Why English speakers have a one-up when learning Dutch… and it’s not what you think Posted by tiffany on Jun 17, 2013
English speakers have an easier time learning Dutch because they’re both Germanic languages, blah, blah, blah. But that’s not the only reason native English speakers have an advantage when it comes to learning Dutch. So what’s the other thing that gives English speakers the upper hand? A surprising amount of modern Dutch comes directly from…
I’m just making a goat and other stupid mistakes I’ve made in Dutch Posted by tiffany on Jun 5, 2013
Every Monday morning, my husband gathers with his colleagues for their weekly office meeting. And every Monday morning, just before the meeting officially begins, they have what I like to call the “Stupid things Tiffany said this week” briefing. This is when my husband lists all the notable flub-ups I’ve made in Dutch since the…
Are you up to date on your Dutch social media lingo? Posted by tiffany on May 29, 2013
I don’t have to tell you that social media has impacted our lives in a huge way. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t be here reading this right now if it weren’t for social media. It’s infiltrated the way we speak and the way we interact. We spend an alarming amount of time on social media…
Be normal! and other reasons why the Dutch are plain as appeltaart Posted by tiffany on May 22, 2013
The Dutch are all about blending in. Funny since, as some of the world’s tallest people, they tend to stick out like sore thumbs when they travel outside the Netherlands. The goal is to downplay achievements and possessions so as not to appear “better” than anyone else. For all that they love to leave their…
14 English words you probably didn’t know have Dutch origins Posted by tiffany on May 17, 2013
When you take on the challenge of learning Dutch, native speakers will commend you for trying your hand at their “really difficult” language. Their eyes will widen in admiration as they tell you “Dutch is such a hard language to learn.” They’ve got a point… it sure ain’t easy. But the good news for us…
29 Ways to say Goodbye in Dutch Posted by tiffany on May 7, 2013
Though there are relatively few ways of saying “Hello,” the Dutch certainly make up for it when saying goodbye. Hmmm… wonder if that says more about the Dutch or the company they keep 😉 Either way, saying hello and goodbye are the two most important things to know when learning a new language. And we…
17 Ways to say Hello in Dutch Posted by tiffany on May 3, 2013
Hello there! How are ya? Howdeedo! Howdy. Hey. Hiya. Hi. What’s up? How’s it going? How are ya? It seems there are thousands of ways greet someone. That plus the fact that a greeting proceeds every encounter, it’s no wonder the first thing people want to know when learning a new language is how to…