dates back a long, long time, to a time when people believed fire held a “cleansing” sort of power, making it a good way to start out a new year. However, beyond the traditional aspects, it’s also a way of keeping the streets clean of old Christmas trees that have been thrown out.

Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-

What flower takes center stage at Christmastime in Holland and even has its own Christmas carol?

The answer is the snowdrop, or in Dutch [sneeuwklokje]. Snowdrops are beautiful white flowers that bloom from January through April. The flower grows on a stem about 25 centimeters tall, with the long, slender flower petals bulging around the pistil to make the flower look a bit like a church bell.

2. Holiday Greetings and Wishes for the Holiday Season

1- Merry Christmas!

Vrolijk Kerstfeest!

Do you know how to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in Dutch? Learn here how to pronounce it perfectly! ‘Merry’ means to be joyful, to celebrate and generally be in good spirits. So, with this phrase you are wishing someone a joyful, celebratory remembrance of Christ’s birth!

2- Happy Kwanzaa!

Gelukkig Kwanzaa!

Surprise your African-American, or West African native friends with this phrase over the Christmas holidays! Kwanzaa is a seven-day, non-religious celebration, starting on Dec 26th each year. It has its roots in African American modern history, and many people celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas!

3- Have a happy New Year!

Een gelukkig nieuwjaar!

In countries where Christmas is not officially celebrated, but a Gregorian calendar is observed, this would be a friendly festive-season wish over New Year.

4- Happy Hanukkah!

Gelukkig Hanukkah!

Hanukkah is the beautiful Hebrew festival over November or December each year. It is also called the ‘Festival of Lights’ and is celebrated to commemorate the Jewish freedom of religion.

5- Have a great winter vacation!

Heb een geweldige wintervakantie!

This is a good phrase to keep handy if someone doesn’t observe any religious festival over the Christmas holidays! However, this will only be applicable in the Northern hemisphere, where it is winter over Christmas.

6- See you next year!

Zie je volgend jaar!

Going away on holiday over Christmas season, or saying goodbye to someone about to leave on vacation? This would be a good way to say goodbye to your friends and family.

7- Warm wishes!

Warme wensen!

An informal, friendly phrase to write in Dutch Christmas cards, especially for secular friends who prefer to observe Christmas celebrations without the religious symbolism. It conveys the warmth of friendship and friendly wishes associated with this time of year.

8- Happy holidays!

Fijne feestdagen!

If you forget how to say ‘Merry Christmas!’ in Dutch, this is a safe, generic phrase to use instead.

9- Enjoy the holidays!

Geniet van de vakantie!

After saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in Dutch, this would be a good phrase with which to wish Christmas holiday-goers well! It is also good to use for secular friends who don’t celebrate Christmas but take a holiday at this time of the year.

10- Best wishes for the New Year!

Beste wensen voor het nieuwe jaar!

This is another way of wishing someone well in the New Year if they observe a Gregorian calendar. New Year’s day would then fall on January 1st.

3. Must-Know Christmas Day Vocabulary

Christmas is associated with many traditions and religious symbols in multiple countries across the world. It originated centuries ago in the West with the birth of Christianity, and the celebrations are often embedded with rich cultural significance. So, by now you know how to say Merry Christmas in Dutch! Next, learn pertinent vocabulary and phrases pertaining to Christmas, as well as how to pronounce them correctly. At DutchPod101, we make sure you sound like a native speaker!

1- Christmas

Kerstmis

This is the Dutch word for ‘Christmas’. Most happy Christmas wishes in Dutch will include this word!

2- Snow

sneeuw

In most Northern-hemisphere countries, Christmas is synonymous with snow, and for Christmas, the snowman is often dressed as Santa Claus.

3- Snowflake

sneeuwvlok

Snowflakes collectively make up snow. A single snowflake is small, white, light like a feather and icy cold! When put under a microscope, the snowflake reveals itself to have the most beautiful, symmetrical patterns. These patterns have become popular Christmas decorations, especially in Western countries.

4- Snowman

sneeuwpop

As you guessed - a snowman is only possible to build if it is snowing! What a fun way to spend Christmas day outside.

5- Turkey

kalkoen

Roast turkey is the traditional main dish on thousands of lunch tables on Christmas day, mainly in Western countries. What is your favorite Christmas dish?

6- Wreath

kerstkrans

Another traditional Western decoration for Christmas, the wreath is an arrangement of flowers, leaves, or stems fastened in a ring. Many families like to hang a Christmas wreath outside on their houses’ front doors.

7- Reindeer

rendier

Reindeer are the animals commonly fabled to pull Santa Claus’ sled across the sky! Western Christmas folklore tells of Father Christmas or Santa Claus doing the rounds with his sled, carrying Christmas presents for children, and dropping them into houses through the chimney. But who is Santa Claus?

8- Santa Claus

Kerstman

Santa Claus is a legendary and jolly figure originating in the Western Christian culture. He is known by many names, but is traditionally depicted as a rotund man wearing a red costume with a pointy hat, and sporting a long, snow-white beard!

9- Elf

elf

An elf is a supernatural creature of folklore with pointy ears, a dainty, humanoid body and a capricious nature. Elves are said to help Santa Claus distribute presents to children over Christmas!

10- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolf het rendier met de rode neus

‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ is a Christmas song based on an American children’s story book with the same name. Rudolph is one of Santa’s reindeer. The song became more famous than the book, and can still be heard playing in many shopping malls over Christmas time across the globe!

11- North Pole

noordpool

The cold North Pole is where Santa Claus is reputed to live with his reindeer!

12- Sled

slee

A sled is a non-motorised land vehicle used to travel over snow in countries where it snows a lot, and is usually pulled by animals such as horses, dogs or reindeer. This one obviously refers to Santa’s sled! Another word for sled is sleigh or sledge.

13- Present

cadeau

Gift or present giving is synonymous with Christmas Eve and the greatest source of joy for children over this festive time! This tradition signifies that Christ’s birth was a gift to mankind, but not all people who hand out presents over Christmas observe the religious meaning.

14- Bell

bel

On Christmas Day, or Christmas Eve, many religious celebrants enjoy going to church for a special sermon and Christmas rituals. The start of the sermon is often announced with bells or a bell, if the church has one. For this reason, the sound of ringing bells is often associated with Christmas Day.

15- Chimney

schoorsteen

The chimney is the entrance Santa Claus uses to deliver children’s presents on Christmas Day, according to folklore! Wonder how the chubby man and his elves stay clean…?!

16- Fireplace

open haard

In most countries where it snows, Christmas is synonymous with a fire or burning embers in houses’ fireplaces. Families huddle around its warmth while opening Christmas presents. Also, this is where Santa Claus is reputed to pop out after his journey down the chimney!

17- Christmas Day

kerstdag

This is the official day of commemorative celebration of Christ’s birth, and falls each year on December 25.

18- Decoration

versiering

Decorations are the colourful trinkets and posters that make their appearance in shops and homes during the Christmas holiday season in many countries! They give the places a celebratory atmosphere in anticipation of the big Christmas celebration. Typical Christmas decorations include colorful photographs and posters, strings of lights, figurines of Santa Claus and the nativity scene, poinsettia flowers, snowflakes and many more.

19- Stocking

kous

According to legend, Santa Claus places children’s presents in a red stocking hanging over the fireplace. This has also become a popular decoration, signifying Christmas.

20- Holly

hulst

Holly is a shrub native to the UK, and parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. It is characterised by glossy, spiny-toothed leaves, small, whitish flowers, and red berries. Ironically, its significance for Christmas relates to Christ’s crucifixion and suffering rather than his birth. However, the leaves’ distinctive shape and image have become popular Christmas decorations.

21- Gingerbread house

peperkoekhuis

According to legend, the gingerbread house synonymous with Christmas is related to Christ’s birth place, Bethlehem. Bethlehem literally means ‘House of Bread’. Over centuries, it has become a popular treat over Christmas time in many non-religious households as well.

22- Candy cane

zuurstok

According to folklore, Christmas candy canes made their appearance first in Germany in the 16th century. A choir master gave children the candy canes to suck on in church in order to keep them quiet during the Christmas sermon! Apparently, the candy is shaped like a cane in remembrance of the shepherds who were the first to visit the baby Jesus. Today, like gingerbread houses, they are still a popular sweet over the festive season!

23- Mistletoe

maretak

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on certain trees. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the mistletoe has magical powers, and could protect a household from evil if hung above a door during December. The belief didn’t last but the habit did, and the mistletoe is another popular Christmas decoration!

4. Twelve Days of Christmas

Wow, you’re doing extremely well! You know how to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Dutch, and you learned pertinent vocabulary too! The Twelve Days of Christmas is not very well known in modern times, so, you’re on your way to becoming an expert in Christmas traditions and rituals. Well done!

The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a traditional festive period of 12 days dedicated to celebrate the nativity of Christ. Christmas Day is, for many who observe Twelvetide, the first day of this period.

‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ is also a popular Christmas song about a series of gifts given on each day of Twelvetide. According to experts, these gifts were created as a coded reference to important symbols in the Christian church. Here is a list of those gifts mentioned in the song! Do you recognise them?

5. Top 10 Christmas Characters in American Culture

This is fantastic, you know how to explain almost everything about Christmas in Dutch! However, do you know the most popular Christmas characters in American culture? Your knowledge will not be complete without this list.

6. DutchPod101 Is One Of The Best Online Language Schools Available!

We don’t just say this - we can prove it! Geared to your personal needs and goals, we have several learning paths from which to choose. From Dutch for Absolute Beginners to Advanced Dutch, lessons are designed to meet you where you are, and increase your language abilities in fun, easy and interactive lessons! Mastering a new language has never been this easy or enjoyable.

We have over a decade of experience and research behind us, and it shows! With thousands of audio and video lessons, detailed PDF lessons and notes, as well as friendly, knowledgeable hosts, DutchPod101 is simply unbeatable when it comes to learning correct Dutch. Plenty of tools and resources are available when you study with us. New lessons are added every week so material remains fresh and relevant. You also have the option to upgrade and enjoy even more personalised guidance and services. This is a sure way to fast-track your learning!

So, this Christmas, why don’t you give yourself a present and enroll in DutchPod101? Or give an enrollment as a present to a loved one. It will be a gift with benefits for a whole lifetime, not just over Christmas!

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Dutch

Going through Dutch lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Dutch, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Dutch. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.

We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Dutch and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Dutch vocabulary word and the tangible object.

In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through DutchPod101.com.

Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Dutch Language from the Beginning!

1. Surround yourself with Dutch

By surrounding yourself with Dutch constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Dutch radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.

One great feature of DutchPod101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.

2. Learn through observation

Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Dutch words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Dutch.

DutchPod101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Dutch.

3. Speak out loud to yourself

Speaking to yourself in Dutch not only gets you in the mindset of Dutch, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.

With DutchPod101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Dutch speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.

4. Practice daily

If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.

It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but DutchPod101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with DutchPod101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!

Conclusion

Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that DutchPod101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!

Learn Dutch With DutchPod101 Today!

There are plenty of destinations where you can get by with English, but sometimes you want to do better than just ‘get by’. Here are 6 reasons you should learn the basics of the language of your next trip destination.

1. You will be able to discover your destination better than other tourists.
Getting by is one thing, but actually experiencing a trip abroad is quite another. No amount of guidebooks and online research can compensate for a basic lack of language ability. Speaking the language of your destination permits you to explore that destination beyond the regular tourist traps. Your language skills will not only allow you to dig into all the hidden gems of your destination, but they will also allow you to mingle with the locals to get a true experience on your holiday. Think of it this way: you’re not restricted to talking to the people at the tourist desk anymore.

2. Knowing how to communicate with local police or medical personnel can be life-saving.
Before you leave for your destination, make sure you learn how to ask for help in that destination’s local tongue. Do you know how to ask the waiter if this dish has peanuts in it? Or tell your host family that you’re allergic to fish? Can you tell the local doctor where it hurts? Moreover, an awareness of an environment improves your chance of remaining safe inside it. For example, walking around a busy marketplace, dazzled by an unfamiliar language, signs and accents will instantly render any tourist a more attractive mark for pickpockets. Communicating with other people, asking questions and looking confident will make you look like a semi-local yourself, and will ward off potential thieves.

Click here for Dutch Survival Phrases that will help you in almost every situation

3. It helps you relax.
Traveling is much less stressful when you understand what that announcement at the airport was saying, or if this bus line reaches your hotel. These things stress you out when traveling and they disappear when you understand the language. This allows you to focus on planning your trip in a better, easier way.

4. Speaking the language can provide you with a way to get to know people you’d never otherwise have the opportunity to speak with.
Sometimes those relationships turn into friendships, and other times they’re nothing more than a lively conversation. Either way, as Nelson Mandela said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” When you approach someone – even staff at a store or restaurant – with English, rather than their own language, an invisible divide has already been erected. Making even a small effort to communicate in the language of the place you’re visiting can go a long way and you’ll find many more doors open up to you as a result.

Click here for the Top 25 Dutch Questions you need to know to start a conversation with anyone

5. You’ll be a better ambassador for your country.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we know very little about other countries and cultures, especially the local politics. And what we do know is often filtered to us by the media, which tends to represent only certain interests. When you can speak the local language, you’re able to answer questions that curious locals have about your country and culture. Are you frustrated with how your country is presented in global news? Are you embarrassed by your country’s leaders and want to make it clear that not everyone is like that where you’re from? This is a very good opportunity to share your story with people who have no one else to ask. We all have a responsibility to be representatives of the place we come from.

6. Learning another language can fend off Alzheimer’s, keep your brain healthy and generally make you smarter.
For more information, check out this blog post about the 5 Benefits of Learning a New Language.

1. Schedule your time.

One of the most important factors in keeping your motivation up is developing it into a habit. Whether it be 20 minutes or 3 hours, schedule time to study every day and stick to it. Regular exposure solidifies what you learn and keeps you progressing. To make sure you stick to your routine, a great idea is to build a schedule for your day and decide that every day/Monday/weekend, you study from 6pm to 8pm. Just remember that 30 minutes a day, every day, is better than a binge 8-hour study session at the end of the week (though it’s obviously better than nothing).

2. Learn a word a day with our great Word of the Day learning tool.

Trying to learn everything at once and getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of words in your new language is not a good idea. Sometimes, even if you do learn new words, you forget them quickly because you haven’t heard them enough in context. As mentioned above, daily exposure to new words is an important factor in solidifying your target language. Our Word of the Day tool delivers you daily words and phrases, shows you how to pronounce them and use them in different contexts. Since you can get the WOTD via email, Facebook, or Twitter, this is a passive way of learning a language that fits into your existing daily social media routine. It only takes 3 minutes to review a word and practice its pronunciation, so you can do it on the way to work, in the gym, or even before you go to bed.

Click here to get the Dutch Word of the Day for FREE!

3. Make friends!

If there’s a community of people who speak the language you want to learn in your city, start attending those events! Friendship is the easiest way to get comfortable with the slang, intonation, and mannerisms of a new language. The key to learning any language is speaking a lot, so try to find a native speaker who can be your conversation partner. Having friends that speak your target language means that you will find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to speak that language. But since they are your friends, you will be doing things you enjoy with them. So these situations will probably have little or no stress. These friendships will also mean that you have someone you can ask about language, culture, and so on.

4. Take a break!

If you’re having an off day or if your brain is already tired of studying, see if you can take a break and do something fun AND useful. Comic books, illustrated stories, and cartoons are a fun way to keep learning while reducing the target language text load for weary eyes. Plus, the images help you plant lasting seeds of memory, as researchers say humor opens up cognitive doors. This is a way to keep the target language active in your brain without the strain of studying a textbook.

Don’t get stuck with the same content though. When things start to bore you, move on. Change up your books, movies, anime, music, dramas, and so on when they start getting old.

5. Don’t give up!

As with any goal, there are going to be pitfalls along the way. You’d have to be incredibly determined to never have an off-day or consider giving up. And when you do it’s ok, but the important thing is to pick yourself up after this temporary setback and keep going. Knowing you’ve overcome a few obstacles is only going to make the moment you have your first conversation in another language that much sweeter. Like the Dutch proverb says, ‘Fall down seven times, stand up eight.’

If you need more motivation, check out this list of the Top 10 Inspirational Quotes in Dutch.

Let’s play a game of Would You Rather?

Would you rather have this…
Over 300 Dutch learning CDs (yeah, CDs…remember those?) piled to the ceiling in your bedroom next to stacks upon stacks of expensive, outdated textbooks that teach you dry, humorless Dutch conversation.

…or this?
The same amount of content, shrunken down to fit onto your smartphone or tablet. And all those lessons? They’ve been updated to teach you vocabulary, grammar and culture so that learning Dutch is actually fun!

The answer is clear. You’d rather have the DutchPod101 Mobile!

The biggest Dutch course.
All on your tiny mobile device.

Introducing DutchPod101 Mobile Beta!
Take all of your favorite Dutch lessons and lesson notes on the go, anywhere you have a WiFi or 3G/4G connection, anytime and on any device. That’s hundreds of Dutch lessons from Absolute Beginner to Advanced, available at the touch of a finger. Optimized for any screen, you’ll navigate through our rich collection of lessons and resources easily and intuitively.

No more zooming. No more squinting. This is language learning on-the-go!

Exclusive New Feature for 12-month and 24-month Premium Subscribers!
Whether you’re an iOS or Android user, Beginner or Advanced speaker, you can swipe your way to Dutch fluency as you go from lesson to lesson. Accessed through your device’s browser, once you log in and your 12-month or 24-month Premium membership has been authenticated, you’ll gain access to our entire lesson library including audio, video, lesson notes, line-by-line transcripts and vocabulary with audio.

Loading that many lessons onto your Phone would take up 20GB at least! With DutchPod101 Mobile, you get all the content without giving up all that storage space. Save that extra space for more Instagram photos of your delicious Dutch lunch!

Log On to Tune In
Using any WiFi-enabled device, log in at mobile.Dutchpod101.com and tap on “Browse” to scroll through all seasons and lessons by difficulty. If you’d like to continue where you’ve left off, tap on “History.”

Most Lessons come with 3 Audio Tracks:

Plus, you get Lesson Notes and Supplementary Resources:

DutchPod101 Mobile is currently available to 12-month and 24-month Premium and Premium Plus subscribers only. To access DutchPod101 Mobile as well as the unlimited DutchPod101.com access that comes with Premium and Premium+, click here to subscribe.

DutchPod101 Mobile Launch Special: Save 20% on any 12-month or 24-month Premium Subscription until November 15th, 2012. Use coupon code MOBILE

Click here to save 20% on 12-month and 24-month Premium!

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