Humor is a very important part of Dutch culture, and the Dutch love to joke around. If you’re looking for some funny Dutch jokes to make you laugh, then look no further! When I came across the Afrikaans expressions ‘ ń Klap van die windmeul weg hê‘, literally ‘to be hit by windmill’ meaning ‘to act crazy / unintelligent’I wanted to learn more! Despite there being no windmills in South Africa, this expression went unchanged from its original Dutch form ‘ Een slag van den molen weg hebbe’.

Wat is een dinosaurus als hij door de Keukenhof loopt? Een Tulpenstomper (What’s a dinosaur walking through the Keukenhof? A Tulip Crusher.) What’s a couple?’ I asked my mum. She said, ‘Two or three’. Which probably explains why her marriage collapsed.” – Josie LongWhich of these funny Dutch phrases did you like this most? Speak Dutch? What other Dutch idioms and phrases would you add? Most celebrations and traditions in the Netherlands are centered around religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter. One of the most popular festivities in the Netherlands is Sinterklaas, a holiday that takes place on 5 December. Although traditionally a children’s holiday, adults also celebrate Sinterklaas by exchanging gifts and writing a humorous poem about the gift’s recipient. Wat is een dinosaurus als hij door een Nederlandse stad loopt? Een Rampsaurus! (What’s a dinosaur walking through a Dutch city? A Rampsosaurus! Ramp = disaster) The Dutch generally have progressive attitudes towards gender equality, and the Netherlands ranks fifth in the EU on the European Commission’s 2020 Gender Equality Index.

Meaning: To have been duped into buying something without inspecting it properly 8. Did you fall down the stairs? There’s also some untranslatable wordplay that requires explaining. Like yelling for a “white one” in a bar to get a beer. Or the double meaning of being “on one leg” for the king. The advanced Dutch learners among you may have noticed that pindakaas means ‘peanut cheese.’ So why don’t they call it pindaboter? Well, when peanut butter first came onto the Dutch market, boter could only mean real butter made from milk. Cheese, however, didn’t enjoy such protections and so pindakaas was born. A Belgian lights a match and blows it right out again. “So”, he thinks, “I’ll keep this one, because this one works.”)

I doubt there’s a heaven; I think the people from hell have probably bought it for a timeshare.” – Victoria Wood Waarom kunnen Nederlanders goed verstoppertje spelen? Omdat hun vingers tussen de dijken passen. (Why are Dutch people good at hide and seek? Because their fingers fit between the dikes.) Another word that sounds a little rude in English, slagroom means whipped cream. It’s made up of two words: slag (hit/beat) and room (cream). When you pronounce it correctly in Dutch, it sounds more serious, but no less delicious. Top tip: this tasty Dutch food goes well with a generous slab of apple tart. Hagelslag As Dutch people tend to keep to themselves, some expats experience difficulty developing strong friendships or relationships with locals. In general, the Dutch keep a small but tight-knit circle of friends, often from childhood. As such, some Dutch people don’t feel the need to make an effort to expand their social network.