Tag Archives: beloven

Belofte maakt schuld

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when you make a promise, you have to keep it
[phrase]
[be-lof-te maakt schuld]

Literally ‘promise makes debt’ this phrase says that one ought to keep one’s promise. It’s often used during arguments or when emphasizing that it is in fact a promise one is living up to.

Examples:
– “Hoezo heb je geen tijd om mij te helpen? Je zou me helpen behangen, dat heb je beloofd en belofte maakt schuld!” – “Ja, maar…” – “Nee, niks ja maar!”
(“What do you mean you have no time to help me? You are supposed to help me wallpaper, you promised (it) and when you make a promise, you have to keep it!” – “Okay, but…” – “No buts, I don’t want to hear it!”)

– “Ik had niet verwacht dat je nog zou komen…” – “Ach, belofte maakt schuld hè. Bovendien vind ik het leuk om van de partij te zijn.”
(“I didn’t expect you would show…” – “Well, I promised didn’t I… Besides, I enjoy being here.” The phrase ‘van de partij zijn’ is used when you will participate in an activity or be part of an occasion.)

– “Vorige week heb ik beloofd om meer informatie te verschaffen over de toekomst van ons bedrijf. Belofte maakt schuld dus vanmiddag zal ik deze belofte inlossen.”
(“Last week I promised to provide more information on the future of our company. When one makes a promise, one has to keep it so this afternoon I will redeem this promise.”)

Expressions:
– “Beloofd is beloofd”: a more informal alternative to ‘belofte maakt schuld’. Literally: ‘promised is promised’. Often used by children when you are not keeping your promise about candy/sweets or the fun park you were supposed to go to…
– “Een loze belofte”: an empty promise.
– “Zich aan zijn woord houden”: to keep one’s word.
– “Zijn belofte houden/nakomen/inlossen”: to keep/fulfil/redeem one’s promise.

Related words:
– Belofte: promise [noun] [de belofte, de beloftes].
– Beloven: to promise [verb] [beloofde, beloofd].
– Schuldig: guilty [adjective/adverb].

Dat belooft wat!

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that sounds promising! / this will be exciting! Iconspeaker_3
[Dutch phrase of the week] Gelukkig2011

Best wishes to all of our readers!! May 2011 become a year of many Dutch Word of the Days that will help you understand Dutch and the Dutch even better than in 2010. And now…gaan met die banaan!

"Dat belooft wat" literally translates to "that promises something", in other words: "that sounds promising!"

The other way around: the literal translation of "that sounds promising" is "dat klinkt veelbelovend",  which can be used synonymously to "dat belooft wat". Sometimes you may hear "dat belooft heel wat": that sounds very promising.

Examples:
– "We hebben in 2010 veel bereikt met de Dutch Word of the Day, maar 2011 wordt nog beter!" – "Dat belooft wat!" 
("Way have achieved a lot with the Dutch Word of the Day in 2010, but 2011 will be even better!" – "That sounds promising!")

– "Frank was vanochtend erg chagrijnig." – "Dat belooft wat voor de vergadering vanmiddag…" 
("Frank was very grouchy this morning." – "That sounds promising for the meeting this afternoon…")

– "Hoe zal Ed reageren op de afwijzing van Tina? Dat belooft heel wat…blijf kijken, terug na de reclame!" 
("How will Ed react to Tina dismissing him? This will be very exciting….stay tuned, back after the commercial break!")

Related words:
– Beloven: to promise [verb] [beloven, beloofde, h. beloofd].

Example:
– "Iemand gouden bergen beloven."
("To promise someone the sun and the moon. Literally "to promise someone golden mountains".")

– Veelbelovend: promising [adjective].

Example:
– "Frank was ooit een veelbelovende advocaat, maar omdat hij in de rechtszaal meerdere keren gefaald heeft, is hij nu werkloos."
("Frank was once a promising lawyer, but because he messed up in court several times, he's currently unemployed.")