Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 5 – Cats & Dogs I Posted by Sten on Jan 24, 2017
Welcome to another spreekwoorden en uitdrukkingen! Today, the theme is cats & dogs. This is the first part. Next week, we will have a look at two more related to katten en honden. Enjoy! For other sayings and expressions in this series, click here. Blaffende honden bijten niet Barking dogs do not bite This saying was…
Driving in Winter Posted by Karoly Molina on Jan 18, 2017
January has been a cold month for the Netherlands with temperatures falling below zero. While the cold temperatures during the weekend are fun (sledding!), getting to work with gladheid or slipperiness is never fun. In order to be safe during these next couple of days of low temperatures, here are a few tips I’ve received…
Book Review: Amsterdam Posted by Karoly Molina on Jan 12, 2017
The latest Dutch-related read is Russell Shorto’s Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City which was first published in 2013. Shorto is an American writer who lived in Amsterdam for a few years and from what I can gather from the book, loved the city! According to his website, his writing is focused on narrative history…
Top 5 Dutch New Year’s Resolutions Posted by Sten on Jan 2, 2017
Let’s be honest, we all want to improve something about us. A great moment to start improving is the turn of a new year – and so many of us have new year’s resolutions, also the Dutch! We call them goede voornemens voor het nieuwe jaar (good resolutions for the new year). But what do the Dutch…
Versterkende bijvoeglijke naamwoorden – pebbles and cats are super! Posted by Sten on Dec 30, 2016
Last week, we looked at trappen van vergelijking (degrees of comparison). They allow you to show that a thing is nice, very nice or the nicest. But there is another way to differentiate between nice things and very nice things – with versterkende bijvoeglijke naamwoorden (“strengthening adjectives”). They do not have degrees of comparison, and so they only…
9 Dutch Phrases that Illustrate Work Culture in the Netherlands Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Dec 29, 2016
One of the biggest perks of learning a smaller language like Dutch is opening the door to moving to and working in the country where the language is spoken. In the case of Dutch, the Netherlands’ work culture is reason enough to start studying. Work culture in the Netherlands is different than in the US…
How muscular is your Dutch? Posted by Karoly Molina on Dec 28, 2016
Those of us that are constant participants in exercise classes in the Netherlands and Belgium finish each class with not only a more fit body (or at least a lot of sweat), but also new Dutch words! Sometimes we understand what the instructor meant, but other times, we walk out hoping the word will stay…