There are hundreds of Dutch sayings, ranging from old cows in the ditch, to knocking like a bus, and from being the spool to smelling an hour in the wind. Koentact has visualized 146 of those sayings, on the special Instagram page Learn Dutch the fun way.
In this blog post, we’ll dive into 4 different Dutch sayings that focus on the beloved fruit that covers half of the fruit section in every Dutch supermarket: apples!
Door de zure appel heen bijten
This saying, literally translated as ‘To bite through the sour apple’, means that someone has to complete an unpleasant task. After completion, something more pleasant might follow.
And we all know that feeling of taking the first bite of an apple, to find out the apple is sour! The task has become unpleasant immediately.
This saying can also be explained as accepting the inevitable, without knowing whether the situation will improve.
Een appeltje met iemand te schillen hebben
When you still have to solve an issue with someone, you can let others know about this by saying ‘Ik heb nog een appeltje met iemand te schillen’. By using this Dutch saying, which literally translated says that you still have to peel a little apple with someone, you can let others know that you have a disagreement or other sort of argument with a person.
De appel valt niet ver van de boom
The Dutch saying ‘De appel valt niet ver van de boom’ focuses on the fact that a child (the apple) looks or behaves like their parents (the tree). You might recognize certain behaviour or character traits in both the parents and children. When a child shows such behaviour, you can point this out by saying ‘Nou, de appel valt niet ver van de boom!’.
Appels met peren vergelijken
The saying ‘Appels met peren vergelijken’ can be literally translated to ‘Comparing apples with pears’. And we all know that comparing items with different properties cannot really be compared.
Want to learn more about these Dutch sayings? In every Dutch course, Koentact focuses on a different Dutch saying, to help you incorporate these sayings in your Dutch learning. You can also find these sayings on our Instagram pages @koentactdutchcourses and @learndutchthefunway. This way, you’ll know what is going on when someone is being compared to an apple that has fallen close to a tree!