genieten van
/ɣəˈnitə(n) vɑn/word by word
The English phrase 'enjoy' is translated into Dutch as genieten van.
The verb genieten van is used to describe receiving pleasure or satisfaction from something.
Meaning: to receive pleasure or satisfaction from something (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb genieten is almost always used with the preposition van to indicate the object of enjoyment. The third-person singular form is geniet and the past participle is genoten.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɣəˈnitə(n) vɑn/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use genieten as a transitive verb without the preposition, but in Dutch, you must say genieten van followed by the object.
Did you know?
- The Dutch concept of gezelligheid is often the specific feeling that people genieten van during social gatherings.
- The word genieten descends from the Proto-Germanic word *ganeutaną, which is also an ancestor to the Old English word 'genētan'.
- If you want to say you are 'enjoying yourself' in a casual setting, Dutch speakers often use the reflexive construction je vermaken instead of genieten van jezelf, which sounds very strange.
Examples in context
- Niet alle Brazilianen genieten van carnaval.Not all Brazilians enjoy Carnival.This sentence shows how to use genieten van when discussing groups of people.Tatoeba #13008123 by MarijnKp, translation #4424536 by Objectivesea
- Tom scheen te genieten van tijd met Mary door te brengen.Tom seemed to enjoy spending time with Mary.This sentence illustrates the use of genieten van regarding spending time with someone.Tatoeba #10792999 by megamanenm, translation #8350992 by Hybrid
- Wat is het nut van rijk te zijn als je niet kunt genieten van wat je koopt?What's the point of being rich if you can't enjoy what you buy?This sentence demonstrates how to use genieten van in a rhetorical question about wealth.Tatoeba #11028230 by megamanenm, translation #11028226 by megamanenm
- Geniet van jullie huwelijksreis!Enjoy your honeymoon!
- Ik hoop dat je ervan geniet!I hope you enjoy it!
- Veel plezier vandaag!Have fun today!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “enjoy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (genieten, van) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries genieten, van, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
