Welcome to the latest instalment of English and the Dutch, the newsletter with tips and tricks, fun facts, new translations and other good stuff about how Dutch speakers speak English. In your inbox every third Wednesday of the month. The newsletter is written by me, Heddwen Newton. I’m half Dutch, half British, and I work as a translator, teacher and linguist. I am also the owner of the website
I wonder if the translation for "spontaan" is, oddly, at least for American English, "chill." Contestants on Dutch dating series (and I confess I watch a lot of them) use this word so often to describe someone that's friendly, easy to be around. I think often you could swap in an American saying: "She's chill" or: "I want to meet someone chill" and get at the same sentiment?
And I do think the English use "bubbly" the same way, again this is based exclusively on my expertise as a shameless Love Island fan.
Wait, the US has so many more inhabitants, perhaps in percentage terms the name "Holland" is just as popular? (These questions always pop into my mind AFTER I've pressed "send".) But now I've worked it out. The surname "Holland" is about 10 times more popular in the US than in the Netherlands.
I wonder if the translation for "spontaan" is, oddly, at least for American English, "chill." Contestants on Dutch dating series (and I confess I watch a lot of them) use this word so often to describe someone that's friendly, easy to be around. I think often you could swap in an American saying: "She's chill" or: "I want to meet someone chill" and get at the same sentiment?
And I do think the English use "bubbly" the same way, again this is based exclusively on my expertise as a shameless Love Island fan.
Wait, the US has so many more inhabitants, perhaps in percentage terms the name "Holland" is just as popular? (These questions always pop into my mind AFTER I've pressed "send".) But now I've worked it out. The surname "Holland" is about 10 times more popular in the US than in the Netherlands.