Met pensioen, maar hij mist zijn vrachtwagen
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch from the Netherlands · Picked for people who know a little
What does “met pensioen” mean in Dutch?
A wife reassures her restless husband: «je bent pas 10 dagen met pensioen» (“you’ve only been retired ten days”). To be met pensioen (literally “with pension”) is to be retired; “met pensioen gaan” is “to retire.”
The comedy is that he’s pining, not for another woman, but for his vrachtwagen (truck) and the open snelweg. Dutch marks life’s stages with these neat met- phrases: met pensioen (retired), met verlof (on leave), met vakantie (on holiday). Useful the moment you talk about work, time off, or hanging up the keys for good.
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How common in written Dutch
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch talk about retirement and pensions (AOW).
- ▸Alongside met verlof (on leave) and met vakantie (on holiday).
- ▸In Dutch sitcoms about restless retirees.
- ▸In Dutch workplace and HR conversations.