Archive for 'Dutch Language'
Dutch Idioms 25 – It’s Raining! Posted by Sten on Oct 15, 2021
Herfst (autumn). Leaves fall down the trees, nature shows its most beautiful colors, spiders spin their webs, and… It rains. At least in the Netherlands, it always rains. Consequently, there are Dutch idioms about it. Here’s a spreekwoord (saying) and uitdrukking (expression) related to regen (rain)! Let’s start with the uitdrukking. For other idioms in this series, click here…
Local Language: The Dutch say WHAT in Rotterdam? Posted by Sten on Sep 28, 2021
The Netherlands is a small country. Everybody is tall, eats cheese and speaks Dutch. But don’t let the small country size fool you – there are quite some linguistic differences in the Netherlands that you are quite likely to encounter! In this series, we’ll take a look at typical dialects and words that you only…
Dutch Idioms 24 – Fault and Justice Posted by Sten on Sep 24, 2021
It’s Friday! How did your week go? Had a good one? Or did you spill your coffee on your way to work, having to go home and change only to arrive at work too late, and your boss telling you eigen schuld, dikke bult? It’s a thing we say in Dutch, which literally means “own fault…
A Sterk Verhaal: What’s Strong About This Dutch Story? Posted by Sten on Aug 30, 2021
In this post, we’ll explore the curiosity of the Dutch word sterk verhaal (“strong story”, a tall tale). What’s sterk about it? And by extension, what’s tall about the English story? Let’s explore. Skiing in Yugoslavia This weekend, I told the sterke verhaal that my dad told me many times. It’s a fun one, so why not! Back when Yugoslavia…
Er en daar: The (not so) confusing Dutch versions of “there” Posted by Sten on Aug 27, 2021
Like many other languages, Dutch has a differentiation between er and daar, which in English both translate to “there”. So what is that difference, how can you keep them apart, and what do you use when? “There” is the culprit Like the English word “some”, which has quite a range of translations in Dutch, “there” seems to be the reason…
We or Wij? How To Use Dutch Personal Pronouns Posted by Sten on Aug 16, 2021
Persoonlijke voornaamwoorden (personal pronouns) in Dutch are pretty straightforward. There’s ik, jij, hij/zij/het, wij, jullie and zij. But then there are also je, ze, we and ze (plural). What are those? Basic personal pronouns in Dutch Before we get to that difference, let’s start with the basics. Ik – I Jij – You Hij/zij/het – He/she/it Wij – We Jullie – You (plural)…
Going to Space at Age 18 – This Dutch Guy did it Posted by Sten on Jul 27, 2021
There’s a good chance that you heard about it: The ruimtevlucht (space flight) of Jeff Bezos and three other passagiers (passengers). One of them was 18-year old Dutchman Oliver Daemen, whose father secured him a spot in the bidding process for the ticket. At his young age, it makes him the youngest person in the ruimte ever! What did…