Winter has gone, the days are getting longer, the tulips are blooming and the pavement cafes are busy, busy, busy.  We love it! So here is all you need to know to make the most of the spring season – NL style.

First, get to grips with the essential lente lingo. Here’s a few words and phrases you need to know.

Terrasje pakken
As in, shall we grab a terrace, or go have a drink in the late afternoon sunshine. There may be snow on the ground, but if the sun comes out, everyone wants to sit outside. A glass of wine (roseetje or witwijntje) and a borrelplank (a selection of cheese, sausage and snacks). What could be better on a sunny April evening?

Aprilletje zoet geeft nog wel eens een witte hoed
Basically, this means it can still snow in April and it really can. This year, though, it does not look at all likely – and even rain may stay away for a good few days to come. All the more opportunity to grab a terrace.

Bloemetje halen
Now is the time to buy seasonal tulips which will, probably, have been grown in sand in a refrigerated shed so as to maximise the number of weeks you can buy them. Dutch grandmothers say you should leave the flowers wrapped up in paper and put them into a vase of water (at room temperature) overnight. This will stop them going floppy and keep them fresh for longer.

Lentekriebels
Spring fever, the first stirrings of spring in people and animals – and also a controversial sex education programme for primary school pupils.

Hij/zij heeft de lente in zijn kop
He/she is full of the joys of spring – all those bunches of flowers, the warmth of the sun on your face and the jolliness that late afternoon cocktails on a café terrace can bring.

Voorjaarsschoonmaak
The annual spring clean, which you should have done already so you have more time to grab a few terraces while you can.

Vakantieplanning
Get planning your days off for the coming months. If you are crafty and pick your holidays around public holidays you can also maximise your time off without cutting to deeply into your official entitlement, particularly around the spring break. Get in quick and take off May 30 for a start!

• Goede Vrijdag (Good Friday): Friday, April 18, 2025
• Pasen (Easter Sunday and Monday): Sunday, April 20 and Monday, April 21, 2025
• Koningsdag (King’s Day): Saturday, April 26, 2025
• Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day: Monday, May 5, 2025
• Hemelvaartsdag (Ascension Day): Thursday, May 29, 2025
• Pinksteren (Whitsun) : Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9, 2025

Be aware, this year Koningsdag, or King’s Day, is being celebrated a day early, on Saturday, because it is never traditionally held on a Sunday.

Spring clean your brain

Got time among all that to fit in a little self-improvement? Get your Dutch up to scratch this spring with one of the new Taalthuis courses which are starting up this month. You’ve a choice of seven locations nationwide – now including The Hague – and lessons for all levels, from beginners to advanced students.

And if you want to brush up on your Dutch culture, they’ve a new course starting as well.

Or, if a few of you from the same firm are thinking about taking lessons, why not ask your employer if they’d like to set up an in-company course. Feel free to get in touch for a chat.

Get started this spring and you’ll be speaking Dutch before the summer!