Tag Archives: Dutch vocabulary
This Dutch Treat is Racist Posted by Sten on Jun 6, 2016
At least, so they say! Today, I have a rather controversial post for you. It is about “chocolate-coated marshmallow treats”, as Wikipedia likes to call them. I am talking about these things: Negerzoen and its origins What is controversial about them? In the Netherlands and Germany, they are known as Negerzoenen or Negerküsse, which literally translates to “Nigger Kisses”…
Can You Say This Correctly? – 4: Tony’s Chocolonely Puur – Samenstellingen Posted by Sten on May 30, 2016
One of the hardest things about learning Dutch is pronunciation. Whether it is about the ui-klank (the “ui” sound), the G-klank (the “G” sound) or other sounds you might have a hard time with. This series, called “Can You Say This Correctly?”, is about providing a speech example that I recorded. I will give the Dutch text, a translation…
De Trap was opened in Rotterdam Posted by Sten on May 16, 2016
Uitkijkpunt De Trap (Observation point The Stairs) was opened today. It is right next to the Centraal Station Rotterdam (Central Station Rotterdam). Burgemeester (mayor) Ahmed Aboutaleb opened the construction today for the public. It attracted a huge menigte (crowd), and within one and a half hours, already 2000 people had climbed De Trap! Why was it built? This year, it is exactly 75…
Dutch Place Names, the ‘Mini-Schengen’, and Travel in Europe Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Dec 8, 2015
This post will discuss some recent developments in Dutch and European politics that may soon change foreigners’ options for traveling in the Netherlands and Europe. This is a great chance to work on place names in Dutch, which can sometimes differ greatly from their English equivalents. Don’t worry — there’s a vocabulary list at the end!…
Lockdown in Brussels and Security in the Netherlands Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Nov 24, 2015
After last week’s attacks in Beirut and Paris, Brussels is on lockdown. Brussels is the capital of Belgium, the European Union, and NATO, and is only a two hour train ride from Rotterdam, bringing this international conflict close to home in het nederlandse taalgebied in the Netherlands and Flanders. Many of the Dutch words used to describe security situations and…
The Super Scary Dutch G Posted by Sten on Oct 17, 2015
If you are learning Dutch at the moment, you are undoubtedly trying to pronounce the words too – and one thing I found many people find very difficult is the pronounciation of the letter G in most cases. Now, I am referring to the Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands (ABN), in which the G is not soft…
Showing Pride and Solidariteit at the Amsterdam Canal Parade Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Aug 6, 2015
This weekend was the climax of the famous Amsterdam Gay Pride, the festival in celebration of LGBT culture and equality in one of the most tolerant and gay-friendly countries in the world. As Karoly pointed out last month in her post ‘Love Wins!‘, the Netherlands has long been a forerunner in the LGBT rights movement, so…