What does “vroeg uit de veren” mean in Dutch?
Vroeg uit de veren voor de zonsopgang in Tanzania
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
Vroeg uit de veren literally means “early out of the feathers,” a Dutch idiom for “out of bed early.” The veren (feathers) reach back to Dutch bedding history, when down-filled mattresses and pillows were the household standard from the 1600s through the mid-1900s. The expression survives long after duvets replaced feather ticks. Dutch speakers reach for it half-jokingly when describing an early start, and it carries the same affectionate-grumble register as English “up before the rooster.”
In this Wie is de Mol? clip, a contestant wraps a Tanzania-sunrise excursion: “We gingen vanmorgen heel vroeg uit te veren en dat deden we om de Tanzaniaanse zonsopgang te bekijken.”
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Harder words in this video
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch idiom-and-phrase resources (Onze Taal, Spreekwoorden.nl, Etymologiebank)
- ▸In Dutch-as-a-second-language teaching channels (Bart de Pau, Easy Dutch, DutchPod101)
- ▸In Dutch household and bedding history coverage (NRC Wonen, De Volkskrant, Trouw)
- ▸In Dutch dictionaries and usage guides (Van Dale, Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal, Onze Taal Adviezen)