wtorek, 24 lipca 2012

Secrets of the Dutch speech: "on this bike!"


About a week ago I made quite funny language discovery. After a delicious dinner at my mother-in-law, Maurice and Rens started discussing about something in Dutch. They were very amused, talking about our friend's tourist scam. I didn't pay much attention to that, cause I was fully focused on enjoying an excellant cheesecake from Bistro mama's recipe. By the way, i really recommend this cake! Everyone loved it ;) But back to my story: in one moment something caught my attention... Suddenly I heard well known forme word fiets.

A bicycle? What bicycle?! What the hell are they talking about? With all the respect to Stiemmie, but I have big difficulties imagining him to have something in common with a bike. So why were they laughing: "Ohh... on THIS bike!..." while talking about him? On what bike? I had to abandon my cheesecake to check what is all about. 

It appeared, that Dutch expression op die fiets, doesn't mean "on this bike" at all. It's rather something like "with this manner"! So simple and so Dutch, don't you think? ;) Find me any other country, where the bicycle would be so popular (maybe except Vietnam). In the Windmill Country bikes are such an obvious tool, that they even found their place in this common expression. Not like in english speaking countries (and even polish) "this way". No no... not this way my dear. In Holland a bicycle is more important than the road/way itself. So... op die fiets!

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