Archive by Author
Countries, Nationality, Languages Continued Posted by Transparent Language on May 9, 2009
Using the information from the post before, let’s use that to make complete sentences. Just pretend that someone asks you “Where are you from?” in Dutch, formally (Waar komt u vandaan?) and informally (Waar kom je vandaan?) You can answer this question by saying, “I am from the United States” in Dutch, (Ik kom uit de…
Countries and Nationality Posted by Transparent Language on May 6, 2009
Hallo! (Hello!) Today is the day we go over the various countries and nationalities. After this post, the next one will deal with saying things like “I am from…” and “I speak…” China (China), Chinese (Chinees) United States (Verenigde Staten), American (Amerikaan) England (Engeland), Englishman (Engelsman) France (Frankrijk), Frenchman (Fransman) Germany (Duitsland), German (Duitser) Holland…
Dodenherdenking Posted by Transparent Language on May 3, 2009
Dodenherdenking means “Rememberence of the Dead.” Dodenherdenking is held every May 4th in the Netherlands. It’s also called Naionale Dodenherdenking or National Memorial Day. On May 4th, the whole country mourns for the dead civilians and soldiers who have died in every war since WWII. The official ceremony takes place in Dam Square in Amsterdam…
Dutch Monsters/Creatures Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 30, 2009
Children everywhere in the world are told scary stories about mythological creatures as a warning to behave. Dutch children are no exception. Here are some evil and some not quite so evil supernatural beings that exist in Dutch folklore: (Boeman) is the Bogeyman of the Netherlands. According to Dutch lore, a man dressed in black…
Queen’s Day Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 29, 2009
Koninginnedag is Queen’s Day in the Netherlands. It’s a national holiday and celebrated towards the end of April. It’s a day of Saamhorigheid or national unity and pride. One this day the people of the Netherlands are proud of being Dutch and are proud of having the Dutch royal family represent them. The key event…
Queen Beatrix Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 28, 2009
If you’ve ever stopped by the Netherlands, you’ve probably heard about “the Queen” at least in passing. America is one of those countries without royalty, but in Europe and in the Netherlands, the royal family is still alive and kicking. Queen Beatrix’s full name is Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard. She was born in January 31st 1938…
Basic Dutch Phrases Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 27, 2009
(Goedemorgen) – good morning (Goedemiddag) – good day (Goedenavond) – good evening (Goedenacht) – good night (Tot ziens) – good bye (Alstublieft/Alsjeblieft) – please (formal and informal) (Dank u wel/Dank je wel) – Thank you (formal and informal) (Hartelijk bedankt) – Thank you very much (Graag gedaan) – You’re welcome (Ja/Nee) – Yes/No (Hoe gaat…