Dat gaat je niets aan!

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That’s none of your business! Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week]

cat-717394_640The verb “aangaan” is mostly used in the translation of “to be switched/turned on” or “to be activated”. But as always there is a completely different meaning, in this case “to concern”. “Dat gaat je niets/niks aan” can therefore also be translated with “that does not concern you”. Of course you can create your own variation of the phrase, see the Examples.

Examples:
– “Is Dave gisteravond nog mee naar binnen geweest?” – “Wat?! Dat gaat je niets aan!” 
(“Did Dave go inside with you last night?” – “What?! That is none of your business!”)

– “Ik weet dat het mij eigenlijk niets aangaat, maar hoeveel verdien jij eigenlijk?” – “Je hebt gelijk, dat gaat je inderdaad niets aan!”
(“I know it is not really my business, but how much do you earn anyway?” – “You are right, it is  none of your business for sure!”)

– “Wat ben je aan het doen?” – “Dat gaat je niets aan, oprotten!”
(“What are you doing / up to?” -“That’s none of your business, beat it / bugger off!”)

– “Dit is iets tussen mij en Esther en het gaat je niets aan!” – “Ho eens even, Esther is mijn vriendin, dus het gaat mij wel aan!”
(“This is something between me and Esther and it does not concern you!” – “Hold it right there, Esther is my girlfriend, so it does concern me!”)

Expressions:
– “Dat ga ik jou niet aan je neus hangen”: that is none of your business, I am not telling you that, as if I would tell you, etc. (Lit.: “I am not going to hang that on your nose.”)

Related word:
– Nieuwsgierig: nosy, curious [adjective/adverb]

4 thoughts on “Dat gaat je niets aan!”

  1. What on Earth does “… go inside with you …” mean? It looks like a direct translation of a Dutch idiom.

  2. Hi Zoe, I certainly had no intent to be cryptic; in Dutch “naar binnen gaan” means “to enter a house/building/whatever” with the object that you enter being implicit. “Mee naar binnen gaan” means that the act of entering is done together with somebody else, again the other person being implicit. I chose to write “go inside” instead of “enter” as it is more about staying in the house after entering it, than just entering it.
    Although I have heard the phrase “go inside with you” in English I would be happy to receive suggestions for an alternative that is close to the Dutch idiom.
    Sander

  3. Thank you, this is a good phrase to know. I had forgotten all about it. I’d learned it when I was in Holland ten years ago and then never used it again, but I used to say, ‘Dat gaat je nix aan.’ Did I pick it up wrong back then, or can we say it both ways?

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