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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

Poe-hé

English translation: Wow! or Wowee!

20:11 Jan 15, 2018
Dutch to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / colloquial exclamation
Dutch term or phrase: Poe-hé
‘We hebben elkaar in de afgelopen drie maanden bijna drie hele dagen gezien. Poe-hé! Je moet natuurlijk tijd vrij maken voor belangrijke dingen.
Yevgeni Gerasimenko
Ukraine
Local time: 10:30
English translation:Wow! or Wowee!
Explanation:
Expression of surprise.
See entry 'poe' in Van Dale
Selected response from:

James Duncan
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:30
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4Wow! or Wowee!
James Duncan
4 +1Jeez!/For real?/Are you kidding me?/Are you serious?/Are you joking?
Nicole Coesel
4 +1Can you believe it?
Michael Beijer
3Phew, Oof, Whew
Mair A-W (PhD)


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Wow! or Wowee!


Explanation:
Expression of surprise.
See entry 'poe' in Van Dale


James Duncan
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
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 mins
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 hr
agree  Lianne van de Ven: I go for Wow! or "Wow huh!"
1 hr
agree  Laura Morwood
14 hrs
neutral  Barend van Zadelhoff: You can say 'wow ' when you are very impressed , surprised , or pleased' ; I don't think this applies here.
17 hrs
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): Not surprise but sarcasm. The whole two sentences, including 'Wow', are meant to be sarcastic.
1 day 19 hrs
neutral  Michael Beijer: I think it's meant ironically, which this doesn't really cover
2 days 16 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Jeez!/For real?/Are you kidding me?/Are you serious?/Are you joking?


Explanation:
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.

Nicole Coesel
Netherlands
Local time: 09:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
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 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Phew, Oof, Whew


Explanation:
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...

Mair A-W (PhD)
Germany
Local time: 09:30
Native speaker of: English
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2 days 16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Can you believe it?


Explanation:
I think this would work.

Example sentence(s):
  • Can you believe it, Eric the gendarme turned up and Antony got clean away.
Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 63

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
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 hrs
  -> Thanks!
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