leuk vinden
/løːk ˈvɪndə(n)/word by word
In Dutch, to say "like" (as in to like someone or something), you use the phrase leuk vinden.
The phrase leuk vinden is commonly used to express an opinion or preference regarding a person's character or the quality of an object.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, leuk vinden means "to find nice", where leuk is the adjective for "nice" or "fun" and vinden is the verb "to find".
Which one should you use?
While leuk vinden is used for liking people or things, it is not used for liking an action. For actions, you should instead use leuk om … te or graag … doen.
How does it change in a sentence?
In most standard sentence structures, the adjective leuk typically stays before the verb vinden.
How do you pronounce it?
/løːk ˈvɪndə(n)/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use leuk vinden to express liking an action. Use leuk om … te or graag … doen instead.
Did you know?
- While you use leuk vinden to say you like a person, telling a Dutch person Ik vind je leuk can carry a romantic connotation of 'I fancy you' rather than just 'I think you are a nice person'.
- The word leuk may have originally meant 'lukewarm'. It is thought to have evolved from a sense of being 'calm' or 'level-headed' into its modern meaning of 'nice' or 'fun'.
- Dutch has specialized terms like doodleuk which use a root related to leuk to mean 'perfectly fine' or 'quite content'.
Examples in context
- Je zou Tom leuk vinden.You'd like Tom.This sentence shows how to use leuk vinden when expressing a hypothetical opinion about a person.Tatoeba #7303724 by MarijnKp, translation #2240362 by CK
- Dat zou ik leuk vinden.I'd like that.This sentence shows how to use leuk vinden to express a hypothetical preference for a situation.Tatoeba #7694809 by Micsmithel, translation #1855110 by Spamster
- Ze gaan me leuk vinden.They're going to like me.This sentence shows how to use leuk vinden to express a future opinion about a person.Tatoeba #12350628 by megamanenm, translation #5744402 by CM
- Hij houdt van sport, net als ik.He likes sports, like me.
- Er zijn veel sporten die ik leuk vind, zoals tennis en voetbal.There are many sports I like, such as tennis and football.
- De situatie hier is vergelijkbaar met die in andere grote steden.The situation here is similar to that in other big cities.
- Hij is net zo grappig als jij.He's just as funny as you.
- Ik ben gek op pizza, net zoals mijn vrienden.I love pizza, just like my friends.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (leuk, vinden) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries leuk, vinden, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
