Foreigners Guess 7 Dutch Sayings | Easy Dutch

Summary

In this lively and engaging video, participants explore the rich tapestry of Dutch idioms, translating them into English and guessing their meanings. The script is filled with humor and wit as the group delves into expressions involving animals, nature, and everyday life, revealing the cultural depth and poetic charm of the Dutch language. From 'burning one's butt cheeks' to 'falling with one's nose in butter,' the video offers a delightful insight into the figurative speech of the Dutch, leaving viewers intrigued and amused.

Takeaways

• 😀 The participants introduced themselves as Marina, Nikita, Justina, Matthew, and Dimitrius, representing Easy Russian and Easy Languages.
• 🧐 The video involves translating Dutch sayings into English and having participants guess their meanings.
• 🔥 The first phrase discussed is 'Who burns his or her butt cheeks has to sit on the blisters,' which means to live with the consequences of your actions.
• 🐄 Another saying, 'To take old cows out of the ditch,' means bringing up past problems or mistakes that have already been resolved.
• 🐒 The phrase 'Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve' is about revealing true intentions or secrets unexpectedly.
• 🐱 'To watch the cat out of the tree' implies observing a problem without taking action, either as a cautious approach or out of inaction.
• 🌬️ 'High trees catch a lot of wind' means that prominent or successful people attract a lot of criticism and attention.
• 🍀 'To fall with your nose in the butter' translates to being unexpectedly lucky or fortunate.
• 🍐 'To sit with baked pears' refers to preparing for something only to be left with it when plans fall through, indicating an unutilized resource or effort.
• 😺 The participants enjoyed the activity and discussed the poetic and animated nature of Dutch idioms, expressing interest in learning more and using some of the sayings in their own languages.

Q & A

What is the main activity in the video script?

The main activity in the video script is a discussion and interpretation of various Dutch idioms translated into English, with participants guessing the meanings behind them.

What does the phrase 'who burns his or her butt cheeks, has to sit on the blisters' imply?

This phrase implies that one must live with the consequences of their actions, suggesting personal responsibility for the outcomes of one's behavior.

What is the meaning of the Dutch idiom 'to take old cows out of the ditch'?

This idiom means to let the past be the past, suggesting that one should not bring up past issues or mistakes once they have been resolved or are no longer relevant.

What does 'the monkey comes out of the sleeve' signify in the script?

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone's true intentions or character are revealed unexpectedly, often in a negative or surprising way.

What is the interpretation of 'to watch the cat out of the tree'?

This idiom means to do something that is difficult or unreasonable to achieve, or to stare at a problem without actually doing anything to fix it.

What does 'High trees catch a lot of wind' suggest about people who stand out?

This idiom suggests that people who stand out or are in prominent positions attract a lot of attention, which can be both positive and negative, including criticism and unwanted scrutiny.

What is the positive aspect of 'to fall with your nose in the butter'?

This idiom has a positive connotation, indicating that something unexpected but very good has happened to the person, often by luck or chance.

What is the literal and figurative meaning of 'to sit with baked pears'?

Literally, it means having prepared baked pears for guests who did not show up. Figuratively, it signifies having a problem or being stuck with something that one does not know how to deal with.

How did the participants find the experience of interpreting Dutch idioms?

The participants found the experience fun and engaging, with some expressing interest in learning Dutch and using the idioms in their own language.

What did the participants find challenging about the Dutch idioms?

The participants found the idioms challenging because they were poetic, sometimes vulgar, and did not always have direct translations or clear meanings, requiring deeper interpretation.

What was the participants' reaction to the animal-related idioms?

The participants enjoyed the animal-related idioms, finding them amusing and memorable, with some expressing a particular fondness for the idioms involving cats, monkeys, and cows.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introductions and Dutch Idioms

The video script begins with introductions of participants, including Marina F, Nikita F, and others, who are part of the Easy Russian and Easy Languages communities. The main activity involves translating Dutch sayings into English and guessing their meanings. The first idiom discussed, 'who burns his or her butt cheeks, has to sit on the blisters,' is likened to the English expression 'you reap what you sow,' suggesting that one must face the consequences of their actions. The participants engage in a lively discussion, sharing interpretations and learning the nuances of these phrases.

05:00

🤔 Interpreting Dutch Proverbs

In this section, the script focuses on the interpretation of various Dutch proverbs and their English equivalents. Phrases like 'take old cows out of the ditch' and 'the monkey comes out of the sleeve' are explored, with participants offering insights into their meanings, which range from addressing past mistakes to revealing hidden intentions. The discussion highlights the cultural and contextual significance of these idioms, as well as the participants' ability to grasp and apply their underlying messages.

10:00

🌪️ High Trees and Unexpected Fortune

The third paragraph delves into idioms related to visibility and the consequences of standing out, such as 'high trees catch a lot of wind,' which implies that prominent individuals attract criticism. Other idioms like 'to fall with your nose in the butter' are discussed, with the group hypothesizing about their positive connotations, such as experiencing unexpected good fortune. The conversation showcases the participants' engagement with the material and their enjoyment in discovering the deeper meanings behind common sayings.

15:02

🍐 Baked Pears and Unwanted Abundance

In the final paragraph, the script discusses the idiom 'to sit with baked pears,' which metaphorically represents having a problem that one cannot get rid of, despite also having something pleasant, like a dessert. The participants reflect on the mixed feelings associated with such a situation, suggesting that it could relate to having resources or good things that one does not know how to utilize effectively. The summary concludes with the participants expressing their enjoyment of the activity and their interest in learning more about Dutch idioms and proverbs.

Keywords

💡Idioms

Idioms are phrases or expressions that have a figurative meaning different from the literal meaning of the individual words. In the video, various Dutch idioms are discussed, such as 'who burns his or her butt cheeks has to sit on the blisters,' illustrating the cultural and linguistic richness of idiomatic expressions.

💡Blisters

Blisters refer to small bubbles on the skin filled with serum, caused by friction or burns. In the idiom 'who burns his or her butt cheeks has to sit on the blisters,' it metaphorically represents the consequences one must endure from their actions, emphasizing personal responsibility.

💡Old cows out of the ditch

This Dutch idiom means to bring up old, resolved issues. The discussion in the video illustrates how different cultures have similar expressions about not dredging up past problems, showing the universal nature of this idea.

💡Monkey out of the sleeve

This idiom means revealing one's true intentions or the true nature of a situation. In the video, participants discuss how it signifies the moment when hidden truths come to light, reflecting on the unexpected revelations in human interactions.

💡High trees catch a lot of wind

This idiom suggests that people who stand out or are successful attract more criticism or attention. The discussion in the video highlights how public figures or those in positions of responsibility face more scrutiny and challenges.

💡Falling with your nose in the butter

This idiom means to have good luck or an unexpected positive outcome. The video participants explain that it conveys a sense of serendipity, where good fortune comes by chance rather than through one's efforts.

💡Baked pears

Baked pears in the idiom 'to sit with baked pears' symbolize having a problem or disappointment. The video explains that it describes a situation where one has prepared something nice, like a dessert, but ends up alone, metaphorically indicating unfulfilled expectations or plans.

💡Literal vs. figurative meaning

This concept differentiates between the exact meaning of words and their implied or symbolic meaning. The video illustrates how idioms use figurative language to convey deeper meanings, enriching communication.

💡Cultural expressions

Cultural expressions are phrases or sayings unique to a particular language or culture. The video explores Dutch idioms, providing insights into Dutch culture and how language reflects shared values and experiences.

💡Proverbs

Proverbs are short, commonly known expressions that offer wisdom or advice. The video discusses several Dutch proverbs, showing how they encapsulate moral lessons and practical truths in everyday language.

Highlights

Introduction to the Dutch sayings translation activity

Participants introduce themselves and their language backgrounds

Explanation of the first Dutch saying 'who burns his or her butt cheeks' and its meaning discussion

Participants attempt to interpret the saying 'take old cows out of the ditch' and its correct meaning revealed

Discussion on the idiom 'let the past be the past' and its relevance to not dwelling on past issues

The idiom 'the monkey comes out of the sleeve' explained as revealing one's true intentions

Participants interpret 'watch the cat out of the tree' as a metaphor for not taking action on a problem

Explanation of 'high trees catch a lot of wind' as a metaphor for being a target of criticism due to visibility

Discussion on the positive connotation of 'to fall with your nose in the butter' as experiencing unexpected good fortune

The idiom 'to sit with baked pears' as having a problem that one can't get rid of

Participants reflect on the fun and educational nature of learning Dutch idioms

Reflection on the difficulty of understanding and using Dutch idioms due to their poetic and sometimes nonsensical nature

Participants express interest in learning Dutch and incorporating idioms into their language use

Discussion on the cultural and pastoral imagery evoked by the animal-related idioms

Participants share their favorite idioms from the session and their potential use in different languages

Final thoughts on the value of learning idiomatic expressions as part of language acquisition

Transcripts

hello

and so hi guys thank you for

participating can you introduce yourself

Marina F easy Russian Igan Nikita F easy

Russian easy languages and what e

languages and man

assistant and

yeah no worries we have some Dutch

sayings for you translated into English

and you have to guess the

meaning eish thank you for participating

Justina Matthew

eatan

isri f is Greek thank you Dimitrius for

participating I will start uh the first

one is who burns his or her butt cheeks

H has to sit on the

blisters do you want what do you

understand from that

phrase I don't know yeah I think it's

something like you if you are not

prepared for something it is your

responsibility about all the

consequences mhm what's got that mean

you reap what you sow you get what you

deserve mhm uh it's quite close um but

it's uh not the exact meaning I would

say that it means like you have to live

with the consequences of your actions ah

maybe maybe because like it's it's very

it's a very poetic and somewhat vulgar

way of say like oh you burn your butt

cheeks well you got to sit on your

blisters I might I might adap I might

take that one I might use that one in

English yeah you also got the meaning

immediately very very well

done to take old cows out of the ditch

take old cows out of the ditch

yes you're from the farm

yeah why would you take old cows out of

a

ditch it can mean to do something when

it's already too

late in Polish we say you don't replant

the old trees does it mean the same like

you're not supposed to move a thing that

is like settled and working well in a

new circumstance I would say maybe

like you have to help someone out when

they're in need um

maybe um not be able to forget previous

mistakes and um offenses MH like

previous

problems yeah I agree maybe to just

to take a lot of garbage from your uh

past in your future life I like them uh

I think you're the first one to guess

this one so close H like to like to

mention all stories that were kind of

dirty like if I start saying Oh but you

did this and that let the past be the

past yes yeah let the past be the past

is perfect so it's like when you uh had

something some issue maybe in the past

and it's solved you have talked it out

but then somebody brings it up again

now the monkey comes out of the

[Laughter]

sleeve the real you comes out you are a

monkey actually you are dressing like a

person but you are a monkey monkey mhm

so maybe after a couple of years the

real monkey comes out of this G perhaps

you are getting caught

lying um maybe if someone was like not

really you know coming to the point of

what they wanted to say kind of like

working around the problem MH and then

finally eventually you understand what

it is about and that's the

monkey yeah very very close when you

come up with something genus all of a

sudden and you solve the situation

something unexpected happens like uh

like shitty unexpected or some secret is

revealed and now the real intentions

come out something like that that for

example now you're showing your true

face something like that like doesn't

mean that you got rid of a problem that

you had

D look words to watch the cat out of the

tree to watch the cat out of the tree so

the cat is in the tree to do something

uh really boring uh no like watch paint

dry something like that the cat is in

the tree and you watch it go out of the

tree yeah like yet say you watch it to

like in D it uh the cuts out the bom ker

so it's more by watching it you make it

go

out this is a hard one to do something

which is so difficult that it is

unreasonable to

do

philosophical Sor no no that's a

compliment I would have said something

like related to

lies um like you see where the light is

coming from um maybe when you check on

something that is happening MH and they

know that you are watching some they

they behave differently because you're

watching so perhaps it's when you have

have to look at

something for a while to really study it

analyze it and then you can understand

it you try to get a cat out of a tree

exactly so you're trying to do that but

you're only watching it so what could

that mean huh that you're not making

effort to help the cut so there's a

problem but you're not doing anything to

fix it yes very nice so it's like

there's a problem and it can be both in

a positive or negative way so it's it's

you could in a positive way say I'm

first analyzing the situation and then

try to take a decision or you could say

I'm just waiting and not exactly yeah so

it can be in a bit different context

also you're just stare at the problem

but you're not actually doing anything

about it yeah

perfect high trees catch a lot of wind o

High trees catch a lot of wind um as a

as as a tall person yeah uh as a very a

person who's very high up usually I I

definitely feel that one my hair is

always getting almost messed up and is

the wind a nice thing in this context

the wind is not a nice thing in this

context you should be a part of the

group and not stick out because um if

you stick out then bad things will

happen to you like you will be the first

Target or something like that maybe if

you're like you know being a bit against

the mainstream or somehow that you also

how do you say it like have obstacles

along the way something like this so

those who are farther in a situation can

see the problems coming earlier than

others well I think if you are

successful then you are you are

struggling a lot more than people which

are not something like that does it mean

that if you want to like grow High

meaning like do amazing things and be

successful you have to like face the win

so you will have to deal with some

obstacles on the way if you want to

achieve like great things um so maybe

like people who like if you draw

attention to yourself you create more

problems when you are famous maybe oh

yes when you're famous from Easy

languages and everyone recognizes you

yeah I think if you combine them you get

the meaning so you say wind is not

positive you say famous people mhm if

you combine them okay you get famous

people attract a lot of a lot of like

negative attention or or a lot of

unwanted attention I would say something

like related to success so if you stand

out know like everyone is here you stand

out which means you will get some extra

negative or extra problems because

you're the first one doing something

perfect um it actually means like that

uh famous people or people have a lot of

responsibility always get a lot of

criticism so wind is like a synonym for

criticism and then no matter what you do

people see what you're doing they know

you have responsibility so you will also

get the

criticism to fall with your nose in the

butter oh I would love that I love

butter that would be my dream to fall to

a big a big bowl of butter oh do you

feel the same no

be greedy and have too much of a good

thing you can't manage and then you get

stuffed something like that like you're

too nosy and you try to know everything

but then somebody caught you trying to

gossip about about someone else somebody

caught you red-handed while you were

doing something uh no it's actually

something positive oh oh that you

something unexpected but very good

happen happen to you I don't know I can

you almost said it already actually I

did so you said like you would feel

super I would love that you would love

it yeah that was my dream so it's

fantastic it's amazing exactly but it's

also falling so is that something you

you choose to do or oh so it's like you

accidentally like it's not what you

wanted but you ended up getting

something that you like out of it or

something good happened because of it

exactly and can you say that in two

words in English yeah mixed feelings uh

be

luckyy so maybe

accidentally do something which leads

you to a great success or something

really good

yeah yeah it means to be lucky so it's

not so much what you do yourself you're

just

lucky to sit with baked pears so baked

and pears the fruit to sit with P pears

I mean in right and left I yeah they're

just there you you prepared

them so you you sit in with pears all

around you and the the the context is

that you uh cook them like you prepared

the meal as a dessert but then your

guests didn't show up oh because you're

alone with the paars okay mhm sad so you

don't have

friends so you run an an unsuccessful

event or you run you you throw a party

and nobody comes or people abandon you

and they don't like you anymore maybe to

have

something valuable or really

good W with which you don't know what to

do you have some resources some

something something really great but you

have no idea how

to to make something good of it baked

pears are kind of soft so smelly and

smelly

I think it's when you are friends with

perhaps that not such a good influence M

you know you have it's a bad crowd and

you get influenced by

that I would say it's like having like

very dark secrets and you're sitting

with baked pairs like they smell

like big dark secrets well it depends on

how they're and how they're seasoned how

they're spice they got a lot of sugar

and cinnamon on them I would love to sit

with baked pears if they're more of like

a if they're overbaked or they're I

would not like that so much but um to

sit with baked pears that probably means

maybe because baked pears they're like

warm and cozy it could be like like like

something like a very comfortable

situation like oh I'm sitting with baked

pears what a what a lovely right

wouldn't you like to I don't know hang

out with baked

pears but sit as in like you're stuck

with them so you have a problem that you

can't get rid of uh yeah actually you're

the first one who kind of gets it um so

so the meaning the literal meaning is to

have a problem yeah and the context is

um that you prepared the baked Pierce um

for dinner and like as a dessert and

then your guest didn't show up ah and

it's a bit sad so you have a problem but

you also have a nice dessert for

yourself that's what I

think um so that was it uh quick

conclusion how did you like the SS oh

this was so fun I'm going to use some of

those I'm going to call my mom and say

you'll never believe it I just fell with

my nose into the

butter are amazing the different

sentences but uh for me the best one was

about the the farming one the yeah the

farming one yeah was great they were

really very poetic um it was very like

Poetic yeah animated ways to to express

basic ideas a lot of fun yeah I'm I'm

going to I'll learn Dutch now I haven't

heard any of these idioms ever I think

this is one of the most difficult parts

of of Dutch when I learned Dutch every

single time I would encounter an idiom

that would make no sense for there are a

lot of them so you don't just have to

learn the language you have to learn all

all of these idiomatic expressions how

did you like our Co to the animals your

Proverbs that's my conclusion you don't

ditch an old cow never so so that one is

sad and the other ones yeah they're okay

there are some similar ones to polish I

did this video with some other teams I

think he a Greek in the past and maybe

is's Turkish and I think like their

Proverbs were like completely unusable

for me and this one was sometimes

challenging but durable you use the one

with the pier or the cat yeah with with

the cows is school too yeah I really

like the cow one and the monkey one yeah

I try to use it even if it's in Spanish

yeah the animal ones yeah yeah yeah lots

of animals that made me super happy lot

of cats too yeah love cats yeah cats

monkeys cows I like the lots of cats

lots of cows

butter I got the feeling of uh of um

pastural

life like I I had you know Dutch fields

and Farms yeah like very authentic ones

yeah they were

all yeah yeah I in my heart

old cows old they have to be old they

have to be old they have to be old you

can't take new cows like the questions

would you still take the cow out of

there if it's old of course you always

save the cow why do you leave it there

if your mother was very old and she fell

in a dish with water would you not take

her out when they were maybe no you

don't save it um no that's cheer why you

save the cow