Subject Pronouns in Dutch Posted by sarah on Feb 7, 2010
In Dutch there are two forms of subject pronouns: the regular pronoun and the pronoun for emphasis. In English we tend to use our tone of voice to show the emphasis, but in Dutch you can use your tone of voice plus an emphasized subject pronoun to make such a distinction. The regular subject pronouns…
Winkels Posted by sarah on Feb 5, 2010
If shopping is your thing, there are plenty of shops to be found in the Netherlands. Most cities have a shopping street and at least one major market area. There are three shops in the Netherlands that are particularly Dutch, not for any cultural reasons, but because you can find them just about everywhere. Since…
The Dutch and Ice Skating Posted by noortje on Feb 3, 2010
Besides soccer, one of Holland’s favorites sports is ice skating. As soon as the canals, rivers, and lakes freeze up during the coldest winters, the Dutch take out their ice skates to the frozen waters. Kids practice by putting on ice skates with double blades next to each other for better balance. Usually the parents…
De and Het Words in Dutch: Also Known as Definite Articles Posted by sarah on Feb 1, 2010
One of the more tricky parts of the Dutch language are the definite articles. As a non-native Dutch speaker, this is one of the more difficult things for me to get correct, and if you haven’t noticed already, I still occasionally mess it up every now and again. At least as a non-native Dutch speaker…
Photos of Amsterdam Posted by sarah on Jan 21, 2010
Ok, first I would like to offer my sincere apologies that sometimes my posts are a little “Amsterdam-centric.” The thing is, I live in Amsterdam, so a lot of my information, photos, etc. are derived from my Amsterdam experience. Add to this the fact that the weather has been cold and snowy, which means I…
Miep Gies is overleden Posted by sarah on Jan 18, 2010
Miep Gies, the last survivor from a small group of people who helped the Frank family during World War II, passed away last week. She would have turned 101 years old next month. One of the more important icons in Dutch history is Anne Frank. I really won’t go into the greater details of the…
Strange Dutch Food Posted by noortje on Jan 16, 2010
Like every country, Holland has a cuisine of its own. We’ll introduce some snacks and candy you can get in the Netherlands that are particularly weird for people not familiar with Holland. Frikadel Speciaal: The frikadel is a kind of snack sausage. The ingredients are all sorts of left over meat, from intestines to brain…