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So here is a quick rundown of useful abbreviations you’ll hear if you’ve got kids in school: You’ll find that every stage of education has its own initialism, and it can be hard to keep track of them. The Dutch education system is home to an overwhelming number of abbreviations. Other abbreviations include those from English, such as EOB for ‘end of business day.’ You might even come across the slightly less polite CWOT – ‘complete waste of time.’ If you use them correctly, you’ll fit into your new Dutch workplace in no time. Read more about finding a job in the Netherlands WOZ ( waardering onroerende zaken) – house value used to determine how much tax you pay.OZB ( onroerendezaakbelasting) – housing tax on ‘immovable’ objects.
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RIOE ( rioolrecht) – connection to the sewage system (for house owners only).AFV ( afvalstoffenheffing) – charge for collecting your garbage.Therefore, make sure you’re aware of these abbreviations: When it comes to housing, whether you’re a homeowner or renting, you’ll need to pay taxes on your residence. Once you have a BSN, you can do all the important things in life: from opening a bank account to moving house. The first and most essential one you’ll encounter is the BSN ( burgerservicenummer), the Dutch national identification number.
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When you arrive in the Netherlands, you’ll almost certainly receive a lot of letters containing a broad spectrum of acronyms and initialisms. However, abbreviations of names and borrowings from English are usually capitalized. You’ll also notice that most abbreviations (in Dutch) are written in small letters rather than capitals. It’s not necessarily true that Dutch has more abbreviations than other languages, but you’ll almost certainly come across them in everyday life.
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The name of the popular Dutch drugstore Etos originally stood for Eendracht, Toewijding, Overleg en Samenwerking (Unity, Devotion, Consulation, and Cooperation) Instead of afvalstoffenheffing, you can talk about AFV. But, thankfully, the Dutch provide plenty of abbreviations (or afkortingen) to make things more efficient – rather than onroerendezaakbelasting, you have OZB. Indeed, speakers of some languages can find these somewhat intimidating. The Dutch language contains some particularly long words. Learn Dutch Why does Dutch use so many abbreviations?
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