Buitenlandse

Buitenlandse is a Dutch adjective meaning foreign or relating to foreign countries and international matters. It is used to describe things associated with other nations, such as foreign trade, foreign policy, or foreign relations. The form buitenlands is also used in related contexts, but buitenlandse is the standard attributive form before de- nouns and in fixed phrases like buitenlandse handel or buitenlandse politiek.

The word is formed from buitenland, meaning foreign country, with the adjectival suffix -se. In everyday language, buitenlandse appears in a wide range of expressions that designate international or external aspects, often contrasted with domestic or binnenlandse (inside or national) terms. It frequently appears in compound terms used to discuss diplomacy, economics, or cultural exchange.

In official and governmental usage, buitenlands is part of the name of the Dutch government department that handles diplomacy and international affairs: het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, commonly translated as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The capitalized form Buitenlandse Zaken is a fixed proper noun referring to the ministry, while Buitenlandse is ordinarily lowercase in general prose when describing foreign-related topics (buitenlandse handel, buitenlandse betrekkingen).

Usage notes: buitenlands is typically used when describing a masculine or mixed-gender noun in certain syntactic contexts, whereas buitenlandse is the standard form before many de- nouns. Outside fixed proper names, the adjective is written lowercase.

See also: Buitenland, Buitenlandse Zaken, buitenlandse betrekkingen, buitenlandse handel.

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