Meaning
To hinder someone's plans.
Cultural Background
The Dutch are famous for their cycling culture. Using a wheel-based idiom feels very natural and 'native' because wheels are everywhere in Dutch daily life. In the Dutch 'Poldermodel', consensus is key. If someone 'rijdt in de wielen', it's often seen as a failure of the consensus-seeking process. The phrase is equally common in Flanders, though they might also use 'stokken in de wielen steken' slightly more frequently in informal speech. Political talk shows like 'Buitenhof' or 'Op1' use this phrase almost every episode to describe party dynamics.
Use with 'flink' or 'behoorlijk'
To sound more native, add an adverb like 'flink' (considerably) or 'behoorlijk' (quite). 'Het reed ons flink in de wielen.'
Don't use for literal driving
If you are talking about a car crash, use 'aanrijding'. This phrase is 99% figurative.
Meaning
To hinder someone's plans.
Use with 'flink' or 'behoorlijk'
To sound more native, add an adverb like 'flink' (considerably) or 'behoorlijk' (quite). 'Het reed ons flink in de wielen.'
Don't use for literal driving
If you are talking about a car crash, use 'aanrijding'. This phrase is 99% figurative.
Political usage
If you watch Dutch news (NOS), listen for this phrase during debates about the budget or climate goals.
Test Yourself
Vul het juiste werkwoord in (let op de tijd!).
De tegenstander ____ ons gisteren flink in de wielen.
The sentence uses 'gisteren' (yesterday), so we need the past tense singular 'reed'.
Wat is de betekenis van deze zin: 'De bureaucratie rijdt de ondernemer in de wielen'?
De bureaucratie...
The idiom means to hinder or thwart, not to help or literally drive.
Combineer de situatie met de juiste zin.
Match de context:
All these situations can be described as 'in de wielen rijden'.
Maak de dialoog af.
A: 'Waarom is het project gestopt?' B: 'De bank wilde geen lening geven, dat ____.'
This is the standard form of the idiom in the past tense.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesDe tegenstander ____ ons gisteren flink in de wielen.
The sentence uses 'gisteren' (yesterday), so we need the past tense singular 'reed'.
De bureaucratie...
The idiom means to hinder or thwart, not to help or literally drive.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
All these situations can be described as 'in de wielen rijden'.
A: 'Waarom is het project gestopt?' B: 'De bank wilde geen lening geven, dat ____.'
This is the standard form of the idiom in the past tense.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsUsually no. It implies an external force. Use 'mezelf in de vingers snijden' for self-sabotage.
Always plural: 'in de wielen'.
No, it's neutral. You can use it with your boss or a friend.
'Dwarsbomen' is a bit more formal and always intentional. 'In de wielen rijden' can be accidental.
No, that's a common learner mistake. Stick to 'rijden'.
Yes, it is common in both the Netherlands and Flanders.
Yes! 'De regen reed ons in de wielen.' Here, 'de regen' is the subject.
Yes, it's very common in business journalism and reports.
It dates back at least to the 17th century.
There isn't a direct idiomatic opposite, but you could say 'iemand de vrije hand geven' (give someone a free hand).
Related Phrases
stokken in de wielen steken
synonymTo put sticks in the wheels.
iemand dwarsbomen
synonymTo thwart someone.
iemand voor de voeten lopen
similarTo walk in someone's way.
het wiel opnieuw uitvinden
builds onTo reinvent the wheel.
