Abstract Nouns with -de
To express deep feelings and abstract properties, Dutch often turns an adjective into a noun by adding the suffix -de. Conveniently, nouns created this way are always de-words.
- koud (cold) -> de koude (the coldness)
- lief (sweet/dear) -> de liefde (the love)
Let's look at how these are used in romantic or personal correspondence, along with the verb omhelzen (to embrace).
| Despite the coldness, I always feel your love. | Ondanks de koude voel ik jouw liefde altijd. |
| I will embrace you to forget the coldness. | Ik zal je omhelzen om de koude te vergeten. |
Expressing Joy and Anger
Other common abstract emotion nouns ending in -de include de vreugde (the joy) and de woede (the anger). A natural verb to pair with these feelings is uitdrukken (to express).
| I do not know how I must express this joy. | Ik weet niet hoe ik deze vreugde moet uitdrukken. |
| He will express his anger in a long letter. | Hij zal zijn woede in een lange brief uitdrukken. |
To express that you feel something with all your heart, use the adverb zielsveel (literally: "soul-much"). It is almost exclusively used in the phrase zielsveel van iemand houden (to love someone deeply).
| Despite my anger, I love you deeply. | Ondanks mijn woede hou ik zielsveel van jou. |
Tender Words and Intimate Longings
When writing an emotional letter, you can enrich your descriptions with evocative adjectives like teder (tender) and innig (intimate/deep). These pair beautifully with nouns like de traan (the tear) or het verlangen (the longing).
| Our intimate longing is to always be together. | Ons innige verlangen is om altijd samen te zijn. |
| I will tenderly embrace you when I see you again. | Ik zal je teder omhelzen wanneer ik je weer zie. |
Notice how these emotional nouns and expressive verbs all come together to convey deep feelings:
| You know how you must express love in words. | Je weet hoe je liefde in woorden moet uitdrukken. |
