Guess what each Dutch idiom really means — then laugh at the literal translation.
What does this Dutch saying mean?
“De kat uit de boom kijken”
Now the truth comes out (lit. the monkey comes out of the sleeve)
Oh well, tough luck (lit. unfortunately peanut butter)
It's pouring (lit. it's raining pipe stems)
Idioms (uitdrukkingen) and proverbs (spreekwoorden) are fixed expressions whose meaning isn't literal. Dutch is full of wonderfully strange ones — 'nu komt de aap uit de mouw' (now the monkey comes out of the sleeve) means 'now the truth comes out'. Knowing them makes your Dutch sound natural and helps you understand real conversations.
You won't be asked to define idioms directly, but common expressions show up in the reading and listening parts of the A2 exam and constantly in everyday Dutch. Recognising them is a big step from textbook Dutch to sounding like a local.
You get 24 Dutch sayings and pick the real meaning from three options. After each answer you see the literal translation — which is usually the funniest part. It's free and needs no login.
'De kat uit de boom kijken' (to watch the cat out of the tree) means to wait and see how things develop before acting. It's one of the most common — and very Dutch in spirit.