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Lekker meaning: what does lekker mean in Dutch?
lekker adjective = tasty; nice, pleasant
Lekker isn't only about food. The Dutch use it for nice weather, a good rest, going to bed early, and even ironically. Here's what it means, with real sentences and a short game to practise.
Lekker meaning in English
- tasty, delicious โ having a nice taste
- good, nice, pleasant, satisfying โ in a more general sense, in the Netherlands: Lekker weer! (Nice weather!)
- healthy, well โ mostly with niet: zich niet lekker voelen = to feel unwell
- hot, sexy โ colloquial, about a person
Source: Wiktionary: lekker
Lekker in real Dutch sentences
- Ja, lekker!Yes, lovely! (ordering apple pie with whipped cream)
- Het is lekker warm vandaag.It's nice and warm today.
- Ga lekker naar bed en drink veel water.Go to bed and drink plenty of water. (to someone who is ill)
- Toen heb ik lekker uitgerust.Then I had a good rest.
- We bezoeken familie en eten veel lekkers.We visit family and eat lots of treats.
- Lekker weertje vandaag, hรจ?Lovely weather today, eh? (said ironically, in horizontal rain)
How to use lekker
Ja, lekker! answers an offer of food: in the lesson, the cafรฉ asks Met slagroom? (with whipped cream?) and the answer is Ja, lekker!
Before another adjective, lekker means nicely or pleasantly: Het is lekker warm vandaag (it's nice and warm today).
With a verb it makes the activity sound enjoyable: Toen heb ik lekker uitgerust (then I had a good rest). Ga lekker naar bed, said to someone who is ill, is a friendly way to say: go and get some rest in bed.
Lekkers is a noun: sweets or treats. We eten veel lekkers means we eat lots of treats.
Lekker can be ironic too. Lekker weertje vandaag, hรจ? said in horizontal rain means the opposite: the weather is awful.
With niet it means unwell: zich niet lekker voelen is to feel unwell.
Lekker meaning in short: tasty for food, and nice or pleasant for almost everything else.
Irony alert: Lekker weertje vandaag, hรจ? said in the pouring rain means the opposite: the weather is awful.
Practise it
A short game: listen, choose the meaning, fill the gap and build a sentence.
Words that go with lekker
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| lekker | tasty; nice, pleasant |
| het lekkers | sweets, treats |
| smaken | to taste |
| het eten | food |
| het weer | weather |
| uitrusten | to rest |
| warm | warm, hot |
Frequently asked questions
What does lekker mean?
Lekker means tasty, but in the Netherlands also nice, pleasant or satisfying in general, as in Lekker weer! (Nice weather!) (source: Wiktionary).
Can lekker be used for things other than food?
Yes: Het is lekker warm (it's nice and warm), Ik heb lekker uitgerust (I had a good rest).
What does niet lekker mean?
Not feeling well: Ik voel me niet lekker (I don't feel well).
What does lekkers mean?
Lekkers means sweets or treats: veel lekkers eten (to eat lots of treats).
What is the lekker meaning for food?
Tasty or delicious. Wiktionary's example is Het eten is weer lekker vandaag, mam! (The dinner is tasty again today, mum!).
Does lekker always mean tasty?
No. In the Netherlands it also means nice or pleasant in general, as in Lekker weer! (nice weather) or Het is lekker warm (it's nice and warm).
Keep learning
- Dutch at the supermarket: food words and phrases
- Dutch weather words: rain, wind, sun and seasons
- Untranslatable Dutch: beyond grammar, into culture
Example sentences from The Dutch Daily lessons; word meanings checked against Wiktionary.