advantage, benefit, profit [noun] [het voordeel, de voordelen] [‘voor-deel’]

As a special request, today’s DWOTD is "voordeel". "Voordeel" always has a positive meaning, either having an advantage or buying something for a good price. In the latter case, the adjective/adverb "voordelig" is used (see Examples). "Voordeel" can also be combined with several verbs, either "zijn" (to be) or "hebben" (to have). The Examples will show you how to use them. The opposite of "voordeel" is "nadeel".

Examples:
– "Hij deed zijn voordeel met de lage huizenprijzen in de jaren tachtig en is nu miljonair."
("He took advantage of the low house prices in the eigthies and is a millionaire now.")

– "Heb je de voor- en nadelen goed bekeken voordat je die belangrijke beslissing nam?"
("Did you take a proper look at the pros and cons before you took that important decision?")

– "Je zou denken dat Hillary’s situatie in haar voordeel werkt omdat zij meer ervaring heeft, maar dat blijkt niet waar te zijn."
("You would think that Hillary’s situation would be to her advantage since she is more experienced but that doesn’t seem to be true.")

– "Wat is de stand?" -"3-0 in het voordeel van Nederland/3-0 voor Nederland!".
("What’s the score? – "3-0 for Holland!")

– "Deze auto is voordelig (in het gebruik) omdat hij op gas rijdt."
("This car is economical (in use) since it drives on gas.")

Expressions:
World famous soccer player and coach Johan Cruijff is known for his selfinvented hands-on expressions to guide his followers through everyday life. One of his most well-known expressions is: "Elk nadeel heb zijn voordeel" (note the conjugation of the verb "hebben" in Amsterdam spelling) or, in proper Dutch: "Elk nadeel heeft zijn voordeel", translated as "Every disadvantage has its advantage". Johan looks at the bright side of life 😉

Other expressions include:

– "Ik kwam haar na jaren weer tegen en we hebben uren op het terras zitten kletsen; ze is echt in haar voordeel veranderd!"
("I bumped into her after years not having seen her and we spent hours chatting in an outdoor café; she’s really changed for the better!")

– "Ondanks zijn slechte prestaties heb ik hem het voordeel van de twijfel gegeven en zijn contract met nog een jaar verlengd."
("In spite of his lousy performance I gave him the benefit of the doubt and prolonged his contract with another year.")

Extra:
In commercials or in stores you might come across words such as "Megavoordeel!" which is translated to something like "huge sale!"

Related words:
– "Nadeel": disadvantage.
– "Nadelig": adverse, detrimental.
– "Voordelig": advantageous, economical, favourable.