https://www.proz.com/kudoz/dutch-to-english/general-conversation-greetings-letters/6452899-poe-h%C3%A9.html
Jan 15, 2018 20:11
6 yrs ago
Nederlands term

Poe-hé

Nederlands naar Engels Overig Algemeen / conversatie / begroetingen / brieven colloquial exclamation
‘We hebben elkaar in de afgelopen drie maanden bijna drie hele dagen gezien. Poe-hé! Je moet natuurlijk tijd vrij maken voor belangrijke dingen.
Change log

Jan 15, 2018 21:21: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "exclamation" to "colloquial exclamation"

Discussion

Richard Purdom Jan 16, 2018:
What is the context? Is 3 days a lot? Or is, as seems likely, Dutch sarky-pants at play?

Proposed translations

+4
9 min
Selected

Wow! or Wowee!

Expression of surprise.
See entry 'poe' in Van Dale
Peer comment(s):

neutral philgoddard : I've looked in Van Dale, and I can't find an entry for "poe". There's one for "poeh", which is an "uitdrukking van geringschatting", so the same as "pooh".
59 min
agree writeaway : It is in my Van Dale too. poe (tussenwerpsel) phew, whew, wow context poe, wat zie jij er piekfijn uit whew / wow, you look smart
1 uur
agree Lianne van de Ven : I go for Wow! or "Wow huh!"
1 uur
agree Laura Morwood
14 uren
neutral Barend van Zadelhoff : You can say 'wow ' when you are very impressed , surprised , or pleased' ; I don't think this applies here.
17 uren
agree Tina Vonhof (X) : Not surprise but sarcasm. The whole two sentences, including 'Wow', are meant to be sarcastic.
1 dag 19 uren
neutral Michael Beijer : I think it's meant ironically, which this doesn't really cover
2 dagen 16 uren
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
1 uur

Jeez!/For real?/Are you kidding me?/Are you serious?/Are you joking?

You won't find 'poe-he' in any dictionary. It is one of those verbal expressions that can mean a lot of things - from positive to negative and everything inbetween. Not only does it depend on the context, but also on the tone of voice.

The answer I gave is just an indication of how this could be translated.
Peer comment(s):

agree Barend van Zadelhoff : Given the context, my guess would be irony and defiance are in play here. It's difficult to pin to down in words exactly. Knowledge of the overall context and characters would help.
31 min
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1 uur

Phew, Oof, Whew

I would say this is the same as "hé hé" or "poe poe"...
see (German): https://www.buurtaal.de/blog/hehe-seufzen-niederlaendisch

Während ein einzelnes hè entweder Staunen, Schrecken, Erleichterung, Unverständnis oder Enttäuschung signalisiert, drückt die Doppelform hè hè in erster Linie Zufriedenheit mit einer erbrachten Leistung oder Anstrengung aus
~Something like: while a single hè signals astonishment, horror, relief, uncomprehension or disappointment, the double form hè hè primarily expresses relief over achieving something or completing something strenuous

In this case, the achievement is somewhat sarcastic - and the expression represents the effort it's taken to "achieve" three whole days in three months. In English, I'd just say "phew", "whew", or, in this case, "oof". But it depends on your register and the age of your speakers, of course...
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+1
2 dagen 16 uren

Can you believe it?

I think this would work.
Example sentence:

Can you believe it, Eric the gendarme turned up and Antony got clean away.

Peer comment(s):

agree Barend van Zadelhoff : In the same spirit as Nicole's suggestions. 'wow', even if used in a sense opposite to its formal meaning (that is in an ironic/sarcastic way) is a poor solution imo. There must be better, more specific solutions.
7 uren
Thanks!
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