bear [noun] [de beer, de beren]

Not to be confused with "bier", which means "beer" (in English). To distinguish between the pronunciation of the Dutch words "beer" and "bier" is often found difficult by non-Dutch.

Example:
– "De beer vangt een zalm in de rivier."
("The bear catches a salmon in the river.")

Expressions:
1. "Beresterk": strong as a lion/ox (literally: strong as a bear).

2. "Een ongelikte beer": a rude guy (literally: an unlicked bear).

3. "Hij is een beer van een vent, zeg!"
("Say, he’s really a strong big guy!" Literally: "He’s really one bear of a guy!")

4. "Frank ziet altijd veel beren op de weg."
("Frank always sees a lot of obstacles on the way ahead / Frank always has a pessimistic view on things." Literally: "Frank always sees a lot of bears on the road").

5. "Je moet de huid niet verkopen voordat de beer geschoten is."
One should not promise something if one doesn’t have control over it yet or if it’s not at one’s disposal yet. (Literally: "You should not sell the hide before the bear has been shot.")

Related words:
1. "Teddybeer": teddy bear.
2. "IJsbeer" : polar bear, see also DWOTD IJsbeer.