Dutch talk

For example, you have an important exam coming up, and in the final class before the exam the lecturer explicitly tells you which parts of the study material are most important and what questions will be asked in the exam. When preparing for the exam, you naturally study the questions the lecturer said were important. But come to the actual exam, and it turns out that many of the questions are totally different from what you expected. At this moment, a Dutch student might exclaim: ‘Nou breekt mijn klomp! ‘ (CvdB)

(Illustration: Juan Carlos Ortiz Nicolas, MSc, Mexico)

img:22dutchtalkimage.nl

@04 fotokopje:Dutch talk

‘Nou breekt mijn klomp!’ (‘Now my wooden shoe breaks!’) is a typical expression the Dutch use when they’re utterly surprised by some sudden, unexpected occurrence and really don’t know how to react to it. For example, you have an important exam coming up, and in the final class before the exam the lecturer explicitly tells you which parts of the study material are most important and what questions will be asked in the exam. When preparing for the exam, you naturally study the questions the lecturer said were important. But come to the actual exam, and it turns out that many of the questions are totally different from what you expected. At this moment, a Dutch student might exclaim: ‘Nou breekt mijn klomp! ‘ (CvdB)

(Illustration: Juan Carlos Ortiz Nicolas, MSc, Mexico)

img:22dutchtalkimage.nl