Worldly Chatter

I am sending in my first homework assignment tomorrow morning and I am so excited! I had to do Les 1, lesson 1, and record the answers on a cassette tape then mail it to my teacher. This studying from home is going to work out so well with my hours! I have to tell you though, it was hard! There was this one part where I had to listen to the words and distinguish between the /a/ sound and the /aa/ sound. Dag, naam, that sort of thing and it can be so hard! When I saw it, I did fine but I got a lot wrong when it came to listening. It’s a difference between a short a and a long a. I really thought I had some right when clearly I had no idea what I was hearing! I really need to practice that over again tomorrow!

I really like this! God I hope this helps me! So long as I do it every day and do my homework I should be alright. Right? Must think positive! It is what I tell Dutchie all the time. So I shall practice with you, my readers!

Ik heet Samantha

Ik ben Samantha

Mijn naam is Samantha

These are ways you can introduce yourself. (Jezelf voorstellen) I am Samantha, my name is…

Try something else; Hoe gaat het met je? How goes it with you? (or how are you?) Remember, the g is more like the harsh sound you hear in the language, German too. See I can teach you Dutch as I go along! A friend of mine from Selekt Mail is joining the Subway team and what little Dutch I know, I get to teach him! Sweet! Doei

Worldly chatter, Nederlandse taal, The Dutch Language, Learning Dutch

Let’s talk for a moment shall we. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and I don’t know how to change that. I worked in Selekt Mail and was surrounded by Dutch people, ok Polish, American and British too but I was still around Dutch people. The language was all around me! So, now I am at Subway and am around Dutch people and again, the language is all around me. The difference is I didn’t speak a lot of it when I was working with mail. We weren’t allowed to talk when we were in the warehouse you see and when you’re walking the mail there isn’t anyone to talk to. With Subway I HAVE to talk to people. The customers are mainly Dutch as well speaking to my co-workers. There is a lot of Dutch and I have been speaking a lot of simple Dutch. Hoe kan ik u helpen? Wilt iets te drinken? Wat voor brood? Sla, tomaat, Komkommer? It is really basic and mainly pertains to food and how I can help a customer. It is a lot of Dutch for me and sometimes I handle it well but other moments I feel smothered by it and feel rather stupid that I haven’t gotten it by now.

I know what Dutchie is going to say about this. It is only now that I have been able to obtain lessons to learn properly. Things will change and I know she is right. I have already see a little improvement on how I say the words I do know. I say them a bit better. Faster, clearer and overall more comfortable in the words I know. If I can get the rest of it down and use it regularly I will get just as proficient in those too. I just have to learn them. Good news is I have my stuff to guide me, a mentor and teacher I can commune with even while I do it from home. I have home work and tests. This will be a good thing, a really good thing. I just wish my brain could absorb it telepathically or something! Wishful thinking I know but this girl gets frustrated, especially when you have a cranky customer giving you attitude and you can’t understand him or defend your actions. Sigh… This is a rant I know. Part of the integration process; language and how to use it. I will get it. I will get it. This positive attitude has to sink it at some point right?

Nederlandse Taal, Worldly Chatter, Dutch Language, Learning Dutch

Ik snap het een beetje beter! Ik was een beetje bang omdat ik spreek heel slecht Nederlands! Maar het is beter nu, een beetje! (beetje – a little and is one of my favorite Dutch words!)

Dutchie was on the telephone with Momma Dutchie this evening and talking about all sorts of things, one of which was I. How I made new friends at work and how I can understand Dutch a bit better since starting work. It was in Dutch and understood it. Therefore, I said ik snap het een beetje beter! Een beetje! Therefore, Dutchie put Momma Dutchie on the telephone to show her! Ik KAN spreek Nederlands! Ik will graag een kopje koffee en iets. Iets is something and so that can get used often, hence why I know it so well. Repetition is key and I seem to be getting that at work. A co-worker of mine will talk Dutch to me, very simple but says it in Dutch nonetheless. I was in Eemnes today, delivering my little legs off when someone saw me with a map. Zoek je iets? (you looking for something) Ja, ik zoek Laarderweg 112 maar die is 80, waar is 112? Ah, aan de andere kant van de A27. (On the other side of A27, the highway) That’s when I sighed and waited for my co-workers to return because I am not and cannot cross the highway with nothing but my legs and a trolley. My point is, I got it, I understood it, ik snap het!

Oh Hemeltje is another word I love to pieces! I watched a Pooh movie in Dutch and little Piglet said Oh hemeltje instead of Oh dear. It was so adorable it stuck in my head! Asbak is ashtray and the reason why I remembered it is that my brain says assback…wards! It is the strangest things that help me remember but it doesn’t matter so long as I remember. Ik hou van je en ik mis je. Ik denk het niet of echt niet! Luister goed! Ik vergeet het al! Just little things that stick in my head and it adds up, I know this so today is a good day in my understanding of Dutch. Ik kan en ik doe iedere dag! Toch? Ja, toch!

My co-worker said to me I say my numbers like a native today and I couldn’t help but smile. I tried so hard to get the sounds right and there are sounds I still don’t do very well but for the most part its good and clear. I mainly have troubles with a couple of vowel combinations so it isn’t horrid. The comment perked me up a bit for the day. A lovely way to end my week, a comment like that and saying I sounded like I was trying! I love it!

worldly chatter, Dutch, Dutch language, learning Dutch

A moment with you to talk about the Dutch language if you don’t mind. People often ask how I am getting on with it, I tell them of my progress, and I get that it must be so hard. Well of course they ask how is it such a challenge and I tell them little problems I have and that sort of thing. Here I will teach you a word that I learned today by watching one of the Dutch television games where you phone in with the answer to win money. It was a word game and the word needed was huis. Huis is Dutch for House. Here is how it works. ….muis (mouse) ….vrouw (woman) ….houdster (keeper) and the final was klok…. The dots indicate the number of letters and huis would be the answer to all of them. House mouse, housewife, housekeeper and the final… This is where I got really confused and learned a new word.

Klok is clock in Dutch. Huis is House. My brain, understanding these two things, thought that clock house was the answer, though it sounded strange to me. Dutchie informed me that was not correct. Why not, I know what klok and huis is so yeah, this makes sense. Not all things make sense in the Dutch language.

Klokhuis is actually Apple Core. I kid you not! Appel is apple so you know. Core is Kern in Dutch… So why not appel
kern or appelkern. (They like to slap words together) I sat there looking at the television screen and back to Dutchie and asked her point blank are you serious? This makes no sense to me! How can clock house turn into apple core? Can someone explain this to me? No, I didn’t think anyone could.

Sometimes a word can sound like an English word, there are words that look like an English word but don’t sound it. It is sort of a helpful tip to learning Dutch. Since they have a common history there are similarities abound. Now it doesn’t always work it does come in handy. I took Latin etymology in high school and learned how to break words up and figure out their core. All the fun stuff one needed for their SATs. This also helps me a bit. Take for example, Ridderkerk, it is a town here in Holland that literally turns into Knights Church. Ridder is knight and kerk is church. Simple enough and that is why I took klok and huis and turned it into klokhuis or clock house.

Welcome to Dutch! I am glad I am getting better at it and enjoy the fact that I can order for myself and go out and about with my basic stuff but I tell you, it is a confusing mess sometimes!

Netherlands, Dutch Language, Learning Dutch, worldly chatter

Wat zeg je? Ik snap je maar heel langzaam praat! Ik kan, ik kan en ik kan! Ik wil nederlands leren en ik moet spreek meer! However, I don’t! What did you say? I understand you but speak slow! I can, I can and I can! I want to learn Dutch and must speak more! That is what I said to you in Dutch. Ik wil kop koffie en een brootje gezond. I want a cup of coffee and a healthy sandwich. (Yes, they call it a healthy sandwich.)

Why do I write all this… and none of it make sense? I write this because I have to kick myself in the ass. I DO know words darn it all and I CAN follow some yet what do I do? I get stupid and I get shy and fumble my words until I have spit on myself or have said absolutely nothing at all! Why is this? Why do I stumble? Why do I get so shy! I know there are people who will say I have always been shy so it is nothing new but it has to stop! Really, it does now! Therefore, I ramble to my readers. I put my shame and foolishness out there for all to see! Why do this? Because I have decided to do something and so here it is.

I write five days a week on my expat life and travel yet I rarely touch on language. I rarely tell you of my troubles and I rarely mention the language I am engulfed in everyday. I go to the store and when they tell me the total in Dutch, I fully understand and pay up. I know how to ask for stuff and I know how to read things at the store. I can read a menu and order for myself. It isn’t hard so long as you know the words right. Dutchie has seen me do it! She actually finds it neat the way I speak Dutch, with my American accent and all.

So this is what I am going to do. I am going to do one piece a week entirely on language. The Dutch language, how the Dutch use English or even the German language, Polish is also something I hear regularly now. I will devote one entry a week to language. This way I am forced to confront it, my foolishness, my shyness, whatever you want to call it, I will confront it! I will also use the Dutch language on it. (you are warned!) Show some progress and maybe even teach you a word or two! Hope you don’t mind now because this is the plan and I am sticking to it! Doei! (bye!)
Click HERE!

worldy chatter, Dutch language, Nederlandse taal