Learn 2B Dutch Blog

I've been living in the Netherlands for 14 months now and studying the language for a little over a year. I certainly do not profess to be fluent, although I can communicate pretty easily in Dutch both in speech and in writing. What I have found that is slightly alarming is that the more Dutch I learn, the more of my own language I forget.

The other day for example, I was telling my mom about a meeting I had gone to. I wanted to get more involved in the group and was going to try to join one of the commissies. "One of the what?" Now here's where the problem came: I couldn't for the life of me think of the English word for commissie. I struggled for several minutes and could hear my mom getting frustrated on the other end of the line. So, I used what English words I could to explain what a commissie was. It was a group that got together to make decisions regarding various aspects of an organization. I gave examples of commissies I was in back in the US that I knew she knew about. "A committee?" Ah, yes, that would be the word.

Why was it so hard to come up with that? This was not the first time something like this has happened. Nor was it the last. Another one I remember having a hard time with when my brother was visiting last month was internship. I just couldn't come up with the English word on my own. Sometimes my husband finds himself translating from Dutch to English for me in addition to translating from English to Dutch. It's downright embarrassing.

But even worse is when I forget an English word when I don't even know the Dutch equivalent. In this instance the excuse of the Dutch word coming to mind first because I use it more often doesn't cut it - I don't know the Dutch word either! Dreaming in Dutch? Cool. Choosing Dutch over English regardless of circumstance the moment I've had one too many? Funny. Endearing even. Struggling with my mother tongue because living here has put me on Dutch overload? Frightening.

I recently spoke with a secretary at my husband's work. She's originally from Spain and has been living here for 25 years. She works in Dutch, all her relationships are in Dutch, she even speaks to her daughter in Dutch. She rarely dreams in Spanish anymore and finds it somewhat difficult to communicate in her native language when speaking to her family and friends back in Spain. She reassured me that my English is still there. All of it. It's just been pushed to a different location in my brain since it's not needed quite as often.

But for me, I still feel as though my memory is being erased. Perhaps this is the way the beginning stages of Alzheimer's feels. There are things you knew you knew that you can no longer recall. It's scary and it's frustrating, and you can't help but wonder what will happen to you in the more advanced stages. This correlation has me calling my condition Taalzheimer's - taal being the Dutch word for language.

Are any of you feeling the beginning stages of Taalzheimer's? Are there any readers in the more advanced stages? How does it feel and how do you cope? I look forward to hearing about your experiences.

*Taken from the blog Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland

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It's Christmas time, pretty baby! And though no snow has fallen to the ground yet here in the Netherlands, at one week and a couple days till Christmas, now is the time to start getting ready! Here's a mini Dutch-English Christmas dictionary to get you in the spirit. To hear the words pronounced in Dutch, go to acapela-group.com. Select either "Femke" or "Max" under "select a voice," copy and paste the word you want to hear in the text box, and press "say it"! Please feel free to suggest more words in a comment - I know I haven't even come close to covering them all!

Christmas tree - kerstboom

Christmas music - kerstmuziek

Christmas decoration - de kersthang or de kerstversiering

to celebrate - vieren

poinsettia - de kerstster

reindeer - het rendier

sleigh - de slee

sled - de slede

snow - sneeuw

to snow - sneeuwen

cold -de koud

chilly - fris

ice skating/to ice skate - schaatsen

Christmas Day - kerstdag

Merry Christmas - Prettige kerstmis or Prettige kerstdagen

Happy New Year - Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar

eggnog - eierpunch

New Year's Eve - Oud en Nieuw

Santa Claus - de kerstman

wish list - de verlanglijst

present - het cadeau or het kado

Read more at http://clogsandtulips.blogspot.com

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Gabriele's post and my imminent expatriation have led me to further research and contemplate his predicament. I think that everyone can have sympathy for his situation. In the knowledge that I am departing for the Netherlands with only 1 year of work guaranteed, his position is all too real for me. Luckily, I have the option of an academic career, in which being a native English speaker will (hopefully) not prove to be a barrier. As a further safety net, I intend to work like hell on my Dutch.  

But of course, as we all know, exposure is key to learning. And, exposure, in a spoken sense, is not altogether easy to acquire (given that our Dutch friends just love speaking English). Poking around the internet for the stories of frustrated expats, I came across an amusing tail of one Englishman, who in a bar in Amsterdam was heard by a native to have said to the barman "Kan ik een cola alstublieft?" The native found this truly hilarious and retorted, through his hearty laughter, "is that the only thing you can say!?" Clearly, the Brit was outraged and rather effectively, and in true curt British manner, stunned the arrogant piece of bar furniture into silence with a blunt Dutch insult. And good on him!

So, why exactly was the Brit so outraged? His reasons will be his own, however, I would like to pose my own theory.

The Dutch campaign for integration is strong and prominent. And so it should be. The Dutch have a marvellous culture and language and people should be strongly encouraged to play a part in it. So immigrants attend language classes and so on and those who do not speak English are granted unlimited opportunity to practise. Fantastic stuff we all agree.

Now, I do not wish to sound in anyway racist in my following argument. So I would like your permission to assume (and not without logical grounding) that on average, an English speaking immigrant with a job in hand before arrival in the Netherlands is likely to add more value to the Dutch economy than a non-English speaker. This is simply a matter of the education and experience that an English speaker is likely to have acquired in their home country (which may well not be Anglophone). Clearly this is not the case for all individuals, but as I said, on average.

For example, Gabriele has informed us that he is skilled in internet security with many years experience. I have secured a job in the Netherlands that had previously had a full round of interviews and many months of open applications before a suitable candidate was found. We will leave, or have left our own countries to make significant contributions to Dutch society. And yet, does "de man op straat" allow us to integrate into his society by helping us to speak his language even when we are clearly trying? No. We are penalised. Ironically those who are penalised the most are those we can contribute more to Dutch society.

It is this dichotomy that frustrates the English speaking ex-pat. All that effort to integrate people and the people who can contribute the most (and may also want to integrate the most) are denied the privilege.

Now, I do not hold this fact against the Dutch. I suspect that this desire to always speak English stems from a long established hard nosed "trade mentality". Such a trade mentality merits using the common and best spoken language. But we are moving beyond trade now. We are moving across borders. We are benefiting from flexible labour markets and migration. But labour needs security, and as we have seen in Gabriele's position, the security that speaking the native language can provide can make all the difference.

Perhaps, in this case, the Dutch need to look past this misguided short run pragmatism which they adopt in dealing with English speakers. They need to consider the wider implications of their actions within the context of their national policies. This will allow them to genuinely meet the things that I believe the Dutch hold dear; fairness, openness and respect.

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There's no doubt that the Internet is a fabulous source. There seems to be a website for everything nowadays, and search engines like Google bring information right to our fingertips with the simple click of a button.

 So why not use the Internet to help you learn a little Dutch? Since beginning my Dutch Language journey back in January '09, I have acquired quite the collection of websites that specialize in helping it's visitors learn Dutch. Here's a list of the ones I've used and find helpful with a brief description of each. If you have any sites you've used that are not listed here, please feel free to add them in a comment. Also, be sure to read my article How to Write the Dutch Language on ehow.com !

Babel Fish Translator - It's not a Dutch teaching site, but it is still a valuable tool. By translating things you don't understand or don't fully understand, you can get an idea of what is being said or written and possibly learn some new words as well.  Be careful though, as Babel Fish translates literally and in the order the words appear in the original text.

 Dutch Grammar -  This is actually an online course complete with worksheets, downloads, links, books, a forum, and an audio section. Lessons cover word order, pronouns, nouns and articles, spelling and pronunciation, verbs, and adverbs and adjectives.

 Verbix - A verb conjugator. Very handy. The link here goes directly to the Dutch verb conjugator, but other languages are available as well. Just type in the verb in its infinitive form and let Verbix do the rest.

 Inter Glot - Quick and easy (and very efficient) dictionary. Several languages are available and you can chose what language you're staring out with and what language you want to end up with.

 Laura Speaks Dutch- When Brenno de Winter met an American woman named Laura, he wanted an easy way to teach her the language. He did so by using the medium he knows best: podcasts. Through a series of podcasts (he's up to episode 56 at the time of this posting), he teaches her the Dutch language using real life scenarios.

Acapela Group - This website is great for learning how to pronounce those difficult Dutch words. Under "voices" select either Femke or Max. Type the word or phrase you want to know how to pronounce in the "text" box and press "say it". The program will read the text back to you.

2bDutch - Of course, I could never leave this one out! Through it's blogs and vidoes, 2bDutch brings Dutch culture and language to life. All videos include Dutch subtitles as well as subtitles in the language of your choice so you can year it in Dutch, read it in Dutch, and read the translation. The site also includes a wealth of tips and advice on integrating and learning the language.

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Have you ever tried to pronounce in Dutch words like: Ui, Scheveningen, waarschijnlijk, verrukkkelijk, arbeidsovereindkomst?

The Dutch language it is not easy to learn. You need time, patiente and very strong reasons why you would like to learn it. I had a few reasons and I still have them: Love, integration and interactive communication. Those three reasons plus my desire to make new Dutch friends and learn about the Dutch society made me so curious to keep learning it. I learnt to think the way they Dutch think- at least a little...

I write it: with mistakes. I read it: but Gracias a Dios! I have the dictionary. I comprehense it: I do not always get the nuances and humor, and I speak it: like most people say with almost no mistakes. What a language!!! I cried. I got frustrated!!!

I can now say that I know just a little about the Dutch language: practice these sweet words: Ik hou van je, enorm, leuk, aardig, super, gezellig, hoe gaat het? Hoi, tot ziens, mooi and the most important ones:

DANK U WEL! , AlSUBLIEFT (aub) and GRAAG GEDAAN!

Dutch language expat Rotterdam

From the book: Human souvenir by Carolina Barría

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