Ontspannen

1. relaxed, easy, cool [adjective] [‘ont-span-nun’]

cat-649164_640Instead of “ontspannen” the Dutch often use “relaxed” and “cool” too. Mind that the English words – when used in Dutch – are declined according to the Dutch rules, see the last example.

Examples:
– “Marc, je ziet er ontspannen uit, hoe was je vakantie?”
(“Marc, you look relaxed, how was your holiday?”)

– “Na een bezoek aan de sauna voel ik me altijd heerlijk ontspannen.”
(“After a visit to the sauna I always feel wonderfully relaxed.”)

– “Ik ben ontspannen zoals op een zondagochtend…”
(“I’m easy like Sunday mornin’…”)

– “Ken je Pascal? Hij is een relaxte gast!”
(“Do you know Pascal? He’s a cool dude!”‘)

Related words:
– “Slap”: slack, soft, weak.
– “Rustig”: calm, steady.
– “Strak”: tight.
– “Stress”: stress.
– “Gestrest”: stressed (out).

2. to relax, to unwind, to chill [verb] [ontspande, ontspannen] [‘ont-span-nun’]

As a verb, “ontspannen” can be used in the transitive form as well as the reflexive form (“zich ontspannen”). See the Examples for both cases.

Examples:
– “Schat, ik ga even lekker ontspannen met een biertje op de bank.”
(“Honey, I’m gonna chill for a moment with a beer on the couch.” Lit.: “…chill nicely for a moment…”)

– “Kunt u proberen uw buikspieren te ontspannen?”
(“Can you try to relax your abdominal muscles?”)

– “Frank kan zich niet ontspannen in het weekend. Hij is een totale workaholic.”
(“Frank can’t relax during weekends. He is a total workaholic.”)

Related words:
– “Relaxen”: (verb) tot relax.
– “Rusten”: (verb) to rest.
– “Stressen”: (verb) to stress out, to work under stress(es).

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