Learning Dutch is about more than just learning words. It’s about the mysterious jargon which seeps into everyday conversation. So for our next inburgering lesson, it is time to take on this under-estimated aspect of the Dutch language

Lesson 52: acronyms

The Dutch love chopping everything down into a series of initials, and you will need to know lots in order make sense of what is going on around you. Here are some of our favourites.

ATV stands for arbeidstijdverkorting and literally means a cut in working hours. However, what ATV amounts to in practice is an extra day’s holiday a month. People officially employed for a 36 or 38 hour week often work 40 hours then compensate for the overtime by taking a day off. This is usually agreed in the CAO (see below).

A BN’er is a Bekende Nederlander, or famous Dutch person. It is the title given to a host of footballers’ wives, soap stars, entertainers and other personalities who fill the gossip columns. BN’ers rarely achieve global stardom. Armin van Buren, Carice van Houten, Afrojack, Martin Garrix and Doutzen Kroes are among the few at the moment.

CAO stands for collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst (collective labour agreement). CAOs are the bedrock of Dutch industrial relations and cover pay, working hours, conditions, bonuses, perks, training and holidays. 

The Febo snack bar chain is a Dutch institution and takes its name from the location of the first outlet, opened on the Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam in 1941. Febo is a largely coin-operated snack bar – you drop a coin into a slot which allows you to open the door to the deep-fried food of your choice. Delicious.

GGD. The Netherlands has 33 GGDs, or regional health authorities, which oversee services run by local councils such as vaccination programmes and baby clinics. So what does GGD stand for? According to the GGD website, sometimes it stands for Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdienst (council health service). But in some places the first G stands for Gewestelijke (regional) or Gemeenschappelijke (community). And in Utrecht they use the name GG&GD, in which the third G stands for Geneeskundige (medical).

Hema, yes, the ubiquitous high street staple, is also an acronym, standing for Hollandsche Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij Amsterdam or “Standard Price Company of Holland”. The first Hema opened in Amsterdam in 1926 selling everything you could possibly need for 10, 25 or 50 cents.

Horeca is an extremely handy Dutch word for describing the hotel, restaurant and café trade (ho-re-ca) – broader in context than ‘catering industry’ and much more punchy. The horeca sector has its own massive trade fair, Horecava, in which the ‘va’ stands for vak (profession). The word horeca is already used in Portugal and Lebanon and is gaining acceptance elsewhere, as a quick Google search will show.

NAP is crucial in a country below sea level. It stands for Normaal Amsterdams Peil or the normal water level in Amsterdam, which is slightly lower than sea level. NAP is the reference height for all Dutch waters.  The lowest point in the Netherlands, in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, is 6.76 metres below NAP. Schiphol Airport is between 1 and 3 metres below NAP. Pilots have to land at what is charmingly called ‘negative altitude’. Fasten your seat belts.

NBTC is the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions which describes itself as ‘the national destination management organisation’ which is all about “the development, branding and marketing of the Netherlands as a destination”. Not to be confused with the NCTb, which is the Nationale Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding or counter-terrorism coordinator.

NS stands for the Dutch railways, the first of which was built in 1839. Today, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch rail) is a 100% state-owned company which operates as a commercial enterprise. This means it has to give its government shareholders a dividend and is allowed to pay its bosses market rates – but ministers can still get cross about how the whole system breaks down as soon as it snows. Which it does. Every year.

OM is the Openbaar Ministerie (public prosecution service) which decides whether or not a criminal offence should be taken to one of the Netherlands’ district courts. If the case goes ahead, the OM prosecutes. Pronounced O M not ohm presumably to give it more gravitas.

ZZP’er stands for Zelfstandige Zonder Personeel (independent without staff) and is the moniker given to the million or so people who work in the Netherlands as self-employed, freelancers or one-person operated companies.

Note: Nearly all acronyms which start with K are royal (koninklijk) and with W are laws (wet).