to chat, to chatter, to gossip, to talk nonsense/rubbish, to splash, to throw/hit with a splashing sound [verb] [kletste, gekletst]
Although “kletsen” has more than one meaning, it is mostly used as a form of talking.
Examples:
1. “Laat ze maar kletsen.”
(<indifferently:> “Let them talk/gossip.”)
2. “Kinderen, niet kletsen in de klas! – sprak de juf.”
(“Children, no talking/chatting during class! – the teacher/nanny said.”)
3. “De regendruppels kletsten op de stoep.”
(“The raindrops were splashing on the pavement.”)
Expressions:
1. “Uit je nek kletsen.”: to talk nonsense. (Literally: to talk out of your neck).
Example:
“Frank zat weer behoorlijk uit z’n nek te kletsen tijdens de vergadering.”
(“Frank was really talking nonsense again during the meeting.”)
2. “Iemand de oren van het hoofd kletsen.”: to talk the hind leg off
a donkey / to talk really much. (Literally: to talk the ears off
someone’s head).
Related words:
1. “Bijkletsen” : to chat with a person in an informal way in order to update eachother on what has been going on in eachother’s lives (“to catch up”).
Example:
“We moeten binnenkort maar weer eens gezellig bijkletsen.”
(“We should catch up / have a nice little chit chat soon.”)
2. “Kletskous” : chatterbox, a person who is chatting/gossiping all the time. A “kous” is a “stocking”.
3. “Ouwehoeren”: to chatter / to go on, more or less synonymous to “kletsen” but very informal. (Literally: to old-whore…)
4. “Dijenkletser”: a really good joke. (Literally: a thigh splasher. Obviously it refers to the sound that is heard when you slap your upperlegs with your flat hands when hearing a really good joke…)