10 Words to Use During the Dutch Winter

Winter can be a special time in the Netherlands. The whole landscape changes when everything is covered in snow. When you can skate outside, a whole different world opens up. Here are seven words that you can use during the Dutch winter.

1. Koud

Koud is cold; it is pretty simple. Once it starts to freeze, you can say, “brr… het is koud, it is cold.” If you want to say that you are cold, then you need to pay attention. If you say “ik ben koud,” it means I am a cold, frigid person. If this is not the message you want to send out into the world, you need to change the construction. In Dutch, you’ll literally say: I have it cold, ik heb het koud. If you say, ik heb het koud, then it means that you feel cold, not that you are a psychopath.

2. IJs

IJs in Dutch can have two different meanings. It can be frozen water, and it can be an ice cream. You can say “ik drink jenever met ijs,” and then it will be obvious that you drink jenever with ice cubes.

IJs can also be ice cream, and Dutch people also like to make things smaller. Een ijsje is always an ice cream. You can say: ik eet een ijsje, I eat an ice cream.

And who knows? If it is really cold, then you might see een ijsbeer one day. This is literally an ice bear. In English, you call it a polar bear.

3. Sneeuw

Sneeuw is snow, of course, and you can see this word in combination with many other words. Een sneeuwbal is a snowball and sneeuwballengevecht is a snowball fight

Have you heard the word sneeuwpop? This is literally a snow doll. In English, you call it a snowman because, somehow, in Dutch, it seems a bit more gender-neutral. Although een sneeuwpop tends to represent a man a bit more often, Dutch people do not really call it een sneeuwman.

Last but not least, we also have sneeuwpret. Pret is outrageous fun or great pleasure, so sneeuwpret is literally snow fun. When it snows, there are two different groups in the Netherlands. One group complains, certainly when the NS has found a perfect excuse for cancelling many trains. Another group is more optimistic and creative. Thanks to this second group, you will see een sneeuwpop here and there, or you’ll catch een sneeuwbal from een sneeuwballengevecht!

4. Glad

Glad in Dutch is slippery… You may see and hear: pas op! Het is glad! Look out, it is slippery!

A person can also be glad, certainly when this person is a politician. Could you guess what it means? Glad stands for something slippery, so it is more negative. If a person is glad, then it does not mean that they are cheerful, but rather a smooth operator—someone who likes to mislead with a certain charm.

5. IJzel

IJzel is close to IJs (ice), and it means “black ice” in English. When rain falls on cold ground, it can start to freeze immediately. These raindrops can form a thin layer of ice that is hard to see—frozen rain.

IJzel can be quite tricky, certainly in a city like Amsterdam. You need to be careful when you cross a bridge, because if there is ice, it is very easy to slip, fall, and lose your balance.

Read Also: 10 Things to Know About Dutch Breakfast

6. Hagel

Hagel is not that far away from hail. It falls like rain, but it is made of tiny ice crystals, and when it hits you, it can actually hurt. Have you heard the word hagelslag? Hagelslag is not only a hail shower, but also the sprinkles that Dutch people like to put on bread.

7. Vriezen

Vriezen means to freeze. You can say “het gaat vriezen,” and it means it is going to freeze. De vriezer or diepvriezer can also be something you have in the kitchen. It is a perfect place to store your frozen pizzas.

8. Dooi

Dooi is thaw and it means that it stops freezing. For some people, it is the first sign of relief, while others may hate it because the snow, the ice​​, and everything that makes Dutch winter so magical now starts to melt and disappear.

Here is an expression that could be useful: het kan vriezen, het kan dooien, which literally means it can be freezing and it can be thawing. It means that things are hard to predict, and both opposite things could happen. For example, if someone asks you if you got a certain job, you can say: het kan vriezen, het kan dooien when you are not sure about it.

9. Smelten

Smelten is close enough to melt. If it happens with dooi, de sneeuw begint te smelten. And you can say: mijn hart begint te smelten, my heart begins to melt. It might happen on 14 February, when it is still officially winter

10. Overwinteren

Overwinteren literally means “to spend the winter somewhere else,” and it’s used to describe someone who likes to spend the winter elsewhere. If you don’t like snow, then it could be a good idea to go to a warmer country with nicer temperatures.

Another word you may hear during the Dutch winter is winterslaap, literally “wintersleep”. Dutch people may tell you: ik wil een winterslaap. Een winterslaap is not just a little nap during winter. It is something that een ijsbeer (polar bear) loves to do, and you can call it hibernation.

What would you like to add to this list of words to use in the Dutch winter? Should we also add warme chocomel met slagroom? Share your thoughts here.

When you are ready to go one step further, check out the Dutch Brainwash. This masterclass is a tried-and-true program that has the power to revolutionize your Dutch.

Albert Both

Talencoach / Dutch Flow Now