31 essential Dutch idioms-proverbs phrases with pronunciation guides.
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It's raining very heavily / It's pouring
Lit. "It rains pipe stems"
B1neutralidiom
Neem een paraplu mee, het regent pijpenstelen! — Take an umbrella, it's pouring!
I don't care
Lit. "It can me not differ"
B1neutralexpression
Wat vinden de buren ervan? — Het kan me niet schelen. — What do the neighbors think? — I don't care.
It's not worth it / It's not worth the effort
Lit. "It is the effort not worth"
B1neutralexpression
Zullen we erover klagen? — Nee, het is de moeite niet waard. — Should we complain about it? — No, it's not worth it.
Now the truth comes out / Now we see the real motive
Lit. "Now comes the monkey out of the sleeve"
B2informalidiom
Ah, je wilt geld lenen! Nu komt de aap uit de mouw. — Ah, you want to borrow money! Now the truth comes out.
To get straight to the point / Be blunt
Lit. "Fall with the door into the house"
B2neutralidiom
Ik val maar met de deur in huis: je bent ontslagen. — I'll get straight to the point: you're fired.
To overlook / Turn a blind eye to something
Lit. "See something through the fingers"
B2neutralidiom
De leraar zag het door de vingers dat hij te laat was. — The teacher turned a blind eye to him being late.
To wait and see / Take a cautious approach
Lit. "Watch the cat out of the tree"
B2neutralidiom
Ik ga eerst de kat uit de boom kijken voordat ik beslis. — I'll wait and see first before I decide.
He who laughs last, laughs best
B1neutralproverb
Ze lachten me uit, maar ik heb het gehaald. Wie het laatst lacht, lacht het best. — They mocked me, but I made it. He who laughs last, laughs best.
There's no place like home
Lit. "East west, home best"
B1neutralproverb
De vakantie was leuk, maar oost west, thuis best. — The holiday was nice, but there's no place like home.
Just act normal, that's crazy enough — the unofficial Dutch motto
Lit. "Act but normal, then act you already crazy enough"
B1informalproverb
Hij kwam in een smoking naar het feest. — Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg! — He showed up at the party in a tuxedo. — Just act normal!
To be very quick / First in line
Lit. "Be there like the chickens"
B2informalidiom
De kaartjes gingen in de verkoop en zij was er als de kippen bij. — The tickets went on sale and she was first in line.
That doesn't make any sense / That's nonsense
Lit. "That hits nowhere on"
B1informalexpression
De regels zijn veranderd? Dat slaat nergens op! — The rules changed? That doesn't make any sense!
I couldn't care less
Lit. "It will be a sausage to me"
B2informalidiom
Wat denken ze ervan? — Het zal me een worst wezen. — What do they think about it? — I couldn't care less.
To make a mountain out of a molehill / To exaggerate
Lit. "Make an elephant from a mosquito"
B2neutralidiom
Het is maar een schrammetje, maak niet van een mug een olifant. — It's just a scratch, don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
To bring up old issues / Dredge up the past
Lit. "Pull old cows from the ditch"
C1neutralidiom
Laten we geen oude koeien uit de sloot halen. — Let's not dredge up old issues.
A piece of cake / Very easy
Lit. "Little apple, little egg"
B1informalidiom
Dat examen was appeltje-eitje! — That exam was a piece of cake!
Schadenfreude — pleasure derived from others' misfortune
Lit. "Suffering entertainment"
C1neutralsingle-word
Hij viel op het ijs en iedereen lachte. Puur leedvermaak! — He fell on the ice and everyone laughed. Pure Schadenfreude!
To go outside in windy weather to clear your head
Lit. "Out-blow"
B2neutralsingle-word
Ik ga even uitwaaien op het strand. — I'm going to the beach to clear my head in the wind.
To walk on eggshells / To be at the end of your rope
Lit. "Walk on your toes"
B2neutralidiom
Ik loop al weken op mijn tenen vanwege de werkdruk. — I've been at the end of my rope for weeks because of work pressure.
To encourage someone / Give moral support
Lit. "Stick a heart under someone's belt"
B2neutralidiom
Ik wilde haar even een hart onder de riem steken na het slechte nieuws. — I wanted to encourage her after the bad news.
To disappear without a trace / To do a runner
Lit. "Leave with the northern sun"
C1neutralidiom
De huurder is met de noorderzon vertrokken zonder te betalen. — The tenant disappeared without a trace, without paying.
Something smells fishy / Something is suspicious
Lit. "There sits a little air on it"
B2informalidiom
Die deal klinkt te mooi om waar te zijn. Daar zit een luchtje aan. — That deal sounds too good to be true. Something smells fishy.
It's all good / Everything is fine between us
Lit. "It is cake and egg"
B2informalidiom
Na die ruzie is het weer koek en ei tussen hen. — After that argument, everything is fine between them again.
To give someone a good telling-off
Lit. "Wash someone's ears"
B2neutralidiom
De coach heeft het team flink de oren gewassen na de wedstrijd. — The coach gave the team a good telling-off after the match.
To make a decision / To cut the Gordian knot
Lit. "Chop through the knot"
B2neutralidiom
We praten er al weken over. Het is tijd om de knoop door te hakken. — We've been talking about it for weeks. It's time to make a decision.
Just in time / By the skin of your teeth
B1neutralidiom
We hebben de trein op het nippertje gehaald. — We caught the train just in time.
To find a job / To get work
Lit. "Come to the trough"
B2informalidiom
Na zes maanden zoeken is hij eindelijk aan de bak gekomen. — After six months of searching, he finally found a job.
To protect someone / To shield from consequences
Lit. "Hold the hand above the head"
C1neutralidiom
Zijn baas houdt hem altijd de hand boven het hoofd. — His boss always protects him.
It's going wrong / It's falling apart
Lit. "It walks into the soup"
B2informalidiom
Het project loopt helemaal in de soep. — The project is completely falling apart.
Something obvious / Self-evident
Lit. "Something lying before the hand"
B2neutralexpression
De oplossing is voor de hand liggend, we moeten meer personeel aannemen. — The solution is obvious, we need to hire more staff.
When you're having a good time, time doesn't matter
Lit. "Coziness knows no time"
B1informalproverb
Het is al middernacht? Gezelligheid kent geen tijd! — It's midnight already? Time flies when you're having fun!