Dutch proverb of the month

Sayings and proverbs can tell you a lot about the people that use them, about their values and their history. In this newsletter we will occasionally quote a Dutch proverb or saying, as a way of shining some light on the Dutch culture.

This time: ‘Na regen komt zonneschijn’. Literally this means: ‘After the rain has gone, the sun will shine again. Though they do not convey the exact same message, an English equivalent would probably be: ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’.

Background: One characteristic of the Dutch people is that, in general, they are not particularly fond of overnight changes. Up to a certain degree change if OK, but the Dutch prefer to see that change coming and they like it to occur at a moderate pace. The Dutch weather does not go very well with this characteristic. Many times it may change in the blink of an eye. This proverb tries to turn that ever-changing aspect of the Dutch weather into something positive.
People use ‘na regen komt zonneschijn’ to cheer someone up who is sad or a bit depressed: come-on, it will get by. You will feel better again soon.

Are you native English and fluent in Dutch?

Nynke Cnossen, a student from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, is looking for expats whose native language is English and who are now proficient in speaking Dutch as their second language. For her master thesis she's researching which mistakes people make in their acquired second language. Do you meet the mentioned requirements and are you interested in participating in this research, send an e-mail to Nynke ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )! The only thing you need to do is taking a 1,5 hour test, for which Nynke will come to Eindhoven. Your contribution to this project is much appreciated.