So far we’ve had a peek into the Dutch kitchen, the bedroom and even learned some words for household work.  We’ve learned about the dekbed and how to wash our windows like the Dutch.  Today we’re going to have a look at some of the items in the living room, a place where we can relax a little.  After this we will have a peek in the bathroom, and finally go out into the garden.

In order to keep this all simple, I’ve combined some of this vocabulary with other areas you might have in your house.  You might keep your computer in an office, or bookshelves in a reading or study room.  But for today, we’ll just throw it all in the living room.

In many houses in the Netherlands, the living room has a huge picture window to let in the light and make it easier to spy on the neighbors.  When I first moved here, the big open windows in all rooms of my house actually made me a bit uncomfortable, but I realized that everyone has them and almost no one closes the curtains unless it’s late at night.  I’ve grown to love them, and the light they let in.

de woonkamer : the living room
het meubel : the piece of furniture
het meubiliar : the furniture
de salontafel : the coffee table
de bank : the couch
de stoel : the chair
de ligstoel :  the reclining chair
de schommelstoel : the rocking chair
de tafel : the table
de lamp : the lamp
de gordijnen : the curtains
het vloerkleed : the carpet
het raam : the window
de muur : the wall
de vloer : the floor
de boekenkast : the bookshelf
het boek : the book
de bijzettafel : the end table
de televisie : the television
de dvd-speler : the dvd player
de cd-speler : the cd player
de computer : the computer
computeren : to use the computer
internetten : to use the internet
het videospel : the video game
de foto : the photograph
het schilderij : the painting
de vaas : the vase