Why do Dutch speakers say “bonnetje” instead of “bon” for a receipt?
Boodschappen doen in 2020 vs nu: inflatie shock
B1 Dutch listening practice · Dutch from the Netherlands · Picked for people who know some
Dutch reaches for diminutives constantly, even when nothing is small. Bonnetje (“little receipt”) is the everyday Dutch word for any shopping receipt, even a long one. It comes from bon (the receipt itself) plus the diminutive ending -tje. Dutch speakers slip the diminutive into other store words too: zakje (a small bag), kaartje (a ticket), koffietje (a coffee). The endings soften the noun and make the speaker sound friendlier; Netherlands Dutch is famous for this.
In this clip, a Dutch shopper holds up a bonnetje uit 2020 (“a 2020 receipt”) and compares prices to today: butter up 40%, mushrooms up 40%, fresh fries up 81%. The receipt becomes a small documentary of inflation.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this B1 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than B1. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch supermarket and retail content (Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl Nederland)
- ▸In Dutch news features about household budgets (NOS, RTL Nieuws)
- ▸In Dutch sitcoms about shopping and family life (Toren C, Zwarte Tulp)
- ▸In Dutch tax-and-receipt content for self-employed workers
- ▸In Dutch parenting blogs about saving money