Waaien

Grammar: <waaien> [verb] [waaide, h. gewaaid].

Translates to: to blow (by the wind).

The verb "waaien" usually has the wind as its implicit subject. Variations on "waaien" exist that involve other subjects than the wind, see ‘Related words’.

Examples:
1. "Het heeft hard gewaaid afgelopen nacht."
("It was very windy/There was a strong wind last night." Literally: "It has blown hard …")

2. "Hoor de wind waait door de bomen…"
("Hear, the wind blows through the trees…" First sentence of a well-known "Sinterklaasliedje". See "DWOTD 36. Kloppen" for other Sinterklaasliedjes and information on "Sinterklaas".)

Expressions:
1. "Laat maar waaien!": let it go, don’t bother about it!
2. "Zoals de wind waait, waait zijn jasje.": he has no opinion of his own. Literally: like the wind blows, so does his jacket/coat.

Related words:
1. "Omwaaien": to be blown over (by the wind).

Example: "Mijn fiets is omgewaaid." ("My bicycle …")

2. "Wegwaaien": to be blown away (by the wind).

Example: "Mijn pet is weggewaaid." ("My cap …")

3. "Uitwaaien": to be blown out (by the wind).

Example: "De kaars is uitgewaaid." ("The candle …") See also "DWOTD 32. Kaars".

Another use of the verb "uitwaaien" is to walk in the wind and clear your mind, typically at the coast.

4. "Overwaaien": to blow over (by the wind) and figuratively: arrive somewhere quickly from somewhere else, usually a phenomenon.

Example: "Grunge is overgewaaid van Amerika naar Europa."
("Grunge came to Europe from America.")

Another use of this verb is to say that a bad mood or a hard time will go past (eventually). Typical usage: "Het waait wel weer over!" ("It will pass!")

5. "Aanwaaien": to be blown at you/in your direction by the wind.

Example: "Kijk, er komt een ballon aanwaaien!"
("Look, a balloon is blown in our direction (by the wind)!")

Expression:
"Het komt hem allemaal maar aanwaaien.": He succeeds without effort, he does not have to put energy into something and still has success.
Usually when this expression is used it expresses some degree of envy.

And then there are more verbs with "waaien", but we thought this would be enough 🙂