vlotte

Vlotte is a Dutch adjective meaning smooth, fluent, or quick. It is used to describe actions, processes, or people who perform with ease and efficiency. For example, a vlotte prater is someone who speaks fluently, and a vlotte beweging refers to a smooth, well-coordinated motion. It can also describe administrative or operational performance, such as a vlotte afhandeling of a request.

The word is related to vlot, the base form denoting ease or unimpeded motion. In modern Dutch, vlotte functions as a descriptive adjective that appears before nouns and agrees with number and gender, as in een vlotte spreker or een vlotte bediening. Its adverbial use is common as well, with phrases like praat vlot to indicate fluent speech.

Vlotte is widely used in both the Netherlands and Flemish-speaking parts of Belgium, where it can describe people, processes, and systems that operate without friction. The sense is generally positive, highlighting competence and ease, though in some contexts it may imply a superficial smoothness if overapplied.

Synonyms include soepel and vloeiend, which emphasize ease and fluency. Antonyms include haperig, stroperig, and traag, which convey roughness, friction, or slowness. The term is distinct from the noun vlot, which can refer to a vessel or raft and can cause confusion in certain contexts.

Examples: een vlotte presentatie (a smooth presentation), het bedrijf werd vlot afgerond (the project was completed smoothly), hij praat vlot (he speaks fluently).