Where it sits
The research finds a small but real lift before the trip and none after it — the waiting is the part that shows up in the data.
Tell it apart
| Aspect | Voorpret | Anticipation |
|---|---|---|
| Valence | Pleasant only | Neutral |
| Can be anxious | No | Yes |
| Names | The pleasure itself | The act of expecting |
| Precise English | Anticipatory pleasure | — |
Overlapping but not identical. English 'anticipation' is neutral and can be anxious. Voorpret is specifically the pleasurable portion of waiting, and it's a concrete countable experience rather than a mental stance. 'Anticipatory pleasure' is the accurate translation; 'anticipation' alone is too broad.
What it doesn't mean
It's Germanic. It derives from Middle Dutch perte, 'streek, list' — trick, stratagem — via metathesis, and is first attested in the 'merriment' sense around 1600. The French guess is a folk assumption from the word's shape.
It's a completely ordinary compound of two common words, recognised by 99% of Dutch speakers, and its parts are as transparent as English 'pre-fun'. What's genuinely interesting isn't the word's strangeness but that the phenomenon is empirically supported — a 2010 study of 1,530 Dutch adults found vacationers significantly happier before the trip, with no significant difference after returning.
What it really means
Voorpret is the least exotic word on this list and quietly the most useful. Voor + pret — before-fun — the pleasure you get from a thing that hasn't happened yet. Dutch speakers find it entirely unremarkable; 99% of them recognise it, which is roughly the recognition rate of Tuesday.
What makes it worth a page is that the research backs it, and slightly awkwardly. A 2010 study surveyed 1,530 Dutch adults — 974 who took a holiday and 556 who didn't. The holidaymakers were significantly happier before the trip. Afterwards, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Only people who described their holiday as very relaxed kept any boost at all, and it faded within about two weeks.
So the anticipation isn't a warm-up for the event. On this evidence it may be the largest reliable portion of the whole thing — which is an odd finding to sit with, given that nobody books time off for the six weeks beforehand.
One small etymological pleasure. Pret is not French, despite looking it. It comes from Middle Dutch perte, 'trick, stratagem' — and the same Germanic root produced English pretty, which travelled the same road from cunning to charming. Fun and prettiness are cousins, and both of them started out meaning sly.
Where it comes from
Dutch — before
Dutch — fun, merriment
Pret is not from French, despite the frequent guess. It comes by metathesis from Middle Dutch perte, 'trick, stratagem'. The same root gave English pretty, which travelled the identical road from 'cunning' to 'attractive'.
- c. 1600
The base noun pret, 'merriment', is first attested.
- 2013
Lexical survey data records voorpret as recognised by 99% of Dutch speakers and 82% of Flemish speakers — evidence it is entirely ordinary vocabulary.
In real life
- For weeks before the holiday she reads about the town, plans walks and checks the forecast, enjoying the trip long before it starts.
- The night before the concert he plays the band's albums in order, already half enjoying it.
- Writing the shopping list for a birthday dinner, she is already having a lovely time at the party.
Questions
Q01Is there science behind looking forward to a holiday?
Yes, and it's slightly deflating. A 2010 study surveyed 1,530 Dutch adults — 974 vacationers and 556 non-vacationers. Vacationers were significantly happier before the trip, but after returning there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. Only those reporting 'very relaxed' holidays kept any boost, and it lasted at most two weeks.
Q02What does voorpret mean in English?
'Pre-fun' — the pleasure of looking forward to something enjoyable before it happens. It's voor ('before') plus pret ('fun, merriment'). Dutch defines it as the pleasure one has in advance, before experiencing something enjoyable.
Q03Where does the Dutch word pret come from?
From Middle Dutch perte, 'trick, stratagem', reshaped by metathesis, ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'trick, ruse'. It's first attested meaning 'merriment' around 1600. The same root produced English pretty, which shifted from 'clever' to 'attractive' in a parallel move.
Sources
- Nawijn, Marchand, Veenhoven & Vingerhoets (2010), 'Vacationers Happier, but Most not Happier After a Holiday' — PMC.
- Etymologiebank — pret.
- Brysbaert, Keuleers, Mandera & Stevens (2013), 'Woordenkennis van Nederlanders en Vlamingen anno 2013' — Ghent University.