grootouders
The English phrase 'grandparents' is translated into Dutch as grootouders.
grootouders is used to refer to the parents of a person's father or mother.
What does it mean word for word?
The word grootouders is a compound of groot, meaning great or big and ouders, meaning parents.
Which one should you use?
You may use grootvader and grootmoeder to refer specifically to a grandfather and grandmother respectively.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the southern parts of Limburg and Brabant, the informal dialectal variations opi and omi are used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is grootouders, while the singular form for a single grandparent is grootouder.
Did you know?
- Dutch lacks a single, common word for 'great-grandparents' that is used as frequently as grootouders, often requiring the phrase overgrootouders.
- The word ouders shares a root with the English word 'elder', reflecting a common Germanic origin for terms describing age and parenthood.
- The word grootmoeder is much more formal than oma, and using the former in a casual family setting can actually sound somewhat stiff or even ironic.
Examples in context
- Tom bezoekt zijn grootouders.Tom visits his grandparents.This sentence shows how to use grootouders when describing someone visiting them.Tatoeba #10677026 by RobinvanderVliet, translation #10075769 by sundown
- Zijn beide grootouders zijn dood.Both his grandparents are dead.This sentence shows how to use grootouders when stating that they are deceased.Tatoeba #8503560 by Elsofie, translation #8504692 by Elsofie
- Dat moet via de grootouders gaan.That has to go through the grandparents.This sentence shows how to use grootouders to describe a process going through them.Tatoeba #12827348 by Tom9358, translation #12827349 by Tom9358
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lisa and Lucas are talking about their holiday plans.
- LisaGa je dit weekend naar je grootouders?Are you going to your grandparents this weekend?
- LucasJa, ik ga met mijn ouders op bezoek.Yes, I am going to visit them with my parents.
- LisaWonen zij nog steeds in Utrecht?Do they still live in Utrecht?
- LucasNee, mijn grootouders wonen nu in Arnhem.No, my grandparents live in Arnhem now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
