Hyphens and dashes

This time, as requested, I'll explain the use of hyphens (-) and dashes (–) in the Dutch language. The difference between the two horizontal lines is not limited to the length of the line. They are also used in a different way. 

Hyphens (-) 

Combining words

The hyphen is used in many, many different ways. First of all, we use the hyphen to connect words. The Dutch a huge fans of sticking words together.

A funny example of a lot of words combined into one: 

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliofobie
This is the word for the fear of long words. Seriously. It is created by sticking a few words together. The hippopoto part comes from the Greek word for hippopotamus. The monstro part finds its origins in Latin and means monster. The sesquippedalio part is Latin for excessively long. Fobie is the Dutch word for fobia. All these words combined translate into: 'a fear of (reading or pronouncing) beastly, monstrously long words'. 

Sometimes sticking words together can cause pronunciation problems. If this is the case, we are allowed to use a hyphen between the words. For example, we use a hyphen in placebo-effect, because if we don't, we would get confused with the combination of o and e, which together form a new sound.

The writer meant to say: 'Pope inactive', but because of
the forgotten hyphen between 'non' and 'actief',
this news paper heading says something like: 'Pope on top of nun active'

Dividing words

We do not only use the hyphen to combine words, but also to divide them at the end of a line. This shouldn't require any more explanation, as the same is done in English.

Combining words with words with words

Sometimes we use a combination of words to describe another word. Like 'mond-tot-mondreclame' (translation: word of mouth advertising). The operative word here is reclame (=advertising), mond-tot-mond is a type of advertising. Because the words mond, tot and mond belong together, they are connected by hyphens.

Composition of equals

If two words are combined, the last word is mostly the dominant word. For example, a sea horse is a type of horse, not a type of sea. If two combined words are equal, we use a hyphen. For example: zwart-witfoto (=black and white picture). The picture is not by definition more black or more white, the parts of the word are equally important.

Preventing double words

Because Dutch people are a bit lazy sometimes, we don't like to use the same word twice. Example: thee- en koffiekopjes (=tea cups and coffee cups). We leave the first kopjes (=cups) out, to avoid having to use it twice.

Other combinations

When combining words with letters, numbers or abbreviations, we use a hyphen to make a whole. Examples:

- Havo-leerling (havo student)

- Tbc-patiënt (tuberculosis patient)

- 12-jarige (12 year old)

There are a few more examples of how to use a hyphen. Because the Dutch language has so many rules and exceptions, it is almost impossible to name all of them.

Dashes (–)

The use of dashes is much simpler. There are only two different cases in which you use a dash.

Dashes are used to attract more attention to a part of a sentence. For example:

My husband and I – we have been married for two years now – are going to Italy next week.

Dashes can also be used to mark a new or unexpected thought. For example:

I love walking – except for when it's raining, of course. 

Putting a part of a sentence between dashes gives that particular part extra attention. If you want to attract attention to a part of a sentence, but not this much, you can always use commas or round brackets.