Archive for February, 2014
The Big Advantage Of Dutch Students – Only Dutch? Posted by Sten on Feb 26, 2014
Last year in June, the European Commission sued the Netherlands for its policy on the OV Chipkaart. If you wondered, OV stands for Openbaar Vervoer (Public Transportation). The Netherlands have agreed to the Verdrag van Maastricht (The Maastricht Treaty, or Treaty on the European Union (TEU)) of 1992. In this Treaty, which is binding, the Netherlands is obliged to remove barriers…
Nederlands Leren on a Budget Posted by tiffany on Feb 23, 2014
I got an email today from a brand-spanking new expat in Gelderland. She’s been in the Netherlands about two months. She’s a bit isolated, no job prospects as of yet, few people to pal around with, and zilch in the way of funds to put towards her Dutch language education. She wanted to know what…
Was minister Plasterk ousted for his words about the NSA? Posted by Sten on Feb 13, 2014
The NSA is present in the media today more than ever – in both senses. This also hit the Netherlands. In October last year, the agency was alleged through information provided by Edward Snowden of tapping metadata (so information about which phone calls which phone) of 1.8 million telefoontjes (phone calls). As well as in other countries, the…
3 in 1 – De Plakken for the Dutch Speed Skating Team! Posted by Sten on Feb 12, 2014
Last Monday, February 10th, the Nederlands Olympisch Schaatsteam (Dutch Olympic speed skating team) did something that no Dutch team has ever done. At the Olympische Winterspelen (Olympic Winter Games) held in Sotsji (Sochi) in Rusland (Russia) Michel Mulder earned the gouden plak (gold medal) on the Vijfhonderd meter – 500 meters x 2 (meaning that there are two races of 500 meters. The times are then…
The Best of Transparent Dutch: Verbs Posted by tiffany on Feb 9, 2014
We’re human beings, not human doings, right? So let’s get doing! There are so many delicious verbs in the Dutch language. So many, it’s hard to know where to start. Not to mention how to conjugate them all! Luckily, over the years, Transparent Language’s Dutch bloggers have been amassing a treasure trove of posts on……
The Koopavond and Koopzondag Posted by Sten on Feb 3, 2014
In the Netherlands, shops and stores are opened more and more on Sundays. There is a general trend in the world, also known as the 24/7 economy. However, as obvious as it seems nowadays for shops opening their doors on Sundays, you might be surprised why it is not in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has…