Archive for December, 2016
Versterkende bijvoeglijke naamwoorden – pebbles and cats are super! Posted by Sten on Dec 30, 2016
Last week, we looked at trappen van vergelijking (degrees of comparison). They allow you to show that a thing is nice, very nice or the nicest. But there is another way to differentiate between nice things and very nice things – with versterkende bijvoeglijke naamwoorden (“strengthening adjectives”). They do not have degrees of comparison, and so they only…
9 Dutch Phrases that Illustrate Work Culture in the Netherlands Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Dec 29, 2016
One of the biggest perks of learning a smaller language like Dutch is opening the door to moving to and working in the country where the language is spoken. In the case of Dutch, the Netherlands’ work culture is reason enough to start studying. Work culture in the Netherlands is different than in the US…
How muscular is your Dutch? Posted by Karoly Molina on Dec 28, 2016
Those of us that are constant participants in exercise classes in the Netherlands and Belgium finish each class with not only a more fit body (or at least a lot of sweat), but also new Dutch words! Sometimes we understand what the instructor meant, but other times, we walk out hoping the word will stay…
The first Stock Exchange – the VOC Posted by Karoly Molina on Dec 21, 2016
The Netherlands can boast of many firsts in history that have changed the way we live and interact. One of these was right at the early stages of the country’s independence from Spain: the first stock exchange or the aandelenmarkt. First, a little history In the 1500s, Portugal was the leader of trade with the…
Trappen van Vergelijking – What’s The Tallest Tower? Posted by Sten on Dec 19, 2016
Big. Bigger. Biggest. Enthusiastic. More enthusiastic. Most enthusiastic. We all know these forms, these trappen van vergelijking (“stairs of comparison” – degrees of comparison). How do they look in Dutch? Find out here. The basics There are three degrees of comparison: positive (full, great, wide), comparative (fuller, greater, wider) and superlative (fullest, greatest, widest). Easy! This is…
Birthday Songs and Pie Posted by Karoly Molina on Dec 14, 2016
In the past years of living in the Netherlands, I have been intrigued by the birthday traditions. These are slightly different than what I had lived in the U.S. and in Mexico, but are gezellig none the less. Here are a few facts about celebrating your birthday in Dutch! Birthday songs Lang zal ze leven Lang…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 4 – Blood! Posted by Sten on Dec 12, 2016
Back again with a new Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen! Today, we will talk about blood. Because there are also sayings and expressions that include blood – they might not mean what you may think they mean, though! For other sayings and expressions in this series, click here. Het bloed kruipt waar het niet gaan kan The blood creeps…