Example: De leraar sloeg meteen een vriendelijke toon aan.
Definition
"De toon aanslaan" means to set or establish a particular tone, mood, or manner of communication in a situation, often immediately influencing the atmosphere or attitude, as in the example where a teacher immediately establishes a friendly tone.
Translations
to adopt a certain tone
adoptar un tono
adoptar un to
adopter un ton
einen Ton anschlagen
impostare il tono
tomar um tom
Etymology
The phrase "de toon aanslaan" comes from the Dutch words meaning 'to strike' or 'sound' a tone, originally referring to musical instruments where striking a note sets the pitch. Over time, it evolved metaphorically to mean establishing an emotional or communicative tone in conversation or behavior.
Learn to use this expression actively
"De toon aanslaan" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 100 commonly used expressions.
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to adopt a certain tone