The Dutch Classroom

Teachers: [FAE]


The Netherlands has many dialects and accents.
In Limburg they speak 'Limburgs'. In Friesland they speak 'Fries' (Frisian) (which is not even a dialect, but a complete acknowledged language, Frisians actually get a Frisian exam in highschool). Around The Hague they speak 'Haags'. In Noord-Brabant they speak Brabants. In Twente they speak 'Twents'.
These are the five I can think of right now considering regions.
Then there are big cities with their own recognisable accents, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Arnhem, Enschede, 's-Hertogenbosch etc. A 'normal person' who did not grow up in the same area may have a lot of trouble understanding.

Belgium has Flemish (Vlaams).
One could break the Flemish dialects into 6 regions: Vlaams-brabant(home region of [ilven]), Brussel, Antwerpen, West-Vlaanderen, Oost-Vlaanderen and Limburg (belgian limburg).

West-Vlaanderen is one of the rarities. A belgian from let's say Huldenberg, Vlaams-Brabant wouldn't understand a single word a person from West-Vlaanderen says. It is comparable the the Dutch (Friesland). Like Friesland, West-Vlaanderen is influenced by English and Nordic heavily as cause to the harbours. As for such both "languages" have both Anglo-Saxon and Nethergermanic roots.

Oost-Vlaanderen has a dialect which sometimes picks up French words, especially in Gent and Aalst(very juicy accent).

Antwerpen has a very sharp accent, their a's are very recognisable for example.

Limburg has a dialect which starts to resemble German a bit. their stereotype dialect is often also the centre of many a jokes.

Vlaams-Brabant has accents which are difficult to explain. for example: someone from Tienen has a different accent then someon from Leuven, or like someone from Huldenberg or Hoeilaart. Nonetheless, their dialect is often bastardFrench (example: French: une fraise; dialect: ne freis; English: a strawberry)

And Brussels (being a bilingual region) has very few Dutch speaking people, but the original people who lived there for generations from the time Brussels was still Broeckzele, those people (called Marroliers) have a dialect where it is very difficult to make out if it is a French word or Dutch.

The Dutch language is becoming more and more influenced by English as well. Certain English words are incorporated in peoples speech. Think shit, fuck, cool, but also many other words.
Aside from that there are of course people who speak other languages. Think Arabic, Moroccan, Turkish, Antilles, Surinam etc.

Most people in The Netherlands and 55% of Belgians speak Dutch. The standard rules for Dutch is AN (Algemeen Nederlands) and not ABN anymore, because that is an insult to the many Dutch dialects. Because ABN indirectly says the dialects are not civilised languages. So it means "Allround Dutch" instead of "Allround Civilised Dutch".



Students:
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Lesson 1 Alphabet pronunciation

a=aah
b=bay
c=say
d=day
e=ay
f=ef
g=gay (the "g" is very different from the English one.) *khay
h=haa
i=e (English "e")
j=yay
k=kaa
l=el
m=em
n=en
o=o
p=pay
q=kuu
r=er (Dutch "r")
s=es
t=tay
u=uu (sort of like French "belle VUE", or like in Scottish "you")
v=vay
w=way
x=ix
y=ai
z=zet

The g and r are two letters that can differ most in pronunciation in dialects.

Special thanks to [Supera-Bitcha!!]


See also http://www.taalthuis.com/course/grammar/index.htm for soundfiles.




Lesson 2 Double vowels

ij= like in "lay down" or "Don't lie to me"
oe= like in "you"
ie= like in "green"
ou & au= like in "auch", sometimes "ou" is pronounced the same as "oe", but that's more in words that come frome French
ei= a long é
ee= like in "yay"




Lesson 3 Basic vocabulary: greeting

Hello, my name is - Hoi, ik heet... / Hallo, mijn naam is...
What's your name? - Hoe heet je?
How are you? - Hoe gaat het?
Nice to meet you! - Aangenaam!
How old are you? - Hoe oud ben je?
What time is it? - Hoe laat is het?
Can someone help me? - Kan iemand me helpen?
Are you single? - Ben je vrijgezel?
Are you an angel? - Ben je een engel?
You look good today - Je ziet er goed uit vandaag
Bye - Doei (Houdoe -> Dialect provence Noord-Brabant)
OK - Okee

Good - Goed
Good morning - Goedemorgen / Goede morgen
Good afternoon - Goedemiddag /Goede middag
Good evening - Goedenavond /Goede avond
Good night - Goedennacht
Good night referring to sleep (Sleep tight) - Slaap lekker
Sleep tight (Rest well) - Welterusten (Weltruste/Truste)




Lesson 4 Subject/Object/Possession

I - Ik
Me - Mij
My - Mijn

You - Jij/Je
You - Je/Jou
Your - Jouw

You (polite) - U
You (polite) - U
You (polite) - Uw

He - Hij
Him - Hem
His - Zijn

She - Zij
Her - Haar
Her - Haar

They - Zij
They - Hun/Ze
They - Hun

You (plural) - Jullie
You (plural) - Jullie
You (plural) - Jullie

We - Wij
Our - Ons
Our - Ons/Onze

It - Het
It - Het
His - Zijn




Lesson 5 Useful words

Who - Wie
What - Wat
Where - Waar
When - Wanneer
How - Hoe
Why - Waarom
Because - Daarom/Omdat
If/When - Als (also: 'As big as' - 'Zo/Even groot als')
Then - Dan
Than - Dan (Bigger than - Groter dan)

That - Wat/dat
Which - Wat/Dat
('Dat' is used for something known, 'Wat' is used for something unknown. Exception: 'wat' can be used after 'iets'(something).

And - En
The - De/Het
A - Een
It - Het
Not - Niet
To - Naar
From - Van
In - In
Out - Uit
With - Met
Without - Zonder
Through - Door
Under - Onder
Behind - Achter
In front - Voor
Before - Ervoor
Over - Over
Near - Dichtbij
Maybe - Misschien

Yes - Ja
No - Nee
I don't know - Weet ik niet
Left - Links
Right - Rechts
Straight ahead - Rechtdoor
Turn around - Omkeren


Dutch articles: 'De' and 'Het' words
How do you know when a word is a 'de' or a 'het' word?
All masculine and feminine words get 'de' while all neuter words get 'het'.
See more information here:
http://www.taalthuis.com/course/grammar/index.htm




Lesson 6 Verbs

Irregular (onregelmatige) verbs (werkwoorden)
The two most important irregular verbs. Irregular verbs are irregular when it comes to conjugation: You can't apply general rules to know which form of the word you need to use, you have to know the forms.

To be - Zijn
I am - Ik ben
You are - Jij bent
Hij/zij/it is - He/she is
We/they are - Wij/zij zijn

I was - Ik was
You were - Jij was
He/she/it was - Hij/zij/it was
We/they were - Wij/zij waren
We have been - Wij zijn geweest

To have - Hebben
I have - Ik heb
You have - Jij hebt
He/she/it has - Hij/zij heeft
We have - Wij hebben

I had - Ik had
You had - Jij had
He/she had - Hij/zij had
We had - Wij hadden
We have had - Wij hebben gehad


Regular (regelmatige) verbs (werkwoorden)
Regular verbs have rules of conjugation you can apply.
You take the stem of a verb and conjugate it. The stem of a word means you remove -en (in some words you need to remove an extra letter because a stem can not end with two consonants. Example: 'Rennen' (Run) becomes 'Ren' instead of 'Renn'.)

Conjugations:
I - Ik = *
You - Jij = +t
He/she/it - Hij/zij/het = +t
We - Wij = +en
You - Jullie = +en
They - Zij = +en

Present tense - Tegenwoordige tijd
'To work - Werken'
We take the stem of 'werken'; 'werk' and conjugate it.

I work - Ik werk
You work - Jij/je werk +t -> Werkt
(Do you work? - Werk jij? -> no extra t when it is a question present time)
He/she/it works - Hij/zij(ze)/het werk +t -> Werkt
We work - Wij werk +en -> Werken
You work (plural) - Jullie werk +en -> Werken
They work - Zij/ze werk +en -> Werken

'To cuddle - Knuffelen'
We take the stem of 'knuffelen'; 'knuffel' and conjugate it.

I cuddle - Ik knuffel
You cuddle - Jij knuffel +t
(Do you cuddle? - Knuffel jij? -> no extra t when it is a question present time)
He/she/it cuddles - Hij/zij he knuffel + t
We cuddle - Wij knuffel +en
You cuddle - Jullie knuffel +en
They cuddle - Zij/ze knuffel +en

Past tense
In (and only in ) past tense certain words are conjugated with using a 't' and others with a 'd'.
If a stem ends with a consonant from this word: 't kofschip' (Translation: some sort of ship :p Other people use 't fokschaap (a sheep to use for breading), it means the conjugation will be done using the 't'. The rest will be done using a 'd'.
If a stem ends with a d or t already, another 't' or 'd' will thus be added. (Example: Antwoorden (Answer) becomes 'Ik antwoordde' (not 'antwoorde')).
Exceptions can be words of which the stem ends with an f or an s. The f will be considered a v and the s will be considered a z. They are conjugated with a 'd'. (Examples:
Verhuizen (move away). I move away - Ik verhuis. I moved away - Ik verhuisde (not 'verhuiste').
Geloven (believe). I believe - Ik geloof. I believed - Ik geloofde (not 'geloofte')).

Conjugations:
I - Ik = +te / +de
You - Jij = +te / +de
He/she/it - Hij/zij/het = +te / +de
We - Wij = +ten / +den
You - Jullie = +ten / +den
They - Zij = +ten / +den

'To work - Werken'
The stem ends with a 'k' and thus the conjugation is done using the letter 't'.

I worked - Ik werk +te
You worked - Jij werk +te
He/she/it worked - Hij/zij/het werk +te
We worked - Wij werk +ten
You work (plural) - Jullie werk +ten
They worked - Jullie werk +ten

'To cuddle - Knuffelen'
The stem ends with a 'l' and thus the conjugation is done using the letter 'd'.

I cuddled - Ik knuffel +de
You cuddled - Jij knuffel +de
He/she/it cuddled - Hij/zij/het knuffel +de
We cuddled - Wij knuffel +den
You cuddled - Jullie knuffel +den
They cuddled - Jullie knuffl +den

Perfect tense - Voltooid tegenwoordige tijd (voltooid deelwoord)
When talking about something that has been done, 'ge-' will be added in front of the word and 't' or 'd' will be added according the same conjugationrules unless the word already ends with a 't' or a 'd'. No letter will be added in the end in that case. (Example: Answer (antwoorden). I have answered - ik heb geantwoord (not 'geantwoordd').
Don't add 'ge-' in front of words that already start with 'ver-, her-, be-, ont- and ge-'. (Examples:
Gebruiken (use). Ik gebruik - I use. Ik heb gebruikt - I have used. (Not 'gegebruikt')
Ontkennen (deny an accusation). I deny - Ik ontken. I denied - Ik heb ontkend.(Not 'geontkend')

Work - Werken -> They have worked - Zij hebben gewerkt
Cuddle - Knuffelen -> They have cuddled - Zij hebben geknuffeld
Answer - Antwoorden -> They answered - Zij hebben geantwoord

Sometimes a perfect tense can be used as an adjective (bijvoeglijk namwoord).
The only difference is that in case of an adjective an -e is added after the word.
A coloured book - Een gekleurd boek.
The coloured book - Het gekleurde boek.
The green grass - Het groene gras.


Regular verbs:
Want - Willen
I want - Ik wil

Wish - Wensen
I wish - Ik wens

Play - Spelen
Draw - Tekenen
Punish - Straffen
Cycle - Fietsen

Irregular verbs:
To do - Doen
I do - Ik doe

To go - Gaan
I go - Ik ga

To love - Houden van
I love - Ik hou van / Ik houd van

Can - Kunnen
I can - Ik kan

Write - Schrijven
Help - Helpen
Walk - Lopen




Lesson 7 Randoms

Loving - Houden van
I love you - Ik hou van jou
In love - Verliefd
I want to love you - Ik wil je liefhebben
Love - Liefde
Lovely - Lieflijk
Sweet - Lief
Sweetie - Liefie
You adorable sweetie - Jij aanbiddelijke lieverd (Not a very common sentence though)
Pretty - Mooi
Adorable - Aanbiddelijk
Bubble - Bubbel / Bel (Bel also means bell)
Cute - Leuk/Schattig
Honey - Schat
Stud - Lekker ding
Fun - Leuk
Happy - Gelukkig
Great - Prachtig/Geweldig
Fine - Prima
Beautiful - Prachtig/Mooi
Nice - Mooi(looks)/Aardig(personality)
Moon - Maan
Sun - Zon
Stars - Sterren
Shine - Schijnen/Stralen -> De zon schijnt (The sun shines) / Een stralende persoonlijkheid - A shining personality
Bright - Helder
Nudge - Aanstoten / *Nudges* - *stoot aan*
Nuzzle - Met de neus wrijven (Rub with your nose) / *Nuzzles* - *Wrijft neus*
Nose - Neus
Eyes - Ogen (Singular: Oog)
Lips - Lippen (Singular: Lip)
Lick - Likken / *Licks* - *Likt*
Drool - Kwijlen / *Drulz* - *Kwijlt*
Slobber - Bekwijlen / *Slobbers* - *Bekwijlt*
Fainting - Flauw vallen / *Faints* - *Valt flauw*
Butterfly - Vlinder
*Swoons* - *Zwijmelt*
Cuddle/Hug - Knuffel / *cuddles* - *knuffelt*
Cuddling/Huggling - Knuffelen
Hump (bulge) - soon to come
Hump (action) - soon to come

Sleep - Slapen
Blanket - Deken
Bed - Bed
Pillow - Kussen
To kiss - Kussen (:P)/Zoenen
A kiss - Een kus/zoen / *Kisses* - *Kust*
Stroke/Caress - Strelen / *Caresses* - *Streelt*
Dream - Droom / *Dreams* - *Droomt*
Dreaming - Dromen
Hold tight - Stevig vasthouden / *Holds tight* - *houdt stevig vast*
Together - Samen
Alone - Alleen
Lonely - Eenzaam
Cold - Koud
Warm - Warm
Hot (temperature) - Heet
Wave (with a hand) - Zwaaien
Wave (sea) - Golf

I want to hold your hand - Ik wil je hand vast houden
Hands - Handen
Fingers - Vingers (Singular: Vinger)
Legs - Benen (Singular: Been)

Carrot - Wortel
Eat - Eten
Breakfast - Ontbijt
Lunchbreak - Lunchpauze
Dinner - Avondeten
I eat a carrot - Ik eet een wortel
Eating a carrot - Een wortel eten

Chicken - Kip
Monkey - Aap
Sheep - Schaap
Goat - Geit
Shit - Schijt :P




Lesson 8 To give commands

If you want to give a command in Dutch, it is always the first person of the verb.
It can generally be literally translated from English (except the verbs which get split while conjugated)
Example: 
To work -> Work!: werken -> Werk!
To study -> Study!: studeren -> Studeer!
...
Exception:
To continue -> Continue: voortdoen -> Doe voort! (This is a verb which gets separated while conjugated.)




Lesson 9 The Dutch And Belgian Educational Systems

Dutch

Belgian





Links:
English-Dutch dictionary: Online translator
http://www.jonsay.co.uk/Languages/English/Nederlands/language.html
http://www.taalthuis.com/nl/schrijftips.htm




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Past teachers: [ilven]