glove [noun] [de handschoen, de handschoenen]

It seems as if we are going to enjoy some true winter weather after all in the Netherlands as temperatures are dropping and some snow is falling. Although the true Dutch cyclist will not use gloves until the fingers are about to freeze off, it is acceptable to start using them 😉

The word “handschoen” consists of two words: “hand” and “schoen”. With “schoen” translating to “shoe”, this word literally means “hand shoe”.

Examples:
– “Wat ga je doen?” – “Ik ga naar de HEMA om handschoenen te kopen.”
(“What are you up to?” – “I’m going to HEMA to buy gloves.” In Dutch it is common to put an article in front of a shop name.)

– “Wat voor handschoenen zoek je?” – “O gewoon simpele.”
(“What kind of gloves are you looking for? – “Oh just normal ones.” In Dutch, one can leave out the equivalent of “ones” since the adjective indicates its presence.)

– “Als ze bij de HEMA geen handschoenen hebben, dan ga ik naar de V&D.”
(“If they don’t have gloves at HEMA, (then) I’ll go to V&D.”)

Related words:
– “Muts”: hat (the one you can pull over your ears).
– “Sjaal”: scarf.

Extra:
As was explained in DWOTD “59. Gordijn” the HEMA is a department store where you can buy almost any attribute you might use in and around your house, as well as clothing and a limited selection of food. The HEMA is cheap and sells products of decent quality. Usually when you can’t find something at HEMA, you go to V&D, which is another department store but much bigger. V&D too has all the small things, but usually more expensive, and not always of better quality!