Belgians love their expressions and idioms, they use them on a day to day basis sometimes without even noticing it. This could be a bit confusing and maybe even frustrating for those who are just learning Flemish or Dutch. Luckily it’s not all bad, because when you start translating these expressions you get some pretty weird and hilarious sentences. Out of the never-ending list of Flemish and Dutch expressions we’ve selected these 7 that will make your day:
1.Alsof er een engeltje over je tong piest
Translation: It’s like an angel pissing over your tongue
Meaning: When something tastes really good
2. Vooruit met de geit
Translation: Forward with the goat
Meaning: Get on with whatever you are doing
3. Daar heeft hij/zij geen kaas van gegeten
Translation: He/she didn’t eat any cheese of that
Meaning: He/she doesn’t know a lot/nothing about that subject
4. Nu komt de aap uit de mouw
Translation: Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve
Meaning: When suddenly something finally makes sense, or you finally know someones true nature or reason behind his/her doing, you can say : ‘Nu komt de aap uit de mouw!’.
5. Hij/zij heeft zijn/haar kat gestuurd
Translation: He/she has sent his/her cat
Meaning: He/she didn’t show up
6. Met de deur in huis vallen
Translation: To fall with the door into the house
Meaning: To get to the point immediately
7. Maak dat de kat wijs
Translation: Make that the cat wise / Make the cat believe it
Meaning: You can use this expression when you don’t believe a thing of what the other person is saying
These are only seven of the many funny and interesting Flemish and Dutch expressions out there. Idioms aren’t the only funny things you can encounter when learning Dutch, take a look at these 15 Dutch words that will put a smile upon your face.
Want to practice your Dutch in a fun and amusing way? Then you should definitely take a look at these 12 movies you must see when learning Dutch.
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