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A1 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Curated for beginners
What does “asociaal” mean in Dutch?
Asociaal is Dutch’s sharpest everyday verdict on selfish behaviour. Built from a- (without) + sociaal, it means someone or something shows no regard for those around them. The word covers everything from chewing gum stuck on a lamppost to queue-jumping to an oversized SUV on a narrow city street — any act that says “I don’t care about anyone else.” Van Dale defines it simply as “without social awareness; not taking others into account.”
The speaker in the clip spots a wad of gum plastered to a lamppost and delivers the double verdict: “Dat is vies en asociaal” — “That is disgusting and antisocial.” The pairing of vies (gross, dirty) with asociaal is very natural Dutch: physical unpleasantness plus moral failure in one breath. In everyday speech you will also hear the clipped form aso, which can build compounds: asobak is the mildly affectionate term for an oversized SUV that hogs the road. Learners at A1 can drop asociaal into any criticism of inconsiderate public behaviour and sound instantly natural.