Useful Dutch Grammar Words Part One Posted by sarah on Mar 8, 2010
In order to get the most out of learning a foreign language it is very helpful to know the vocabulary for grammar. Personally, I’m a stickler for grammar rules and the more grammar information I can soak up, the easier my learning experience becomes. Unfortunately, not all Dutch-English dictionaries provide the translations for the grammar…
Who is Annie M.G. Schmidt? Posted by noortje on Mar 5, 2010
I remember flipping through the pages of the books of Annie M.G. Schmidt as a kid, smelling the library scent of the paper, reading and thinking about the words and looking at the sometimes crazy pictures. The name Annie M.G. Schmidt didn’t mean much to me, even though I knew she was famous. For a…
Words for Winter Weather in Dutch Posted by sarah on Mar 3, 2010
Despite the fact that it is March, it has been a particularly cold, snowy and long winter here in the Netherlands. If you are interested in tracking the weather in the Netherlands, there is a great little site called buienradar that tracks the weather across the Netherlands 24 hours a day. Here is a handy…
BLØF : Dutch Music Posted by sarah on Mar 2, 2010
Listening to music in Dutch is a great way to learn the language and have some fun at the same time. BLØF is a fairly popular modern Dutch rock band hailing from the southern province of Zeeland. From the comments I’ve gathered from our readers, a lot of you are pretty fond of this band. …
De Olympische Spelen : The Olympic Games Posted by sarah on Feb 28, 2010
The winter Olympics are very important in the Netherlands because it is THE place for the Dutch to show off their favorite olympic sport: speed skating! As Noortje showed us in a previous post about the Elfstedentocht (link to post on Elfstedentocht) in the Netherlands, the Dutch love skating. Speed skating is something the Dutch…
Enkhuizen and Hoorn Posted by sarah on Feb 25, 2010
A few weeks ago I managed to get out of Amsterdam, which I try to make a regular habit of. For this trip, I decided to head north, since the last few trips I have taken have landed me in the south. One of the great things about the Netherlands is just how easy it…
Sinterklaas, Santa Claus… Same, same, but different? Posted by noortje on Feb 23, 2010
If you are a bit familiar with the Dutch culture, you probably heard about Sinterklaas, an old man with a white beard who gives presents to good kids on the night of December fifth. And if you did hear of him, you might also wonder what the difference is between him and Santa Claus, because…