Dutch idiom :
Pfff, give me some time to recover
We say this after we’ve done something that required much effort. It could be hard work or a long laugh or a very very good meal or a busy holiday season …
You can see The Netherlands from above in the television series NEDERLAND VAN BOVEN which is running on Dutch television december 2011. The first episode is showing just one average day in our country The Netherlands from a helicopter view.
The commentary is in the Dutch language – the footage will help to understand it globally. A nice challenge! You can find the first lines written below.
Here is the video :
NEDERLAND VAN BOVEN (1) 24 uur
Samenvatting: In deze eerste aflevering wordt gekeken hoe het dagelijkse ritme van Nederlanders er uitziet op een doordeweekse dag, van de vroege ochtend tot diep in de nacht.
We zien 24 uur lang hoe onze dagelijkse patronen en ritmes er uit zien. Soms chaotisch, soms strak geordend. Hoe en door wie wordt ons land draaiende gehouden? En wat gebeurt er als het mis of bijna mis gaat? Water uit de kraan, de dagelijkse gang naar het werk, mobiele telefoonverkeer. Aan het woord komen mensen die verantwoordelijk zijn voor het in goede banen leiden van het verkeer, de water- en energievoorziening en geldtransporten.
Summary: In this first episode the daily rhythm on a average weekday is shown, from early in the morning until midnight.
You’ll see the Dutch daily patterns and rhythms, sometimes chaotic, sometimes highly predictable. Who keep this country running and how do they do it? What happens if it almost gets out of hand? Water from the tap, daily commuting, the use mobile phones..
You will hear the people who are responsible for control and management of traffic, water supply, energy supply and money transports thoughout the country.
Read more at the Nederland van Boven website >
THESE ARE THE OPENING LINES IN THIS EPISODE:
Dit is een verhaal over Nederland zoals je het maar zelden ziet. Dit is ons land vanuit de lucht.
Als je echt wilt weten hoe ons dagelijks leven eruit ziet, soms chaotisch, soms strak geordend, dan kijk je vanuit een spectaculair nieuw perspectief.
In deze eerste aflevering 24 uur Nederland.
Wat gebeurt er als we met z’n allen ontwaken, op pad gaan en er iedere dag weer het beste van proberen te maken?
Hoe kan het dat een gewone doordeweekse dag niet ontaardt in een complete chaos?
16 miljoen mensen op een klein stukje aarde, gezien vanuit de lucht.
Dit is Nederland van boven.
Nederland een uur voor zonsopgang. Dit zijn niet de sterren aan de hemel, dit zijn wij. Op het moment dat we ‘s ochtends vroeg wakker worden en direct onze mobiele telefoons pakken. Hoe feller het lichtpuntje, hoe intensiever er wordt gebeld.
Donderdagochtend. In Drenthe, Groningen en Friesland totale rust. Als we afdalen naar de Randstad, dan zie je Nederland voorzichtig ontwaken. Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam en Den Haag. Dit zijn wij die tijdens het opstaan als eerste onze telefoon pakken om te mailen, te bellen en te sms-en.
For those of you who are planning to learn (more) Dutch in 2012, we are happy to tell you we have several options for you again, even if you do not live in The Netherlands or Belgium. Here is an update about our group lessons in Groningen and some words about our idiom blog.
We will inform later you about our other options (especially for those of you living outside The Netherlands).
small groups, great fun
In Groningen we practice in small groups of 3 to 5 people. In this group you will learn to speak and understand Dutch in a pleasant way. We focus on speech and understanding. Pronunciation is an important issue. We try to keep grammar and writing to a minimum. Of course we start with many basic expressions, but later on you can also bring your own subjects to talk about. We work with 3 or 4 different levels.
Each course takes 6 weeks, one lesson of 90 minutes each week and self study. Fee is € 150 per person, including learning material. The group (max 5 people) meet once a week on a Tuesday or a Wednesday (depending on the language level).
We will start new groups in 2012 on the following dates:
| Conversation Courses 2012 – start dates *) | |||
| BEGINNERS I | BEGINNERS II | INTERMED/Adv | int/ADVANCED |
| Jan 17 | |||
| Mar 7 | Mar 6 | ||
| Apr 25 | Apr 24 | ||
| Jun 20 | Jun 19 | ||
| Sep 12 | Sep 11 | ||
| Nov 7 | Nov 6 | ||
*) dates/levels can change
If you wish to see the full schedule, go to the conversation course page and click on a date.
If you wish to join, please find your course at our webshop now.
Order your BEGINNERS course here >>
Order your BEGINNERS II course here >>
Order your INTERMEDIATE or ADVANCED course here >>
Much to our grief the Idiom blog has suffered much downtime due to a problematic migration from one server to another. The provider was forced to move but it caused many problems for at least 300,000 blogs, ours included. We could not reach it until recently.
In 2012 we will work with it again and add new idiom and post more frequently to help you learn Dutch idiom. Promise!
Fortunately many of our previous posts (dating back to 2006!) can still be found.
Read our 18 Dutch phrases from the TWUTCH Twitter course, for instance and listen to a phrase by clicking it ! You’ll find many other interesting Dutch expressions posted there during the previous years. With sound links!
In our next newsletter we will tell you more about our other options! Of course you can find all information at our official Say it in Dutch website >
This blog has moved recently and we had no control of it for several months. Our sincere apologies for any automated emails coming from this blog.
Now we’re back in charge and in 2012 we will post some new material about Dutch idiom and see if we can repair the old ones that suffered too much from the move!
We wish you a wonderful and inspirational New Year!
Gelukkig nieuwjaar!
Happy New Year
Are you ready to learn Dutch in 2011? You can learn Dutch conversation with me in either group lessons or Skype lessons. And of course we still have our email course called Digidutch.
On the Say it in Dutch Website you can now find the new schedules for Conversation courses in 2011, our famous group lessons in Groningen, The Netherlands.
Beginners: start January and May
Beginners II: start in March and September
Intermediate: start in January and May
Intermed/Advanced: start in March and September
Each level now has 6 lessons, which is more coherent and easier to schedule in 2011.
The price of each course (of 6 lessons) is x80 145,= including learning material and taxes.
If you wish to join one of the conversation groups in January, please complete your enrollment NOW by buying your group course through our shop. *) If you have not done so already, please do this before January 10
Read more about the group lessons here >>
If you cannot join one of our groups in Groningen, you may consider Skype Lessons, our tailor-made Dutch conversation lessons. These are individual 30 minute lessons by phone. You decide about the number of lessons and together we set up the course and a convenient schedule for you.
If you already know the rules of the language and only wish to practice your spoken Dutch a bit more, you might be interested in Skype Conversations Sessions. These are live talks in Dutch, 20 minutes by phone. You decide about the number of sessions and together we set up dates/times.
Skype courses or conversation sessions can start and be scheduled any moment in the year, except in December and August, preferably during weekdays.
Skype Lessons package of 6= x80 114
Conversation session on Skype (1×20 minutes) = x80 13
Set of 3 conversation sessions (3x 20 minutes) = x80 39,00 now x80 36
Set of 10 conversation sessions (10 x 20 minutes) = x80 130,00 now x80 120 00
More information about Skype lessons can be found here >>
Follow us on Twitter to read the latest news about us. Don't have a Twitter account? Sign up now and choose @sayitindutch to follow.
Read the published phrases from our Twutch-course and other interesting Dutch idiom here on this blog.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page.
I hope to see you in person or speak to you on Skype in 2011 and wish you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Kind regards,
Yorien van den Hombergh
www.sayitindutch.com
www.shopsayitindutch.com
Say it in Dutch can also be found on eBay
Click on a phrase to listen to the mp3
This time we will repeat some of the Dutch phrases you learned before.
18. Do you remember the questions in the shop? Try to answer them. Listen
18a. Do you remember how to answer these 4 questions in Dutch? Listen
18b. Listen to these random questions and give your own answer. You should be able to do that!
(Good evening Mrs De Hoog. Good evening Mr. Vreugdenhil. How are you? Very well, thank you. And you? Also well, thank you.)
That's it, folks! Wish to learn more? Check our Digidutch course.
Click on a phrase to listen to the mp3
Meeting and greeting Part II
13. Q: Waar kom je vandaan? A: Ik kom uit Denemarken
(Where are you from? I am from Denmark)
13a. *Idiom*
In the question we use waar + x92vandaanx92. In the answer we use x91uitx92.
Vandaan and uit both mean: 'from'
13b. *grammar*
The verb is in front of the subject x91jex92 and therefore has no x96t at the end.
Je komt vs. Kom je?
13c. Listen to these alternative answers: CLICK HERE
(Ik kom uit Milaan / Ik kom uit Moskou)
13d. Now you can introduce yourself . Listen to these examples: CLICK HERE
13e. *Verbs*
Ik heet = I am called.
Ik ben = I am.
You can find the complete conjugation of x91zijnx92 (=to be) here>>
14. A: Hoe oud ben je? B: Ik ben 23. En jij? A: Ik ben 31.
(How old are you? I am 23, and you? I am 31)
14a. *Idiom*
Remember the question words?
how=hoe=how
where=waar
what=wat
And who=x85.. ?
14b. *idiom*
The opposite of x91oudx92 (old) is x91jongx92 (young).
The combination [ng] is pronounced as in the English word young
14c. *grammar*
Notice again the conjugation of the verb in the question:
(Hoe oud) ben jij? vs jij bent
14d. Ik ben 51. En hoe oud ben jij?
15. Hoe gaat het met je? Goed, en met jou?
(How are you? Fine, and you?)
15a. *idiom*
Lit. the question asks x91how goes it with you?x92
met=with.
The answer could also be: x91Het gaat goedx92 (it goes well)
15b. An alternative question (with similar meaning) is: x91Hoe is het?x92
15c. An alternative answer is: x91Uitstekendx92 (splendid, excellent). Listen
15d. If you are okay, you answer: x91het gaatx92 or x91niet zo goedx92.
If it is really bad you say: x91Slechtx92
Listen
15e. Do you remember how to answer these 4 questions in Dutch? CLICK HERE
Prettige dag nog!
(=have a nice day)
16. Q. Goedemorgen mevrouw Van Dalen. Hoe gaat het met u?
A:Dag meneer Klein. Goed! En met u?
Q:Uitstekend. Dank u.
(good morning Mrs.Van Dalen. How are you? Good day Mr. Klein. Fine. And you? Excellent, thank you)
16a. *pronunciation*
the x96d- in x91goede…x92 is often pronounced as [y]. It sounds more like goeye.
16b.*idiom*
07.00-12.00: Goedemorgen is used in the morning until noon.
12.00-18.00: From noon until 6pm we say x91goedemiddagx92
18.00-00.00: from 6pm until midnight we say: 'goedenavond'
16c. You hear the formal/polite form for you: U.
Of course in this case we donx92t use the first name but x91mevrouwx92 or x91meneerx92+family name
16d. Dank u=dankuwel (thank you). Informal: Dankje, dankjewel.
If you canx92t choose between u or je, just say: bedankt!
17. V: Met Vera. S: Hoi Vera, met Sander.
V: Hxe9 Sander, wat leuk dat je belt!
(Vera speaking. Hi Vera, this is Sander. Hey Sander! How nice of you to call!)
* * * * *
Our Beginners Booklet to help you learn some basic Dutch in only a few minutes time, with the help of many pictures and boxes!
Full colour, 34 pages
x80 1.90
Read more >>
* * * * *
17a. *idiom*
On the phone we open our conversation with x91(u spreekt) met x85x92 + your first / family name. (You are talking to..)
17b. *idiom*
Wat leuk (how nice) can be used in many situations.
Wat mooi! =so beautiful.
Wat naar! = how sad
17c. *verbs*
belt > bellen (to call / phone).
This is a regular verb.
You can find the complete conjugation here
17d. x91Hoix92 is a very common, informal way to say hi (or bye!) to your friends or colleagues.
17e. At the end of a conversation you can say: Ik bel je! (I will give you a call) Listen CLICK HERE
17f. Or you end the conversation with: Bedankt en tot ziens (=thank you and goodbye). Listen CLICK HERE
This was all for now, my friends. Tot later! (=See you later)
Click on a phrase to listen to the mp3
Meeting and greeting
8. Q: Hoe heet je? A: Linda. Q: En jij? A: Harry
(Whatx92s your name? Linda, and you? Harry)
8a. You remember the question words? Hoe=how.
The question means x91how are you calledx92. Ik heet Linda = I am called Linda.
8b. *Personals*
Je / Jij = you (informal). We use JIJ when we give the word some stress. In other cases we use x91JEx92
8c. *idiom*
En jij? = what about you (singular, informal)
En jullie? = what about you (plural, informal)
8d. *persons*
U = you (formal, singular/plural)
Q: Hoe heet u? Linda. En u?
Hoe heet je? Answer this question with your own name: "Ik heet …"
9. Q: Wat is uw naam? A: Fischer
(What is your name? Fischer)
9a. *possessives*
uw = your (formal).
Je = your (informal).
Wat is je naam?
Jouw = your (stressed form)
Wat is jouw naam?
9b. Mijn = my .
Mijn naam is Fischer = my (family-)name is Fischer
9c. If you have to spell your name, do it with the Dutch alphabet. Listen
9d. Listen and reply: Click here
NOTE: We have two types of Y:
with dots [ij]
and without dots [y]
Y-O-R-I-E-N : Yorien
10. Q: Waar woon je? A: In Utrecht
(Where do you live? In Utrecht (=name of city))
10a. *verbs*
woon > wonen. Ik woon in Utrecht.
See the complete conjugation here
10b. In questions x91jex92 is placed after the conjugated verb.
The verb changes: Jij woont -> woon jij?
This only happens with x91jex92, not with the other persons like ik, u, hij, wij, jullie, zij
10c. Utrecht is one of the main 4 cities in The Netherlands.
The other 3: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag
11/a. M: Woont u in Brussel? F: Ja.
M: Waar? F: In de Wetstraat. M.Ah, ja. Ik ook
(Do you live in Brussels? Yes)
(Where? In Wetstraat. Ah, yes. Me too!)
11b. *Idiom*
In English we say x91me toox92 but in Dutch we use the subject form x91Ikx92 instead of x91mijx92
11c. *Idiom*
De Wetstraat. We often use the article x91dex92 with the name of the street. Note: x91dex92 is not part of the name, unless the street is named after Christiaan de Wet, it will be called the De Wetstraat, with 'de' part of the name of course.
Did you know that the Dutch word for The Netherlands is: Nederland
12. M:Op welk nummer woont u? F:Op 23.En u?
M:Ik woon op 38.
(At what number do you live? 23.And you? I live 38)
12a. *grammar*
Welk = which in front of so called x91hetx92-words.
The article that goes with x91nummerx92 is HET
12b. *grammar*
Welke = which in front of x91dex92-words.
The article that goes with x91straatx92is de.
In welke straat woont u?
12c. *idiom*
Double digit numbers in Dutch are built up backwards. We say three and twenty (23), or eight and thirty (38)
12d. Listen to some Dutch double digit numbers CLICK HERE
You hear these numbers: 21 – 22 – 23 – 24 – 25 – 26 – 27 – 28 – 29 – 30 -31
40 – 45 – 50 – 60 – 70 – 80 – 90 – 100 -161
12e. *prepositions*
Ik woon IN Utrecht and IN de Wetstraat but OP nummer 38.
12f. Could you answer these questions:
Hoe heet je?
Waar woon je?
In welke straat?
Op welk nummer?
Listen >>
Do you remember the Q & A in the shop? Play the questions and answer them aloud!
CLICK HERE
Click on the phrase to listen to the mp3
4. Q: Wordt u al geholpen? A:Nee nog niet.
(are you being served? No, not yet)
4a. *grammar*
Passive sentences use auxiliary verb x91wordenx92 + past participle of the main verb (geholpen > helpen)
4b. *verb*
Helpen is an irregular (or so called strong) verb. It changes its vowel in the perfect tense: ik help –> ik heb geholpen.
4c. *idiom*
Nog niet = not yet.
Niet meer = not anymore, no longer
5: Q: Hoe vindt u deze? A: Oh, wel aardig
(what do you think of this/these? Oh, not bad)
5a. *idiom*
To express x91to likex92 we use vinden + adverb.
Ik vind ze mooi = I like them (lit. I find them beautiful)
Ik vind chocola lekker = I like chocolate. (lit. I find chocolate tasteful)
5b. *idiom*
wel is a word we use in many different contexts with different meanings. Here it means x91somewhatx92
5c. *idiom*
aardig = friendly, pleasant (for people) / nice, not bad (for objects, facts).
6: Q: Welke maat heeft u? A: Maat 40
(Whatx92s your size? Size 40)
6a. *noun*
de maat=the size. In The Netherlands we use European shoe sizes
6b. *numbers* 40 is written as: veertig.
Listen to the Dutch numbers (cijfers) 1-20
een – twee – drie – vier – vijf – zes – zeven – acht – negen – tien
elf – twaalf – dertien – veertien – vijftien – zestien – zeventien – achttien – negentien – twintig
6c. *persons*
In shops we use the formal form for x91youx92: u.
The informal you is x91jijx92 or x91jex92.
6d. *verb*
Hebben is an irregular verb.
Ik heb maat 40.
Hij heeft maat 40.See complete conjugation here
7. Q: Deze maar doen? A:Ja alstublieft
(you will take this one? Yes please)
7a. *idiom*
The question is a short form for x91Zullen we deze maar doen?x92 meaning shall we do these?
7b. *idiom*
The word x91maarx92 is used in many different contexts without a specific meaning. It just makes it sound more friendly
7c. *demonstratives*
DEZE = this one / these ones.
Opposite: DIE (that one/those). We use deze/die for x91dex92-words and plurals.
7d. *demonstratives*
x91Hetx92-words are referred to by DIT (this one) or DAT (that one) singular only :
Dit boek / dat boek
In plural: deze boeken vs. die boeken
7e. *grammar*
Read more about x91dex92-words and x91hetx92-words on this website
MORE ABOUT THE DUTCH LANGUAGE IN OUR EBOOK:
25 pages PDF
useful every-day Dutch expressions
+ how to pronounce them + English translation.
Very well done! We will continue this course later.
Click on the phrase to listen to the mp3
How to reply in a Dutch shop
1. Q: Wie is er aan de beurt? A: Ik
(whox92s turn is it? Mine)
1a. *noun*
De beurt (noun) = turn.
Om de beurt (adv) = alternately, taking turns
1b. *interrogatives*
Wie = who.
Wat = what.
Waar = where.
Wanneer = when.
Waarom = why.
Welk(e) = which one
1c. *personals*
Ik = 1st person singular.
Wij = 1st person plural
1d. *er*
Er is a special word in Dutch. Here we use ER because the subject of the sentence is indefinite (wie)
Same phrase, said slower (click to listen)
* * *
2. Q: Kan ik u helpen? A:Ja graag
(can I help you? Yes please)
2a. *verb*
kan > kunnen = can, to be able to.
It is an auxiliary verb; it comes with a second verb (helpen)
2b. *idiom*
graag =gladly, please. Is often used instead of x91alstublieftx92: please/yes thank you.
2c. Listen again
* * *
3: Q: Kan ik u helpen? A: Nee, ik kijk even rond
(can I help you? No, Ix92m just looking)
3a. *verb*
rondkijken is a separable verb. When we use it, we cut x91rondx92 from the verb and place that part at the end of the sentence.
3b. *idiom*
even = for a moment. We often use this word only to make the phrase sound more friendly
3c.*Pronunciation*
Note that we hardly pronounce the -n- at the end of the verb 'helpen'. This happens with most words ending with -en
3d. Now listen again
Do you remember how to answer this question?
How would you answer this question?
We'll continue Twutch next week. Then we will tweet the samequestion, but in a different phrase!
MORE ABOUT THE DUTCH LANGUAGE IN OUR EBOOK:
25 pages PDF
useful every-day Dutch expressions
+ how to pronounce them + English translation.
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