Archive for 'Dutch Language'
De or Het? Knowing When to Use Which Posted by heather on Jan 25, 2011
In Dutch there are two definite articles (words that mean ‘the’). These are de and het. The article de is for masculine and feminine nouns. These are also known as common nouns. The article het is for neuter words. Knowing when a word is common or neuter is one of the challenges in learning Dutch, as…
Tinkebell: A brush with contemporary art in the Netherlands Posted by Elena on Jan 23, 2011
This past week, a new editorial by Rutger Ponzen in de Volkstrant revisited the Tinkebell phenomenon. I’d never heard of her before, but she’s a Dutch artist (Tinkebell is, predictably, her pseudonym; her real name is Katinka Simonse) who has made herself famous (at least in Holland) by making art about animals that has tended…
Hallo, Mestreech Posted by Elena on Jan 16, 2011
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t live in one of Holland’s four big cities – Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amsterdam and Den Haag – grouped together like a big happy family up North. Instead, I live in Limburg. This little southland of outliers has its own distinctive culture – and, in many cases, its…
Ke$ha’s Overrated: Ringing in 2011 with Queen, the Eagles, Meatloaf, Pink Floyd, U2, Golden Earring and Boudewijn de Groot Posted by Elena on Jan 9, 2011
Pinpointing how exactly the Dutch like their pop music is not an exact science, except for in the days immediately preceding each Oud en Nieuw. Starting on Christmas day, Radio 2 broadcasts what Dutch voters have designated as the Top 2000 songs of all time. Number one airs as the last minutes of the old…
How Did You Find That? Posted by heather on Dec 29, 2010
Today I went out with the intention of taking a photo for a different post but what I wanted wasn’t there, so that will just have to wait until another time! However, when I was returning, I noticed that one of the neighbours had taped something to his garage door. When I got a little…
Koken met Klaas Posted by Elena on Dec 19, 2010
I don’t know what the rest of the world looks like, but here in Maastricht there can be no doubt that it is winter. The snow has been falling faster – quite literally – than they can plow it up, and Dutch rail travelers and road commuters have been experiencing some unnatural delays. Fortunately, at…
Het beste Sint Posted by Elena on Dec 5, 2010
Dear readers and learners of the Dutch language! Tonight is an important night in Nederland. If you hear a knock on your door this evening, you may find a big burlap sack full of presents, molting in the snow. If you’re quick enough, you may catch Zwarte Piet before he disappears: that is to say, you may catch one…