Bedeutung
To evaluate a situation.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The Dutch 'Oudejaarsconference' (New Year's Eve comedy special) is essentially a comedian 'de balans opmakend' of the entire year for the nation. Dutch business culture values 'transparantie'. Making the balance up is not just a task, it's a moral requirement to show where resources went. The historical influence of Calvinism encourages self-reflection and 'accounting' for one's life before God, which translated into this secular idiom. Dutch students are often asked to 'de balans opmaken' of their own learning process in 'reflectieverslagen' (reflection reports).
Use it in Interviews
When asked 'How was your last job?', start with 'Als ik de balans opmaak...'. It sounds professional and analytical.
Separable Verb Alert
Don't forget to put 'op' at the end in main clauses: 'Ik maak de balans NU op.'
Bedeutung
To evaluate a situation.
Use it in Interviews
When asked 'How was your last job?', start with 'Als ik de balans opmaak...'. It sounds professional and analytical.
Separable Verb Alert
Don't forget to put 'op' at the end in main clauses: 'Ik maak de balans NU op.'
Year-end usage
This phrase is everywhere in December. Use it then to sound like a native.
Teste dich selbst
Vul de juiste vorm van het werkwoord 'opmaken' in.
Gisteren _______ de directeur de balans _______ van het afgelopen jaar.
The sentence is in the past tense ('gisteren') and 'opmaken' is a separable verb.
Welke zin is correct?
Kies de juiste zin:
This is the correct figurative/financial use. The others use the wrong article, wrong context (physical weight), or wrong meaning of 'opmaken'.
Match de situatie met de beste zin.
Situatie: Je stopt na 10 jaar met je hobby.
This correctly uses the phrase to reflect on a long period of time.
🎉 Ergebnis: /3
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
3 AufgabenGisteren _______ de directeur de balans _______ van het afgelopen jaar.
The sentence is in the past tense ('gisteren') and 'opmaken' is a separable verb.
Kies de juiste zin:
This is the correct figurative/financial use. The others use the wrong article, wrong context (physical weight), or wrong meaning of 'opmaken'.
Situatie: Je stopt na 10 jaar met je hobby.
This correctly uses the phrase to reflect on a long period of time.
🎉 Ergebnis: /3
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, but 'de balans' is much more common as it refers to 'the' specific balance of the situation you are discussing.
No, it's neutral. You can make up the balance of a very successful project too.
Not quite. Summarizing is just repeating points; 'de balans opmaken' implies weighing them to reach a conclusion.
No, for that use 'me wegen' or 'op de weegschaal staan'.
It's a bit serious, but fine if you're talking about something important like a move or a breakup.
There isn't a direct opposite idiom, but 'blind doorgaan' (going on blindly) would be the opposite behavior.
Yes, in this sense it is always a separable prefix verb.
No, that's a literal translation from German 'Bilanz ziehen'. In Dutch, we 'make' (opmaken) it.
Yes, it is standard Dutch used in both the Netherlands and Flanders.
Yes, literally, to see your final balance.
Verwandte Redewendungen
de balans doorslaan
similarTo tip the scales
in balans zijn
similarTo be in equilibrium
de stand van zaken
similarThe state of affairs
terugblikken
builds onTo look back
evalueren
synonymTo evaluate
