Holland /

0 40 miles
Bori<.um /
Rottumeroog /
0 60km
Rottumerplatt '\. \
Simonszand'-..... '\.
\ \
\
\
Schiermonnikoog Delfzijl 0 \.._ ..... ,_
'.
1
Ameland
·,
Terschelling Dokkum 0 '
0 o Winschoten\
Groningen \
fRIESLAND
1
Leeuwarden I
_, ,·, 0
o Drachten oAssen /
Vlieland Harfingen
0 DRENTHE ii
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0
osr)ijek \
1 ::;~l . ~· Emmen° \
Texel)
\
_,,,," .... _-·
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',.-
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Oen Helt!er: · ---{:. Jfsselmeer ~ ...

~
,_".-•w•-' ' ... .,.

-':~--/1._!)Zwolle \
' \ 1

\ NOORD- - qEnkhuizeri;.:,-_--:-
\HOLLAND ·:: Almelo i
,.o.Jd.6orn ·Lelystad i', o Hengelo\
Alknhaar0 \ ,lo , 0 0 f,...
··., FllVOLA~D OVERIJSSEL Enschede,r·
1
'. ~, o PJrmer~id _.// Deventer o '
za'v:instáa "" ./ '. ! Apel~orn ,-'
i;::~~\1á:l~_R9~M o GELDERLAND t~-)
Haart~m 0 0 Bussum .· WinterswijK ,1
! 0 Amersfoort . .r • /
/ H1lve1sumo " ·+> _
-- /
1 r!J UTRECHT Arnhemo DoetITT-00~72/
1 J __/ r ,_ ~·...__". _ _.
j ~p (iJt~ftt-o--... ,, -- / / :;!:c(<Z_ ~
Le1den 0
~ / _ 4 _, ,,_,\<-_LI -~=- ~~--..... /
, ~ o ---- ~ / "". 'r;;-_,,l'l,Jr1 gen~
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,
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0 __. :.. .. ~
,_.--...__ GERMANY
(THE HAGUE). 0 Hdl A ~-'r./ gss ' '- \>--,
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0. ~.~ _... 's-Hertogenbosch ~' ,
Rotterdam Ooordr~l"""s o oveghel \
\
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, . 0
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/
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~<iîÎ;tll
SPOKEN WORLD

DUTCH
A COMPLETE COURSE
FOR BEGINNERS

written by

Pt'tt>r K.F V<'1hot•v1·11

reviewed by

AndH•a Sd11•1'lt•

edited by

Christoplwr A. Warnasch

LIVING LANGUAGE• ~
 of Rando m House, Ine.
Copyr ight © 2009 by Living Language, an impri nt
Inform ation Group
Living Language is a memb er of the Rando m House
arks of Rando m
Living Language and colop hon are regist ered tradem
House, Ine.
. Ine.
Map© Fodor's Travel, a divisio n of Rando m House
All rights reserved.
an impri nt of
Published. in the United States by Living Language,
Rando m House, Ine.
www.livinglanguage.com
Editor: Christ opher A. Wama sch
Produ ction Editor: Carolyn Roth
Produ ction Manager: Tom Marshall
Interio r Design: Sophie Chin
First Edition
ISBN: 978-1-4ocx>i987-8
available upon
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
request.
purchases for sales
This book is available at special discounts for bulk
s, includ ing person alized covers,
promo tions or premi ums. Special edition
corpo rate imprin ts, can be create d in
excerpts of existing books, and
l needs. For more inform ation, write to Special
large quanti ties for specia
New York, New York
Markets/Premium Sales, 1745 Broadway, MD 6-2,
10019 or e-mail specia lmark ets@r andom house .com.
PRlNTED IN THE UNJTED STATES OF AMERICA

10 98765432 1
DEDICATION

To Francien.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to the Living Language team : Tom Russell, Nicole Benhabib,

Christopher Warnasch, Zviezdana Verzich, Suzanne McQuade,
Shaina Malkin, Elham Shabahat, Sophie Chin, Linda Schmidt,
Alison Skrabek, Carolyn Roth, and Tom Marshall. Special thanks to
Manon Zinzell, Suzanne Dikker, and Peter Schoenaerts.
Course Outline

lntroduction ix

How to Use this Course ix

Dutch Pronunciation xv

VOCABULARY 1 GRAMMAR

LESSON 1 GOOD MORNING!

Greetings, courtesy expressions, 1. Subject pronouns
and personal introductions
2. The verb zijn (to be)
3. Questions
LESSON 2 SAY Hl TO THE FAMILY FOR ME! 13
Vocabulary and expressions for 1. Possessive pronouns
talking about the family
2. The verb hebben (to have)
3. Gender and articles
4. Possession
LESSON 3 WELCOME TO MY HOME! 29
Basic vocabulary for everyday 1. The plural of nouns
objects, general descriptions,
2. Adjective agreement
and numbers
3. Er is, er zijn, het is and het zijn
LESSON 1t A REGULAR DAY 47
Yocabulary for everyday life, 1. Object pronouns
including verbs, and more numbers
2. Verbs in the present tense
3. Yerbs ending in -n
LESSON 5 AT SCHOOL 63
School subjects, studying, and i. Expressing likes and dislikes
education in the Netherlands
2. Making comparisons
3. Modal verbs
4. Negation with niet and geen
 VOCABULARY 1 GRAMMAR
81
LESSON 6 ON THE ROAD AGAIN
1. Word order
Getting around town, asking for
directions, and public 2. Imperatives
transportation
. Questions and question words
3

LESSOll 7 WHO'S CALLING? 95

Making appointments and i. Simple past of zijn and hebben
scheduling things 2. Numbers above 20 and dates

3. Telling time
111
LESSOll 8 BUYING AND SELLING
Shopping, clothing terms, and i. Demonstratives and other
polite requests determiners
2. Prefix verbs
3. Polite requests

LESSOtl 9 1N THE RESTAURANT 129 .

Food and restaurants 1. The present perfect

2. Irregular past participles
3. Diminutives

LESSOtl 10 OH, DOCTOR! ~ 151

Health and the human body i. The present perfect with zijn
2. Using modals in the present
perfect
3. Reflexive verbs
LESSOll 11 COMPUTERS AND :rti'e JN.IERNEr . 16'7
Comp~ter related terms, e-mailing, 1. Present perfect tense of
and usmg the internet separable prefix verbs
2. Inseparable verbs in the present
perfect
3. Word order in dependent
clauses

vi
VOCABULARY 1 GRAMMAR

LESSON 12 AT THE POST OFFICE 185

Runnin g errands, the bank, and the 1. Simple past tense of regular
post office verbs

2. Expressing the future

3. Er with prepositions

LESSON 13 AT WORK 2 01

Talking about work, the office, jobs, 1. Simple past of irregular verbs
and professions 2. Relative clauses

3. More on pronoun s

LESSON 11t LEISURE TIME 219

Talking about leisure time, 1. The progressive

entertai nment, hobbies, and 2. More on infinitives
interests
3. Indefinites

LESSON 15 SPORTS AND THE OUTDOORS- 235

Talking about sports, recreational 1. The passive voice
activities, and the weather 2. Conditional sentences with
als ... dan
3. More on conditionals

Strong and Irregular Verbs 251

Dutch-English Glossary 261

English-Dutch Glossary 297

vii
 lntr odu ctio n

This course is designed to provide you with an easy

and practical
introduction to the Dutch language. lt will help you
learn the basics
of Dutch vocabulary, structure, and conversation, so
that you'll be
able to take part in everyday conversations, find your
way aroun d,
and make yourself under stood in a range of situations
in Dutch. Of
course learning a language is not a simple thing; it
takes time, pa-
tience, and comm itmen t, but it can be a lot of fun and
very reward-
ing. This progr am doesn 't assume that you have
any knowledge
of Dutch, or that you're a whiz with grammatica! conce
pts. Every-
thing is explained in plain English, grammatica! conce
pts are put
in simple language, and there are plent y of examples
to help you
under stand each point as you progress throu gh the
course. You'll
probably find that with this course, Dutch comes
to you far more
painlessly than you would have imagined! But befor
e you begin,
take a mom ent to read the How to Use this Course
section, so that
you can get the most out of Living Lang uage Spoke
n World: Dutch.

HOW 1'0 USE THIS COURSE

This begin ner level course is desig ned to use both
audio and visua l
instru ction to help you maste r the basics of Dutch
. No previ ous
knowledge of Dutch at all is assum ed.
Following this introd uctio n, you'll find a sectio n
that teach es you
every thing you need to know abou t Dutch pronu
nciat ion. Use it
in conju nctio n with the audio to becom e fully acqua
inted with the
sound s of Du~-ch. Imita te the nativ e speak ers that you
hear, hut don't
be worri ed ifyou don't soun d quite nativ e yours elf;
after all, you'r e
not. Good pronu nciat ion will come in time. Just use
the pronu ncia-
tion sectio n. to famil iarize yours elf with the sound
s and spelli ng of
Dutch. Thèn you can begin the fiftee n lessons, each
of whic h is ded-
icated to a partic itlar topic and to a numb er of struc
tural point s.
 As a genera! piece of advice, fight the urge to skip ahead or rush
over any part of this course. It's designed in a careful sequence. ~nd
each section represents a building block that adds to eve.rythmg
before it, while at the sarne time preparing you for everythmg that
comes after it. Always move ahead at your own pace; if you don 't
understand something, or if you don't fee! quite comfortable with
some point, simply go over it again. That's the be~t way to make
sure your learning experience is painless and effective.
Each lesson of this course contains the following sections:

Vocabulary warm-up
The vocabulary warm-up kicks off the lesson with key .words you'll
hear in the dialogue. Many will be related to the topic of the les-
son; some will be related to the grammar you'll be learning in that
particular lesson.

Dialogue
The dialogue in each lesson serves the double purpose of allowing
you to read and hear natural Dutch at work and introducing you to
Dutch culture. Read these dialogues carefully; they'll contain the
grammar and key phrases that you will be learning later in the les-
son. Don't be afraid to read them several times, and listen to them
on the recordings a few times, as well. Always go at your own pace,
and stick with a section until you're comfortable with it.

Vocabulary
The vocabulary list contains new words from the dialogue as well
as other words related to the overall topic of the lesson. You can
refer to this list while reading through the dialogue, but of course
the translation of the dialogue is provided as well. U se the vocabu-
lary lists as a chance to build a good foundation for your Dutch
vocabulary, one topic at a time. Experiment with different m ethods
of learning vocabulary-spoken or written repetition, flashcards,
practice sentences, Web searches ... Be creative, and find what
works for you.

Key phr1ses

The key phrases section contains more practical words or phrases

related to the lesson topic. Don't worry if you don't grasp the gram-
x
 mar behind each phrase right away. Treat the phrases as extendt'd
vocabulary lists; the grarnmar will be filh_,d in as you progress, and
the idiomatic and practical expressions you learn in the key phrases
will come in handy.

Culture notes
Each lesson contains two culture notes. These notes are intended
to give you a window on Dutch culture. They cover topics such as
food, clothing, manners and customs, and other essential and inter-
esting information for students of Dutch.

Grammar

Each Iesson contains a number of notes on particular aspects of

Dutch grammar. These notes are introduced in a careful sequence,
so that they build on one another, and they explain the key struc-
tures you encounter in the lesson, particularly the dialogue. Each
point is explained in plain and simple language, and there are plenty
of examples to help you understand. Grammar can be tricky for
many beginning Ianguage learners, so take your time on the gram-
mar notes. Grammar is the nuts-and-bolts of any language learning;
without it, you wouldn't knowhow to put words together!

Exercises

The exercises in each lesson will give you more opportumt1es to

practice the grammar and vocabulary you've learned in each lesson.
Each lesson includes an answer key at the end, so you can check
your progress.

Independent challenge

The most important part of learning a language is practice. These

independent challenge activities are designed to give you ideas for
finding contexts in your life where you can practice your Dutch.
They're meant as a guide; if you feel inspired to create your own
independent challenge activities, go right ahead. The more contact
you have with a language, the better you'll learn it. And don't for-
get about the internet. Language learners have an incredible tool at
their disposal-they can find newspapers, blogs, online references,
travel and tourism sites, and much, much more, all of which can be
used to add depth and color to language lessons.
xi
 Audio

The audio portion of this course is divided into two sets: St't A and
Set B.
Set A includes the vocabulary warm-up, dialogue, vocabulary, key
phrases, and grammar points from each lesson. This part of the au-
dio should be used along with the book, following the order of each
lesson, to allow you to hear the words on the page in spoken Dutch.
A good approach is to read each section first without the audio so
that you're prepared to get the most out of the audio when you do
listen to it. Then, take it step-by-step and listen to each section, al-
ways allowing yourself the time and repetition that you need.
*Helpful hint: Once you've listened to the dialogue several times
while reading along in the book, try listening to it without the help
of the book. This will help tune your ear to Dutch, and it will make
understanding the spoken language easier down the line.
Set B is intended to be used on the go to supplement your studies.
It contains the dialogue from each lesson, braken down into easily
digestible sentences with English translations. You'll hear pauses
after each line of dialogue; use the pause to repeat the line and
practice your pronunciation. Set B also includes several audio-only
exercises that do not appear in the book but are based on exactlv
the same grammar points. A good way to make use of Set B is t~
listen to it following each lesson, once you've comfortably finished
reading the text and listening to the Set A audio. Use Set B wher-
ever it's convenient for you-in the car, on the train , at the gym,
while you do dishes, in the garden ... It 's up to you. You can also
use Set B as a review of lessons you've long since completed to keep
you on your toes !

Appendix of strong and irregular Dutch verbs

Dutch is a language that's very closely related to English, and like

English, it has irregular verbs of the take-taken-taak variety. You'll
leam the most common and important of these verbs in the lessons
themselves, hut the appendix is also provided as a reference tool.

Glossary

At the end of this book you'll find a Dutch-English/English-Dutch

glos~ary. It includes all of the words from the vocabulary list s. plus
any important vocabulary that's taught in the grammar notes. It
xii
also includes a wide range of common and practical words that
may not come up in the context of this course. lt's not meant as a
complete dictionary, but it certainly includes enough to be a valu-
able reference tool for the beginning student of Dutch.
As you use this course, keep this in mind : Language learning is
a gradual process; it won't happen overnight. Still . with repeated
exposure and practice, you'll find yourself becoming a better and
better Dutch speaker each time you pick up this course. But lan-
guages aren't just used in hooks; they're used by people. So, if you
can, seek out speakers of Dutch where you live or on the internet.
That way, you can practice the language and discover new people
while you do.
Veel succes! Best of luck!

xiii
 Dutch pronunc iation

Dutch spelling and pronunciatio n are more closely related to each

other than are English spelling and pronunciation . In most cases,
you pronounce a word in Dutch as it's written, hut you may not find
much consolation in this when, as an English speaker, you come
across words like Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal ! As you can probahly
tell, Dutch has a rich inventory of vowel sounds, including a lot
of diphthongs, or vowel comhinations. The consonants are for the
most part easier, hut let 's focus first on the vowels.

OPEN AND CLOSED SYLLABLE S

Vowel pronunciatio n and spelling in Dutch is much eas ier to grasp
after understandin g the distinction hetween open and closed syl-
lables. An open syllable is one that ends in a vowel sound, and a
closed syllable is one that ends in a consonant sound. Obviously, if
a word has only one syllable and ends in a consonant, that syllable
will be closed.
closed syllables: man (man), mes (knife), dit (this}, pot (pot), dus (so)
In langer words, syllables are divided before a single consonant,
and between two consecutive consonants. Note the syllable breaks
in the following words, indicated by the hyphens.
first syllable open: wo-nen (to live), ne-men (to take), spre-ken (to
speak)
first syllable closed: man-~en (men), zit-ten (to sit), hon-den (dogs)

SHORT VOWELS
Now let's look at the pronunciatio n and spelling of short vowels.
Short vowels are written with a single vowel letter: a, e, i, o, u. They
 .·I d Il bi . · Dutch which means that th ey 'll
only appear c ose sy a es I 0
in , .. nt if tht> 'r.
eid~er be followed by two consonan ts, or one con sona y t
in the final (or only) syllable.
SHORT VOWEL APPROXIMATE EXAMPLES
PRONUNCIATION

a like o in hot or the dat (that), man (man), bank

first a in lava (bank), bakken (to bake)

e like e in get or best zes (six), hek (fence), zetten

(but see below for (to put, set), mensen
final -e and -en) (people)

like i in is or his in (in), dik (fat), winkel

(shop), lippen (lips)

0 like aw in lawn or down, pot (pot), zon (sun), rond

but shorter, or as in hot (round), sokken (soeks)
in British "Received
Pronuncia tion"

u similar to i in bird or o bus (bus), dus (so), kussen

in worm, but with (kisses), lucht (air)
rounded lips, and short

There's also a very short, unstresse d vowel in Dutch similar to the

English schwa, or the reduced vowel that comes at the end of sofa
or yoga. Final -e and -en are often pronounc ed with this vowel, and
in fact the n of -en is often silent, so -en and -e are pronoun ced alike.
Another common ending with the short, reduced vowel is -lijk.
deze (this), rode (red), komen (to come), beginnen (to begin),
huizen (houses), vrouwen (women) , makkelij k (easy), moeilijk
(difficult), lelijk (ugly)

LONG VOWELS
Now let's look at long vowels. Long vowels are spelled in two dif-
ferent ways, dependin g on whether the syllable they're in is open
or closed. In a closed syllable, rememb er that a single vowel is
pronoun ced short. So, to indicate a long vowel sound, the vowel is
doubled in written Dutch: aa, ee, oo, or uu. There's no double i in
Dutch, though. Instead, ie is written. In an open syllable, a single a,
e, i, o, or u indicates a long vowel. (Althoug h again, rememb er that
final -e is a reduced vowel similar to the a in sofa.)

xvi
 LONG VOWEL APPROXIMATE EXAMPLES
PRONUNCIATION

a, aa similar toa in had or sat vader (father), maken (to

make). staan (to stand).
gaan (to go). na (after)

e,ee similar to ay in day, lezen (to read), spreken (to

but clipped speak). neem (take), heet
(hot), zee (sea)

i, ie similar to ee in meet sigaar (cigar), piraat (pirate),

zien (to see), bier (beer). drie
(three)

o,oo similar to o in wrote or kopen (to buy), wonen (to

oa in boot, but clipped live), zoon (son), oom
(uncle), droog (dry)

u, uu like ee in meet, but with nu (now), zuren (to become

rounded lips; like u in sour), vuur (fire), buur
French tu or ü in German (neighbor)
über

DIPHTHONGS AND VOWEL COMBINATIONS

There are several vowel combinations to keep in mind. Many of
them are unlike any sounds found in English, but if you spend a
little time practicing them, they'll become easier.
oe like oo in tooth boek (book), hoek (corner),
hoe (how)
, eu like ay in day, but with neus(nos~, deur(doo~,
rounded lips; like eu in leunen (to /eon)
French feu

el, ij similar to yin my or by, schrijven (to write), tijd

but starting with e as in (time), mei (May)
get; a quick combination
of eh + ee

a quick combination of huis (house), uit (out), tuin

short a followed by (garden)
rounded uu

a combination of uw (your), duwen (to push),

rounded uu followed by ruw (rough)
a slight w sound

xvii
 ou similar to ou in /oud or koud (cold), oud (old). hout
cloud (wood)

aai long aa followed by saai (duin, baai (bay).

short i naaien (to sew)

ooi long oo followed by mooi (beautiful). ooit (ever),

short i; similar to oy in nooit (never)
toy

oei long oe followed by boei (buoy), loeien (to moo,

short i to low). koeien (cows)

ie uw long ie followed by nieuw (new). opnieuw

short u or w (once again). kieuw (gil/)

eeuw long ee followed by eeuw (century). sneeuw

short u or w (snow), schreeuwen
(to shout)

CONSONANTS
The consonants b, d, f, h, k, 1, m, n, p, s, t, and z are pronounced in a
similar way in Dutch and English. The consonant c on its own may
have a hard (k) or soft (s) pronunciation.
boom (tree), dak (roof), fijn (fine, pure), huis (house), kleur (color)i
leuk (nice, pleasant), moeder (mother), niet (not), paard (horse),
smal (narrow), tot (until), zout (salt), cacao (cocoa) , citroen (lemon)
At the end of a word, b is pronounced like p, and d is pronounced
like t.
ik heb (I have), lob (lobe), huid (skin, hide), bed (bed)
Otherwise, there are only a few consonants and consonant combi-
nations that need special attention.

xviii
 CONSONANT APPROXIMATE EXAMPLES
PRONUNCIATION

ch gutteral sound similar nacht (night), achter

to ch in Scottish loch (behind), recht (straight).
licht (light)

g gutteral sound similar goed (good), dag (day),

to ch in Scottish loch gaan (to go), tegen
(against)

like yin yes ja (yes). jas Uacket). jouw

(your), jurk (dress)

rolled, either with tongue raam (window), rood (red).

against the ridge behind druk (busy), groter (bigger)
the teeth, or further back
in the throat as in French

sch s followed by gutteral ch school (school), schip

(ship). schrijven (to write).
schatten (treasures)

-isch as -is logisch (logica/), tragisch

(trog ic), praktisch (practican,
Belgisch (Belgian)

sj like sh in show sjaal (shawl). meisje (girl),

bosje (/ittle wood). Sjoerd
i
(man's name)
1--------
!V similar tof in father vader (father). voor (!or).
vrij (free). geven (to give)
... . .. · ---. ~--·-~ ~ -- - - •. ,
!w like vin very water (water), wij (we),

L~-----··-
wassen (to wash). dwingen
(to force)

xix
 LESSON

1 Goedemo rgen!
Good morning!

In this first lesson, you'll learn some formal greetings and other
courtesy expressions in Dutch, and you 'll learn how to make per-
sonal introductions. You'll also begin to learn about personal pro-
nouns, how to use the essential verb zijn (to be), and how to ask
simple questions. On the cultural side, you'll learn about expressing
formality and respect in Dutch culture. But first let 's start with a
vocabulary warm-up!

1A. VOCABULAR Y WARM-UP

Goedemorgen! Good morning!
Hoe heet u? What's your name ?
Ik ben John. J'm John.
Hoe maakt u het? How do you do?
Prettig met u kennis te maken. Pleased to meet you.
Goed. Fine.
Dank u. Thank you.

18. DIALOGUE
John is learning Dutch in the Netherlands. He lives in Buitenveldert,
a residential district in metropolitan Amsterdam. One morning as
he's leaving for language school, he meets an older neighbor, Mrs.
Kamerik, just outside his apartment building for the first time.
John: Goedemorgen, mevrouw.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Ook goedemorgen. Hé, jij spreekt
Nederlands!
1
 John: Nee. Een beetje maar, mevrouw.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Waar kom je vandaan? Uit Amerika?
John: Ja ... I mean ... ja mevrouw. Ik kom uit
Chicago. Ik ben hier student.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Woon je hier ook?
John: Jawel, mevrouw.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Echt? Ik heet trouwens Anna. En jij? Hoe
heet jij?
John: Ik ben John. Aangenaam.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Prettig kennis met je te maken. Hoe gaat het
met je, John?
John: Goed. Dank u. En hoe maakt u het?
Mevrouw Kamerik: Met mij gaat het ook goed.
John: Tot ziens.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Goed, John. Tot ziens!

John: Good morning, ma'am.

Mrs. Kamerik: Good morning to you, too. Wow, you speak
Dutch!
John: No. Just a little, ma'am.
Mrs. Kamerik: Where are you from? From America?
John: Yeah ... I mean ... yes ma'am. J'm from
Chicago. J'm a student here.
Mrs. Kamerik: Do you live here too?
John: Yes indeed, ma'am.
Mrs. Kamerik: Really? My name is Anna, by the way. And
you? What's your name?
John: J'm John. Nice to meet you, ma'am.
Mrs. Kamerik: Pleased to meet you. How are you, John?
John: Fine, thank you. How do you do, ma'am?
Mrs. Kamerik: J'm fine too.

John: Good-bye.

Mrs. Kamerik: Alright, John. Good-bye f

2
 1 c. VOC ABU LAR Y
Tlle f'Jllo wing abbn·viation~ \\·. ill bt' ll~t'd i.11
thi:-- <. rnir:--1 ·: rm.I - 111-'"
. ~ (fJ. = t"·,n11'11i.ne (SC/ I =· "llH! llLll. l{J l .I
cu 11ne. .... · ·. ·· p 1\lid.l ( I fll 11
0
'
.
1!1111\<il
polite. (infml.) = inlor mal
echt ?
een beetj e u !t tt Ie

goed fine . o~m'. ulri1Jhl

hier here

hoe how

ja \ 't'S

jawe l \ 'l'S. i nclt->ed

jij/je * vou rsuhi ect pron oun -'!/.1

jou/je* \!Oll {ohi!'ct pn HIOIH I. sy. I

maa r onlv. iust . hut
mevr ouw ,\Jrs.

Nederlands Dutc h
Hoe heet je? Whn t 's your nunw /
nee 110

ook also, too

spre ken to spenk
stud ent stude nt
tot ziens see you , ç1oo<lhye
trou wen s by tlw way
u you (frnl.)
uit Jrorn (a place of oriqin)
waa r ••. vand aan? Jrom where?
won en to live, to be a resident of

*In Dutch, most pronouns have a stressed

and an unstressed form . Jij and jou are
sttessed, and je is unstressed. Most of the
time in spoken language the unstr t>ssed
fOtm is used. We'll come back to pronouns in a moment.
3
 1 o. KEY PHRASES
Here are some common greeting s and convcrs ational phrases in
Dutch.
Hoe gaat het met je? How are you? (infrnl.)

Hoe maakt u het? How do you do? ({ml.)

Goedem orgen! Good morning !

Goedemiddag! Good afienwo n !

Goedena vond! Good evening!

Hallo! Hella!

Hoe heet je? What 's your name? (infml.)

Hoe heet u? What ·s your name? (fml.)

Aangena am. Nice to meet you.

Tot ziens! Good-by e!
Dag! Good-by e ! (infml.)
Prettige avond verder! Have a good evening!
Welteru sten! Sleep well!
Dank je. Thank you. (infml.)
Dank u. Thank you. (fml.)
Niets te danken. You 're welcome . Jt's nothing.
Graag gedaan. You're welcome . Don't mention it.
Alsjeblieft. Please.jH ere you go. (infml.)
Alstubli eft. Please.jH ere you go. (fml.)

1E. CULTURE NOTE 1

Politeness is valued in Dutch culture. The use of the formal pro-

noun u in Dutch, as you saw in the dialogue, is a sign of respect. I t
is used when speaking with an older person, with a person of high
rank or status, or with a stranger. When u is used, it is also polite
to add mevrou w (ma'am) or meneer (sir). To indicate that it's okay
for someone to use the less formal forms jij or je, a person may say
Laten we elkaar maar tutoyer en (Let's be on familiar terms) , Je
mag Anna zeggen (You may say Anna) or Ik heet Anna (My name
is Anna). Notice that ·in the conversation above John continues to
4
 use the polite pronouns even after thi s invitation. He probably
thinks the distance is too wide between him and his older neighbor
to say jij.
Dutch has become less forma} in the last twenty or so years, so you
may notice that it has become more common to address people,
even older people, in the informal. But in business environments
the formal still is common. It's always a safe bet to start out with
the formal. This includes not only the subject pronouns u and jij,
and jullie in the plural, but also the possess ive pronoun your, which
in Dutch has a familiar (jouw) and a polite (uw) form. We'll carne
back to possessives later.

1F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: Subject pronouns

There are two types of pronouns in Dutch, subject pronouns and

object pronouns, each type with its own function in the sentence.
First, let's look at subject pronouns. These are the words you'll use
as the subject of a sentence, corresponding to the English J, you, he,
she, etc.

ik
jij/je you (infml. sg.)

u you (!ml.)

hij, zij/ze, het he, she, it

· wij/we we
L..:.,.._____ ····
l jullie you (infml. pl.)

zij/ze
- - L , _ ________ _________ ..
they

Take \ll.Ote of the three pronouns for you. As you saw in the culture
note, the singular jij/je and the plural jullie are informal, used with
friends, family, and people who are generally of the same rank. The
pronoun u is formal. It's singular, but you can also use it when you
are talking to more than one person.
Hoe gaat b.et met je, Martijn?
How are )IOU, Martijn?
Hoe gaat het met jullie, kinderen?
How are you, kids?

5
 Hoe maakt u het, mevrouw?
How do you do, ma'am?
Heren, bent u klaar?
Gentlemen, are you ready?
Also note that there are two varieties of a few different pronouns. Jij
(you), zij (she, they), and wij (we) are stressed, and their uns~ressed
forms are je, ze and we. Stressed pronouns are usually used m con-
versation only to show emphasis. Otherwise, the unstressed forms
are used.
Ze komt uit Amsterdam.
She's from Amsterdam.
Nee, zij komt uit Utrecht, en hij komt uit Amsterdam.
No, she's from Utrecht, and he 's from Amsterdam.

Grammar point 2: The verb zijn (to be)

Now let's look at our first Dutch verb. The conjugation of the verb
zijn (to be) is very irregular, just like in English. In the present tense,
there are four finite, or conjugated, forms.
ik ben(/ om) wij/we zijn (we are)
jij/je bent (you are, infml. sg.) jullie zijn (you are, infml. pl.)
u bent (you are, fml. sg.) u bent (you are, fml. pl.)
hij, zij/ze, het is (he, she, it is) zij/ze zijn (they are)

The ~utch use zijn quite similarly to the English verb to be. You can
use It to tell nationalities, identify things, give basic descriptions,
and so on.
Ik hen Amerikaan.
I am American.

Jij bent Nederlander.

You're Dutch.

Wi~ zijn Belgen, en zij zijn Duitsers.

We re Belgians, and they're Germans.

~~.terdam is een stad, Holland is een streek en Nederland is een

Amsterdam is a c ·ty H Il d · .
country. l ' o an is a regzon' and the Neth l d .
er an s 1s a

Margr.iet .is groot, maar Geerd is klein.

Margriet is tal/, hut Geerd is short.
6
 Hij is blij!
He's happy!
Jullie zijn thuis.
You (pl.) are at home.

Grammar point 3: Questions

Now Iet's look at how to form simple yes/no questions with zijn.
Just as in English, the Dutch verb comes at the beginning of the
sentence in yes/no questions.
Is hij hier?
Is he here?
Zijn ze klaar?
Are they ready?
Bent u Amerikaan?
Are you American?
Is Maastricht een stad in Nederland of in België?
Is Maastricht a city in the Netherlands or in Belgium?
One small irregularity is that with the phrase jij/je bent (you are) ,
the final -t in the verb is dropped when the pronoun comes after
the verb in questions: ben jij/ben je? (are you?}
Ben jij thuis?
Are you at home?
Ben je klaar?
Are you ready?

To answer a yes/no question, use ja (yes) or nee (no). With nee,

you'll negate the verb as well, just as in English, which means that
you'H use niet (not) right before the word or phrase that you're
negating.
Zijn ze klaar?
Are they ready?
-Ja, ze zijn klaar./-Nee, ze zijn niet klaar.
-Yes, they're ready/ No, they're not ready.
Is Freek hier?
Is Freek here ?
-Ja, hij is hier./-Nee, hij is niet hier.
-Yes, he's here/ No, he's not here.
Is de vrouw aardig?
Is the woman friendly?
7
 -Ja, zij is heel aardig./-Nee, zij i~ niet a~rdig.
-Yes, she's very friendly.j-No, she s not frzendly.

16. READING
Read the following short composition written by John, the Dutch
Iearner from the dialogue. See if you understand what he's saying,
and try to figure out the meaning of the parts you don't understand
from context. Notice that John uses u to sound more formal, and
also note that maar is used to mean just, only, and but, to give just
a few examples.
Hoe maakt u het? Ik ben John. Ik ben een Amerikaan uit Illinois.
Ik ben student en op het ogenblik studeer ik Nederlands in Am-
sterdam. Ik kan maar een beetje Nederlands spreken, maar ik
wil het beter leren. Ik woon in Amstelveen. Prettig met u kennis
te maken.
How are you? J'm John. J'm an American, from Jllinois. I'm a student
and at the moment I study Dutch in Amsterdam. I can only speak a
little Dutch, but I want to learn it better. I live in Amstelveen. Nice to
meet you.

1H. CULTURE NOTE 2

There are more than 20 million speakers of Dutch in the Nether-

lands and in the northern parts of Belgium, known as Vlaanderen
(Flanders). Other languages spoken in the region include Fries (Fri-
sian) in Friesland (Frisia) in the northern part of the Netherlands,
Frans (French) in Wallonië (Wallonia) in the southern parts of Bel-
gium, and Duits (German) in the eastern parts in Belgium, near
the German border. There are also a number of Dutch-speaking
communities in other countries, such as Suriname (Surinam) and
the Nederlandse Antillen (Netherlands Antilles) of the Caribbean.
Afrikaans js a language related to Dutch, having developed from
the Dutch settlement of Zuid-Afrika (South Africa), although it is a
distinct language today.
The Dutch language belongs to the Indo-Europe an family and is
t·4osely related to German, English, and Frisian. There are thou-
sands of loan words in Dutch, particularly from Latin, French,
German, and English. In both spoken and written Dutch, English
8
 words are used in the domains of sports, commerce and computers.
Most of these borrowed words have a restricted meaning, though.
For instance, in Dutch a printer is just a device used to print from a
computer. However, in spite of all the foreign borrowings in Dutch,
the richness of the language remains intact. Foreign words are ab-
sorbed into the language and behave as Dutch words. You can see
this in the example of borrowed verbs, which take on Dutch end-
ings. For example, from the English to score there is zij scoren ( they
score).

EXEICISES
A. Choose a word or combination of words from the list below to
complete the dialogue. You may not need to use every word in the
list.
ik, avond, komt, u, ik kom, niet uit, daar, goedenavond, uit
Manon: I meneer! Spreekt 2 _ __
Nederlands?
Hans : Jawel. 3 _ _ _ u uit Amsterdam?
Manon : Nee, 4 ___ kom 5 ___ Amsterdam.
Hans : Waar komt u dan vandaan?
Manon: 6 uit Rotterdam.
Hans: Goed. Prettige 7___ verder.

B. Fill in each blank the correct form of the verb zijn.

i . 1k Amerikaan.
2. ___ je ook Amerikaan?
3. Anna ~~niet in New York.
4. U ______ .,.thuis.
5. ___ jullie hier?
6. Amsterdam
- - - een grote stad.
7. We _ ____heel blij.
8. Hij _ _ ___ niet peel groot.

9
 C. Read the following short exchanges and supply the missin
tences. · g sen-

A:Bent u een Amerikaan?

B:Ja, i _ __

A:ls hij rijk?

B:Nee, 2 _ __
A:Zijn jullie blij?
B:Nee,3 _ __
A:Ben jij student?
B:Ja,4 _ _
A:Zijn ze in Utrecht?
B:Nee,5 _ __

D. Translate the following sentences into English or Dutch.

i. We zijn hier in Amsterdam, en we zijn heel blij.
2. Amsterdam is een grote stad.
3. Geerd is niet groot; hij is klein.
+Rotterdam is a city in the Netherlands.
5. John is American, and Henk is Dutch.
6. Are you (fml.) from the Netherlands or from Belgium?

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Now it's your turn to practice everything you 've learned so far
by putting it to practical use. Throughout this course, it will be
your task to keep a Dutch journal. For your first entry, write
down an imaginary conversation you might have with some-
one you meet shortly after arriving in Amsterdam. Since this
person is someone you're meeting for the first time, try to use
the forma! expressions that you've learned in this lesson. lf it's
an older person, express yourself politely with u. Remember to
make a note of this conversation, and write it in your Language
- - --Journal. Have fun with this Challenge1
10
 ANSWER KEY
A.i. goedenavond; 2. u; 3. komt; 4. ik; 5. niet uit; 6. ik kom;
7. avond.
B.i. ben; 2. ben; 3. is; 4. bent; 5. zijn; 6. is; 7. zijn; 8. is
C.i. Ja, ik ben Amerikaan. 2. Nee, hij is niet rijk. 3. Nee, we/wij zijn
niet blij. 4. Ja, ik ben student. 5. Nee, ze zijn niet in Utrecht.
D.i. We are here in Amsterdam, and we're very happy. 2. Amsterdam
is a big city. 3. Geerd is not tall; he's short. 4. Rotterdam is een
stad in Nederland. 5. John is Amerikaan, en Henk is Nederlander.
6. Komt u uit Nederland of uit België?

11
12
 LESSO N

2 Groet uw familie van me!

Say hi to the family for me!

In this second lesson, you'll learn about a Dutch family, so you'll

learn a lot of useful basic vocabulary for family relations. You'll also
learn another very important and common Dutch verb, hebben (to
have), along with more basic grammar on articles, gender, and the
possessive. But first, here's a vocabulary warm-up!

2A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

Gefeliciteerd! Congratulations !
Dat is prachtig! That's great !
Moet je horen, John. Hey listen, John. You know what,
John?
Mijn dochter heeft een zoon My daughter had a son.
gekregen.
Zij zijn heel gelukkig met They're very happy with their son.
hun zoon.
Al.een poosje. For quite a while.
Dankuwel! Thank you very much !
Veel plezier! Enjoy yourself!
Hoe heet hij? What's his name?

21. DlALOGUE
John rans into Mrs. Kamerik again while he's on the streetcar on
his way to see a friend. She looks very happy, and she apparently
can't wait to share some news with him.

13
 John: Goedemorgen, mevrouw Kamerik. Hoe
maakt u het?
Mevrouw Kamerik: Hallo, moet je horen John: mijn dochter
heeft een zoon gekregen, net op mijn
verjaardag!
John: Dat is prachtig! Gefeliciteerd, mevrouw!
Mevrouw Kamerik: Dank je wel, John.
John: En hoe is het met uw kleinzoon en uw
dochter? Maken zij het goed?
Mevrouw Kamerik: Ja, ze zijn gezond. Mijn dochter en
schoonzoon zijn heel blij met hun zoon. Ze
hebben al een dochter.
John: Heeft u nog meer kleinkinderen?
Mevrouw Kamerik: Ik heb nog een kleinzoon en een
kleindochter. Die zijn van mijn zoon en
schoondochter.
John: Dus u bent al een poosje grootmoeder.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Ja, en hier heb ik een foto van het
pasgeboren kleinkind.
John: Wat is hij klein! Wat een lief kleinkind. Hoe
heet hij?
Mevrouw Kamerik: Hij heeft dezelfde naam als de vader van
zijn vader. Hij heet Pieter.
John: Hier is uw foto terug, mevrouw Kamerik.
Veel plezier met uw kleinzoon. En groet uw
familie van mij.
Mevrouw Kamerik: Dat doe ik. Ik ga nu naar hun huis met een
cadeau voor de ouders en een bot voor de
hond. Tot ziens, John.

John: Good morning, Mrs. Kamerik. How are you?

Mrs. Kamerik: Hello! Hey listen, John, my daughter had a son,
right on my birthday !
John: That's great ! Congratulations f
Mrs. Kamerik: Thank you very much, John.

John: And how are your grandson and your

daughter? Are they doing well?
14
 Mrs. Kamerik: Yes, they're healthy. My daughter and my son-
in-law are very happy with their son. They have
a daughter already.
John: Do you have other grandchildren?
Mrs. Kamerik: J've gat another grandson and granddaughter.
Those are my son's and daughter-in-law's
children.
John: So, you 've been (lit., you are) a grandmother for
quite a while.
Mrs. Kamerik: Yes, and here /'ve got a photograph of the
newborn grandchild.
John: How small he is! You 've got a nice grandchild.
What' s his name?
Mrs. Kamerik: He has the same name as his father 's father.
His name is Pieter.
John: Here 's your photo back, Mrs. Kamerik. Have a
good time with your grandson. And say hello to
your family f or me.
Mrs. Kamerik: /'Il do that. J'm going to their home naw with a
present for the parents and a bone for the dog.
See you, john.

2C. VOCABULARY
Tn this list, you'll see (de) or (het) listed after each noun. These both
nwdn the, and they change depending on the grammatical gender
of t h<' noun. We'll cover that in the third grammar topic from this
le'i'>OJ 1.

achtcnH'f•f (de) second cousin; grand-nephew

achternicht (de) second cousin: grand-niece
al already, for (in time expressions)
bot (het) bone
broer (de) brother
Dat doe ik~ /'Il do that !
dezelf d,. the same
clocht,•r (de) daughter

15
 grboortedag (de) day of l>i rth
grootmoeder (de) yrrmdmot her

grootvader (de) ymn dj(11fwr

het goed maken to do well

hond (de) dog

huis (het) house, hom e

kind (het) child

klein small

kleindochter (de) yranddought er

kleinkind (het) grmzrlchild

kleinzoon (de) qmndson

mama (de) m om

meer more

moeder (de) mot her

neef (de) cou sin ; nephew

net Just , riyht . exw tly

nicht (de) cousrn : niece

oma (de) r1n111<irnfl

oom (de) /Jllilf'

opa (de) ymrulriwl

ouders (de) /Hl rf' fl/\

papa (de) rl (/( J

pasgeboren
prachtig .<;reut
schoonmoeder (de) rnntlwr i11 lull'
schoonvader (de) futlwr 111 full'

schoonzus (de) sister i11 luw

stiefkind (het) .\{('/)( 111/<i
tante (de) UWll

vader (de) jat hn

verjaardag (de) hirth<ioy
16
 zoon (de) son
zus (de) sister
zwager (de) brother-in-law

2D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases that will be useful for talking about
family.
Ik heb een grote familie. 1 have a big f amily.
Ik heb een kleine familie. I have a small f amily.
Ik heb twee zussen en een I have two sisters and a brother.
broer.
Ik ben getrouwd. J'm married.
Ik ben niet getrouwd. J'm not married.
We hebben twee kinderen. We have two children.
Zij heeft een dochter gekregen. She had (gave birth to) a daughter.
Hoe gaat het met de moeder en How are the mother and baby
de baby? doing?
Is het een jongen of een meisje? Is it a boy or a girl?
Hoe oud ben jij geworden? How old are you naw?
Ik ben vandaag jarig. !t's my birthday today.
Gef-eliciteerd met je verjaardag! Happy birthday to you!
Beterschap! Get welf soon !
Mijn deelneming! Accept my sympathies !
Gecondoleerd! My condolences !

2E. CULTURE NOTE 1

Take a look at the family tree below, which gives all the Dutch
vocabulary for members of the extended family. The ik refers to
Mrs. Kamerik, so this is her family tree, and the relations are given
relative to her. All of the marriages are shown by an x linking two
people. The italicized family members are part of Mrs. Kamerik's
family by marriage, not by blood. This relation is expressed in
Dutch as aangetrouwd (in-law).
17
18
oom x tante tante vader x moeder Ens oom schoonvader x schoonmoeder Kamerik

1 1

~ 1 1 1 ~I---"--~!
neef* nicht schoonzus x broer zus x zwager ik x man zwager x schoonzus

1 1
1-1
neef nicht* zoon x schoondochter nicht
achterneef achternicht dochter x schoon::.oon
T ~~~T
1 1 1
achtcrr1i ch1 klei ll /.00 11 klei ndocl il< ·r k h·i 1Hloch11·1 klci11lllllll
ach terneef

*Notie<: that th e words neef and nicht ha ve two rnc;i11i 11gs, co11sin (lllai<' .11 1d fl'111al<·) or Tl<'/!hnv ;11ul nil'et', 11-.sp<'cl iv1·ly !\bn 11ot ic" tli.it tlw 111·1•1 .11 11/ tli(' 11ich1
with c hildrc11 do hav<• spouses, hut in Dutr:h tlwn • is 110 word lor llH'lll. Mrs. Ka11wrik wo1dd rl'ln lo tlH'111 "·'de vrouw v<111 mijn rH'f'I (1111· ,·owin1 wl/1·.l .1111/
de man van mijn ni c ht. (111y nie ce 's h11shr11u /) .
 By the way, a woman in the Netherlands keeps her maiden name
after marriage unless she applies for a legal name change and takes
her husband's name, but not every woman does this. In fact, nowa-
days a husband may use his wife 's surname, and it 's also possible
that husband and wife combine bath their names. Parents may
choose the surname of their oldest child, either the husband's or
the wife's. Other children will get that same surname.
Another change that has been happening within Dutch families is
that some parents allow their children to address them as jij, while
others prefer the traditional formal u. This has had ripple effects
outside of the family; little children become accustomed to using
jij, so they use it even with older strangers. In the southern parts of
the Netherlands and in Belgium there is a more neutral option, gij,
available in the dialect.

2F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: Possessive pronouns
In Lesson 1 you learned personal pronouns, which you use as the
subject of a sentence. A second set of pronouns in Dutch are the
possessive pronouns. These correspond to English possessives like
my, your, her, etc.
r---- ····-····- __ _.".- ""·-·-------··--····""-."
~n ~
jouw7Je your (infml. sg.)

uw your (!ml.)

zijn/z'n his, its

haar her

our
' ons,···o.·nze
e your

their

Notice again that there are both stressed and unstressed forms for
my, your (infml. sg.), his, and her. The unstressed forms are nor-
mally used in the spoken language. Also note that zijn can mean
both his or its. The difference between ons and onze has nothing to
do with stress. We'll come back to that later.

19
 Dit is mijn vader en dat is mijn moeder.
This is my father, and that is my mother.
Jouw zus en zijn broer zijn getrouwd .
Your sister and his brother are married.
Hun familie is erg groot.
Their family is very big.

Gramma r point :z: The verb hebben (to have)

Now we 'll look at our second Dutch verb, hebben (to have). Like zijn,
hebben is irregular, and it is also a very importan t verb. lt's u.sed
not only to show possessio n, but also to form some verb ten ses, 1ust
as in English. We won't be getting to those tenses ju st yet ; for now
here is the conjugati on of hebben in the present tense.

ik heb I have

jijlje hebt you have (infml . sg .)

u hebt •(heeft) you have (!ml.)

hij, zijlze, het/'t heeft he, she, it has

wijlwe hebben we have

jullie hebben you have (infml. pl.)

zijlze hebben they have

*Note that the combination u heeft is going out of fashion, and u hebt is more common.

Wij hebben een etage in de stad.

We have an apartmen t in the city.

Zij heeft twee zussen en hij heeft een broer.

She has two sisters, and he has a brother.
Jullie hebben drie kinderen .
You have three kids.

Don't forget that to ask simple yes/ no question s in Dutch you just
put the verb at the beginnin g of the sentence . In Dutch, you can do
this with any verb, including hebben, without ever using a "help-
ing" verb like English do or does. Also, just as je bent becomes ben
je in questions , je hebt becomes heb je.
Heb je een grote familie?
Do you have a big family?
Heeft hij een zus?
/Joes he have a sister?
20
 Hebben zij een hond?
Do they have a dog?
In Lesson I you learned how to use niet (not) to express negation,
as in zij is niet aardig (she's not friendly). Dutch has another form
of negation, using geen (no, none, not any), that is useful for nega-
tive sentences with hebben. As a general rule of thumb, geen is
used to negate a noun that is preceded by een or by no article at all.
for example, the following two sentences are affirmative; the first
one includes a noun preceded by een, and the second one a noun
without any article, which gives it a generic or non-specific mean-
ing, just as in English.
We hebben een broer.
We have a hrother.
Ze heeft boeken.
She has hooks.
To negate these sentences, you wouldn't put niet in front of the
verb, hut rather geen in front of the nouns. Notice that this con-
struction is similar to the English not any.
We hebben geen broer.
We don't have a/any hrother.
Ze heeft geen boeken.
She doesn't have any hooks.

lremmar point 3: Gender and articles

Dutch, like a lot of other languages, has grammatica! gender. In ear-
lier days Dutch was like German or Latin in having three genders:
masculine, feminine, and neuter. But modern Dutch only has two
genders, neuter and non-neuter, also sometimes called "common
gender." (In some dialects in the Netherlands and in a lot of dialects
in Belgium people use three genders, hut you'll be happy to know
that the standard language only uses two!)
The gen der of a noun shows up grammatically in a few different
ways. The most basic way is in the singular definite article, the
word corresponding to English the. In Dutch, the can be either de
or het. De is the form used for non-neuters, simply called de-words,
and het is used f or neuters, called het-words.

21
 NON-NEUTER/DE-WORDS NEUTER/HET-WORDS

de man (the man), de vrouw het huis (the house). het kind
(the woman ), de familie (the (the child), het bot (the bone),
family) , de moeder (the mother ), het raam (the window ). het land
de stad (the city). de flets (the country ), het boek (the book)
(the bike)

The indefinite article, the form corres pondi ng to Englis

h a/an is
easier. It's always een for both de-words and het-words.
NON-NEUTER/DE-WORDS NEUTER/HET-WORDS

een man (a man), een vrouw een huis (a house). een kind
(a woman ), een familie (a family) , (a child). een bot (a bone), een
een moeder (a mother ), een stad raam (a window ). een land
(a city), een flets (a bike) (a country ). een boek (a book)

In the plural the definite article is always de, regardless

of gender.
We'll come back to plural farms and spelling changes
in the next
lesson, hut for now here are a few examples.
NON-NEUTER/DE-WORDS NEUTER/HET-WORDS
de mannen (the men), de vrouwen de huizen (the houses), de kinderen
(the wamen ), de moeders (the (the chi/dre n), de botten (the
mothers), de steden (the cities), bones), de ramen (the window s),
de fletsen (the bikes) de boeken (the books)

Now that you're familiar with the issue of gender, it's a

good time
to talk about the difference betwe en ons and onze. As
you might
be able to guess, ons is used with het-w ords, and onze is
used with
de-words, including plurals: ons huis (our house), ons
boek (our
book), onze moed er (our mother), onze stad (our city), onze
fietsen
(our bikes), onze kinde ren (our children).
It's not always easier to tell wheth er a noun is a de-wo
rd or a het-
word, so in the vocabulary lists and glossary you'll alway
s see (de)
or (het) after a noun. You should memo rize the article
as if it were
part of the noun, because it will matte r for certai n gramm
atica!
issues, such as adjective endin gs and prono uns, which
we'll come
back to later. There are, however, a few gener alizati ons
you can rely_
on to teil wheth er a noun is a de-wo rd or a het-word.
Names of
countries, cities, provinces, colors, and (most) mater ials
are neuter.
Names of anima ls that refer to both sexes are also neuter
.

22
 het rood (the co/or red) het papier (the paper)
het goud (the gold) het paard (the horse)
het schaap (the sheep) het hout (the wood)

Another very large class of neuters are the diminutives, which end
in -je, and which basically mean a smaller version of something.
We'll come back to diminutives later in the course, hut for now
keep in mind that if you see a noun that ends in -je, it's neuter, even
if it refers to a human being.
[ het meisje (the girn het poosje (the little while)
1 het beetje (the little bit) het broertje (the little brother)
L...• .

A lot of other common nouns are neuter with no apparent rhyme

or reason: het huis (the house), het boek (the book) , het hotel (the
hotel), het station (the station), het licht (the light), het geld (the
money), and so on, so it's really mostly a matter of memorization.
Notice that among family terms, het kind (the child) is the only
neuter noun. The others are all de-words: de vader (the father), de
moeder (the mother), de zus (the sister), de broer (the brother) , and
so on. In fact, most nouns that refer to people (unless they're di-
minutives) are de-words.

Gr•.mmar point ": Possession

Ili Dutch there are several ways to express possession. You've al-
ready learned one way, namely using possessive pronouns to re-
fer to someone or something that has been mentioned before or is
known from context.
John heeft zijn boek weer.
John has his book again.
Hun zus is heel aardig.
Their sister is very nice.
Two other options are to use van (of), or to use the equivalent of the
apostrophe-s, which is simply an -s added to a name that ends in a
consonant or -e, or-'s added to one that ends in a single vowel other
than -e. °X('>u can use this second construction with proper names or
with the names of family members used as proper names, such as
vader, papa, moeder, mama, grootvader, opa, grootmoeder, oma,
oom, tante, and so on.

23
 het boek van John John's book

Piets huis Piet's house

Greetjes fotoalbums Greetje's photo albums

Anna's broertje Anna's little brother

Moeders geld Mother's money

Finally there is another typical Dutch phrase used to express pos-

session, but it's rather informal and conversational. You can state
the possessor as either a name or a noun introduced by the definite
article, and then use z'n (his), d'r (her), or hun (their) before the pos-
session. This construction is only used for animate possessors. in
other words people and animals.
John z'n boek John's book

Anna d'r boek Anna's book

de kinderen hun boek the kids' book

de hond z'n huisje the dog's little house

To summarize possession, there are three possible possess i\'e con-

structions in Dutch. The first option is van, which can be used with
any type of noun. The second option is to add -s or -'s, but you can
only do this with proper names, including family member nouns
used as names like the English Mother or Grandma. And the third
conversational option is with z'n, d'r, or hun, used only with ani-
mate possessors.

26. READING
Read the following short passage, written by John, our Dutch leamer
from the dialogue. You've come across many of the words alread\.
hut there are some others that will be new. Many of th ese are cog-
nates-words that are similar across languages-so you should be
able to recognize them. See if you can figure out the otlwrs frorn
context.

Ik heb een foto van de familie Kamerik. Eerst de ouders. Dat is

mevrouw Kamerik en dat is haar man. Hij is groot. Op de voor-
grond ligt hun dochter. Zij is jong. Hun zoon zit op de grond.
Hij is dun. Naast mevrouw Kameriks man staat zijn vader. Zijn
_va.der
.,.r. is oud. Naast de vader van meneer Kamerik zit mevrouw
Kamerik d'r moeder in een stoel. Haar moeder is dik .
._{;1

24
 ['ve got a photo of the Kamerik family. First of all the parents. That's
Mrs. Kamerik and that's her husband. He is tall. Their daughter is
lying in front. She is young. Their son is sitting on the ground. He
is thin. Next to Mrs. Kamerik's husband is standing his father. His
father is old. Next to Mr. Kamerik's father Mrs. Kamerik's mother is
sitting in a chair. Her mother is fat.

2H. CULTURE NOTE 2

In our dialogue John ran into Mrs. Kamerik on the streetcar, and
they began to talk about her family. This was a safe topic of con-
versation between John and someone he doesn't really know in any
personal kind of way. If you find yourself in a situation where you
need to make polite small talk with a Dutch person, keep in mind
that safe subjects include the weather (you can always complain
about it), children (they're always either beautiful or sweet), work
(that's always important) , sports or hobbies (always interesting),
and television (always boring). Topics that you should definitely
avoid are money and earnings. Dutch people don't talk about how
much money they make, and it's considered rude to ask such a
question. If someone earns a lot of money, he or she typically will
not show it in any way. Cars in the Netherland s are modest, and
clothes are for the most part unpretenti ous. Two other topics to
avoid are religion and polities. While some Americans wear their
religion on their sleeves, religion is considered a personal matter
for Dutch people rather than a topic of discussion. And while close
fri~:nds in the Netherland s may enjoy a good politica! debate, this
is not $Olllething that people who do not know each other well will
discuss.

EXERCISES
A. Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
may not need to use every word in the list. The translation ip pro-
vided below to help you.

mijn, groet, gelukkig, grootmoeder, met, tot ziens,

goedemid dag, ben, waar
Meneer den Besten: I mevrouw! Hoe gaat het 2 uw
dochter?

25
 Mevrouw Koopman : Goedemi ddag meneer! Met 3__ _ _ docht1'.r
gaat het goed.
Meneer den Besten: Is uw kleinkind er al? Bent u al 4 _
Mevrouw Koopman : Nee, ik 5 _ _ _ nog geen grootmoe der.
Meneer den Besten: 6 uw dochter van mij .
Mevrouw Koopman : Dat doe ik. Dank u en 7 _ __ .

Mr. den Besten: Good aftemoon (ma'am) ! How are lhinys going
with your daughter?
Mrs. Koopman: Good afternoon (sir)! Things are going wel/
with my daughter.
Mr. den Besten: Has your grandchi ld been bom yet? ("Is
your grandchi ld al ready there ?") Are you a
grandmo ther yet?
Mrs. Koopman: No, I'm not a grandmo ther yet.
Mr. den Besten: Say hello ("greet") to your daughter for me.
Mrs. Koopman: !'Il do that. Thank you, and good-bye.

B. Fill in each blank with the right form of the verb hebben.
i. Ik een nieuw huis. (J have a new house.)
2. u al een hond? (Do you have a dog yet?)
3. Wij een mooi cadeau. (We have a beautiful present.)
4. Wie mijn boek? (Who has my book?)
5. Jullie een lief meisje. (You (infml. pl.) have a lovely girl.)
6. België steden? (Does Belgium have ei ties?)

C. Read the following short exchanges, and supply the missing

parts of the answers. The question s are translat ed to guide you.
Heeft u een hond? (Do you have a dog?)
Nee, I _ __

Zijn jullie Duitsers? (Are you (infml. pl.) Germans?)

Ja,2 _ _

26
 Wie is jouw vader? (Who is your (infml. sg.) father?)
_ _ _ vader is Pieter.
3
Hebben zij een cadeau? (Do they have a present?)
Nee,4 _ _ _.
Zijn jullie nu in Amsterdam? (Are you (infml. pl.) in Amsterdam
oow?)
5_ _ _, 6 _ _ _ zijn nu in Utrecht.

D. Translate the following sentences into English or Dutch.

1. Helen d'r familie is nu thuis.

2. Daar is het bot van de hond.
3. Oom Hans z'n huis is heel klein.
+ Ik heb een opa en een oma.
5. His mother is very young and very beautiful.
6. Wbo bas your (infml. pl.) book?
7. Anna bas a daughter.

E. Now let's do an exercise on family relationships. Fill in each

blank with the right Dutch word. If there is a slash, there are two
l]OSsible solutions. If you need to, refer back to the family tree in
the first culture note of this lesson for help.
i. De vrtJl)vv van uw oom is uw _ __

2. De brodwn jullie vader is jullie _ __

J De moeder van mijn vader is mijn _ __

4. De grootvader van hun zoon is hun / _ __
5. De vader van jouw broer is jouw _ __
6. De zus van haar man is haar
---
7. De oom van zijn zoon is zijn / _ __
8. De tante van uw dochter is uw / _ __

27
 INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Now it's your turn to practice everything you've learned so far

by putting it to practical use in to your Dutch jou mal. W rite
down an imaginary conversation you might have with some-
one making small talk about family. Write down questions he
or she might ask you, and your responses, as wel! as questions
you might ask.
It may still be a bit early for you to have actual conversations
in Dutch, but you can challenge yourself by "lurking" in chat
rooms and watching other people's conversations to see how
much you understand. You can find Dutch chat rooms at chat.
startpagina.nl. Some other websites where you'll find informa-
tion related to this lesson's topic are: www.jongegezinnen.nl,
www.babyinfo.nl, or www.linkingfamilie.nl. Remember that
the internet is a great resource for learning languages ! Explore,
bookmark, and have fun !

ANSWER KEY
A.I. goedemiddag; 2. met; 3. mijn;+ grootmoeder ; 5. ben ; 6. groet;
7. tot ziens
B.1.heb;2.hebt; 3.hebben;+heeft; 5.hebben; 6. heeft
C.I. ik heb geen hond; 2. wij zijn Duitsers; 3. mijn; 4. zij hebben geen
cadeau; 5. nee; 6. wij/we
D.1. Helen's family is at home. 2. There's the dog's bone. 3. Uncle
Hans' house is very small. 4. 1 have a grandpa and a grandma.
5. Zijn moeder is heel jong en heel mooi . 6. Wie heeft jullie boek?
7. Anna heeft een dochter.

E.I. tante; 2. oom; 3. grootmoeder or oma; 4. vader/schoonvader ;

5. vader; 6. schoonzus; 7. broer/zwager; 8. zus/schoonzus

28
 LESSO N

3 Welkom in mijn huis!

Welcome to my home!

In this lesson you 'll learn your way around a home in Dutch. You'll
learn how to use adjectives to give descriptions, and you'll also
learn how to talk about things in the plural. Finally, you'll become
acquainted with the very useful phrases er is (there is) and er zijn
(there are). But before we get into that, let's begin with a vocabulary
warm-up and learn how to count.

JA. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

tien ten
negen nine
acht eight
zeven seven
zes six
vijf five
vier Jour
drie three
twee two
één one
nul zero

Jl. D~IALOGUE

Tijmen, a young man, is visiting his girlfriend Marloes and her par-
ents in the house they live in. lt is the first time that he's meeting
her parents. He has an appointment at seven o'doek.
29
 Tijmen: Dag, Marloes! Hier ben ik! Hoe gaat het?
Marloes: Dag, Tijmen. Goed! Kom binnen!
Tijmen: Dank je. Sorry, maar ik ben tien minuten te
vroeg. Het is nog geen zeven uur.
Marloes: Dat maakt niets uit. Mijn ouders komen zo,
maar ik moet de woonkamer nog opruimen.
Let maar niet op de rommel. Wat is dat een
mooi boeket bloemen!
Tijmen: Dat is niet voor jou, maar voor je moeder!
Marloes: En voor mij?
Tiijmen: Voor jou een klein kusje ...
Marloes: Oké, maar volgende keer, ook voor mij
bloemen!
Tijmen: Ja, dat doe ik ... Mooi huis! En die groene
stoelen hier, wat leuk!
Marloes: Leuk? Ben je gek! Ik vind de groene stoelen
vreselijk! Kijk maar! Alle meubels in deze
kamer zijn groen: de tafel, zes stoelen, vier
kasten, twee banken en zelfs de televisie! In
elke kamer is er een andere kleur!
Tijmen: Dat is ... origineel. Welke kleuren hebben
de andere kamers?
Marloes: Er zijn in dit huis vijf kamers: een groene
woonkamer, drie slaapkamers met de
kleuren geel, oranje en bruin, en een grijze
badkamer. Er is ook een blauwe keuken. De
zolder en de kelders hebben geen speciale
kleur.
Tijmen: Dat is logisch. En het toilet?
Marleos: Het toilet beneden is wit, en het andere
toilet boven is geel.
Tijmen: Nee, waar is het toilet?
Marloes: Oh, ja ... Hier in de gang, links naast
de voordeur. Er is nog een toilet in de
badkamer op de eerste verdieping, meteen
rechts van de trap.
Tijmen: Ik ga wel naar de wc beneden. Ik vind wit
mooier dan geel ...
30
 Marloes: Tijmen!
Tijmen. Sorry ... een klein grapje. Ik kom zo terug.
Marloes: Haast je niet. Ik zal je zo het huis laten zien.
Wil je een kopje koffie?
Tijmen: Ja, graag! Zwart, in een blauw kopje, met een
rood schoteltje, in de groene woonkamer,
alsjeblieft!

Tijmen: Hi, Marloes. Here I am! How's it going?

Marloes: Hi, Tijmen. Good! Come in!
Tijmen: Thanks. Sorry, but J'm ten minutes early. It isn't
seven o'clock yet.
Marloes: lt doesn't matter. My parents wil! be here soon,
but I have to straighten up the living room first.
Don't pay any attention to the mess. What a
beautiful bouquet offlowers that is!
Tijmen: That's not for you, but for your mother!
Marloes: And for me?
Tijmen: Por you a little kiss.
Marloes: Okay, but next time flowers for me, too !
Tijmen: Yes, I'll do that. Beautiful house! And these
green chairs here, how nice !
Marloes: Nice? Are you crazy? I find the green chairs
awful! Look! All the fumiture in this room is
green: the table, six chairs, Jour cabinets, two
benches and even the television! There's a
different color in every room!
Tijmen: That's ... original. What colors are the other
rooms?
Marloes: There are five rooms in this house: a green
living room, three bedrooms with the colors
yellow, orange, and brown, and a gray
bathroom. There is also a blue kitchen. The
attic and the cellarjbasement aren't any color
in particular.
Tijmen: That makes sense. And the toilet?
Marloes: The downstairs toilet is white, and the other
toilet upstairs is yellow.
31
 Tijmen: No, where is the toilet?
Marloes: Oh, yeah . .. Here in the hall, to the left of
the front door. Th ere's another toilet in the
bathroom on the second Jlnor, right on the
right hand side of the stairs.
Tijmen : I'll go to the toilet downstai rs. I find white
prettier than yellow .. .
Marloes : Tijmen!
Tijmen: Sorry, a little joke. J'll be right back.
Marloes : Take your time. I'll show you around the house
in a bit. Do you want a cup of coffee?
Tijmen : Yes, please ! Black, in a blue cup, with a red
saucer, in the green living room, please 1

3C. VOCAB ULARY

alle all
alsof as if
ander different
anders different ly, in another way
badkam er (de) bathroom
bank (de) settee, bench, couch
bed (het) bed
begane grond (de) first ffoor*
beneden downsta irs
bloem (de) flow er
boeket (het) bouquet
boven upstairs
eerst first, at first
eerste first (sequent ially)
eerste verdiep ing (de) second floor*

*In the Netherla nds-and most of Europe, for that matter-t he numbe ring ot
tlw
levels in buildings starts at the second floor, instead of the ground floor: begane
grond (first floor, ground floor), eerste verdiepin g (second floor) , tweede verdiepin
g
(third floor), etc.
32
 elk each, every
even fora while
gang (de) hall
grapje (het) {little) joke
huiskamer (de) living room
kamer (de) room
kast (de) cup board
kelder (de) cel/ar
keuken (de) kitchen
kleur (de) color
koffie (de) coffee
laten zien to show
links to the left
meteen immediately
meubel (het) piece offurniture
minuut (de) minute
moeten to have to, must
natuurlijk! of course!
opruimen to tidy up, to straighten up
overloop (de) landing
rechts to the right
rommel (de) mess
slaapkame r (de) bedroom
stoel (de) chair
tafel (de) table
te vroeg too early
televisie (de) television
thee (de) tea
toch yet
toilet (het) toilet
trap (de) stairs
tuin (de) garden
33
 tweede second

tweede verdieping (de) third floor

voordeur (de) front door

wc (de) toilet

woonkamer (de) living room

zeven uur seven o 'doek

zolder (de) attic, loft

30. KEY PHRASES

Here are some phrases that will com e in handy when visiting som< '
one 's home.
Welkom! Welcome!

Je hebt een mooi huis! You have a heautiful house .1

Het is hier gezellig. Jt 's nice/ cozy here.

We hebben drie slaapkamers. We have three bedrooms.

De keuken is klein, maar de The kitchen is small, but th e liviny

woonkamer is groot. room is hig.

We huren een flat. We rent an apartment.

Wij bezitten een huis dicht bij We own a house near the city.
de stad.
Let niet op de rommel! Don 't pay any att entio11 to th e
mess!
Ik moet de kamer nog 1 still have to stmighten up the
opruimen. room.

Doe alsof je thuis bent! Make ,voursl'!f ut horne .'

Ga zitten! Please sit rlow11 .'

Waar is het toilet? Wlwre is tlw toile t ?

Het is de tweede deur rechts. lt's the sernnd door 011 the ri9ht
Het is naast de voordeur. lt 's rwxt to the fro11t door
Wilt u een kopje koffie/thee? Do you (/ml. sg.) wunt u cup 11/
rnffee/ tPr1 I

34
 JE. CULTURE NOTE 1
If you are ever invited to visit a Dutch person at his or her home,
it's a good idea for you to be on time. While it may be acceptable for
you to arrive "fashionably late" in your own culture, the Dutch (in
genera}, of course!) area time-conscious people, so don't be late for
appointments. You may be invited for a cup of coffee, maybe along
with a light snack. Don't expect a full meal unless you're specifically
invited for one. If you're invited to someone's home, you should
bring a little present, for instance some flowers, and when the in-
vitation includes a meal, bring a battle of wine. One thing that you
might have heard about the Dutch is that they tend to be, well, "eco-
nomical!" Of course that's a stereotype, and stories about visitors
to Dutch homes being offered a cup of tea and a single cookie are
exaggerations. If you're interested in an outsider's view of Dutch
culture, it might be amusing for you to read The UnDutchables by
Colin White and Laurie Boucke.

3F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: The plural of nouns

There are two main ways to make Dutch nouns plural. The most
common is to simply add -en to the singular. In conversation, this
ending is usually pronounced like the a in sofa rather than a full en.
Don't forget that the definite article (the) is always de in the plural,
even for het-nouns.
de plank (the she/f) de planken (the shelves)

de krant (the newspaper) de kranten (the newspapers)

de kleur (the co/or) de kleuren (the co/ors)

de vrouw (the woman) de vrouwen (the wamen)

het boek (the book) de boeken (the books)

There are just three little wrinkles that you have to keep in mind
about Dutch spelling and pronunciation, and they're all relevant to
the plurals formed with -en. First, the ending -s will change to -z be-
fore -en is added, and -f will change to -v before -en is added. (Think
of scarflscarves in English.) This change often happens after long
vowels and diphthongs, and also after the consonants -r, -1, -m, or n.
See the pronunci~tion section if you need a review on the di stinc-
tion between:long vowels, short vowels, and diphthongs.
35
 het huis (the house) de huizen (the houses)

de doos (the box) de dozen (the boxes)

de brief (the letter) de brieven (the letters)

de neef (the nephew/cousin) de neven (the nephews/cousins)

de werf (the wharf) de werven (the wharves)

de gans (the goose) de ganzen (the geese)

Second, a final consonant will double before -en is added in order

to retain a short pronunciation of the vowel before it. For example,
in the noun bed (bed), thee is short, pronounced pretty much like
the vowel in English bed. In the plural, the d has to double to keep
that eh pronunciation in bedden. That's because beden, according
to Dutch spelling rules, would be pronounced BAY-den, with a long
vowel. You probably remember from the pronunciation section
that this has to do with where syllables are divided in writing. If a
syllable or word ends with a consonant, then it is a closed syllable
and its vowel is short: bed, bed-den. But if a syllable or word ends
with a vowel, then it is open and its vowel is long: be-den. lf this
seems odd to you, just think of English big-biggest, run-runner, log-
logged, set-setting. Here are some more Dutch examples.
de man (the man) de mannen (the men)
het bot (the bone) de botten (the bones)
het toilet (the toilet) de toiletten (the toilets)
; het hek (the gate) de hekken (the gates)
de klok (the c/ock) de klokken (the clocks)
de trap (the stairs)• de trappen (the stairs (multiple)/
steps)
de rat (the rat) de ratten (the rats)
*In Dutch, stairs are referred to in the singular: de trap. The plu ral form trappen is
used when referring to multiple stairways. This is also the case for some other nouns
like de bril (the pair of glasses), and de broek (the pair of pants). '

Third, double vowels will often become single when -en is added .
This is best explained by comparing a few nouns with Jong and
short vowels. As you just learned, man (man) and bot (hone) haw
short vowels, and in order to retain the shortness in the plmal. the
final consonant is doubled: mannen (men) and botten (hones) .
Compare that to maan (moon) and boot (boat), which of course
36
have long vowels. In the plural, with -en added, there's no reason
to keep the double vowel to show long pronunciation, because the
syllable division will show you that the vowels are long any way:
ma-nen and ho-ten. So, the double vowel becomes a single one to
avoid redundancy in the spelling.
de maan (the moon) de manen (the moons)

de naam (the name) de namen (the names)

, de boot (the boot) de boten (the boots)

het kantoor (the office) de kantoren (the offices)

de neef (the cousin/nephew) de neven (the cousinslnephews)

het vuur (the fire) de vuren (the fires)

Now let's look at the second common plural ending in Dutch, which
is -s, just like English. All diminutives (ending in the suffix -je),
nouns ending with unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er and -e, and many
loanwords from English and French take -s in the plural. A few
other endings, such as people's titles ending in -aar, -erd, and -ier
also take-sin the plural. If a noun ends in -a or -o, the plural will be
formed with an apostrophe, -' s.
de meisjes (the girls)

het huisje (the little house) de huisjes (the little houses)

:llètkeukentje (the small kitchen) de keukentjes (the small kitchens)

de regel (the rule) de regels (the ru/es)

de winkel (the store) de winkels (the stores)

de bezem (the broom) de bezems (the brooms)

de keuken (the kitchen) de keukens (the kitchens)

de kelder (the cel/ar, basement) de kelders (the cel/ars, basements)

: de studente (the female student) de studentes (the fema/e students)

; de mountainbike (the mountain de mountainbikes (the mountain

· bike) bikes)

het café (the pub) de cafés (the pubs)

de metselaar (the brlcklayer) de metselaars (the brick/ayers)

de kruidenier (tfre gro.cer) de kruideniers (the grocers)

de oma (the grandmother) de oma's (the grandmothers)

de auto (the car) de auto's (the cars)

37
 There are also a few cases that are slightly irregular, as in any lan-
guage. A few common nouns have a short vowel in the singular, but
a long one in the plural.
de weg (the rood) de wegen (the roods)

het dak (the roof) de daken (the roofs)

het glas (the glass) de glazen (the glasses)

het schip (the ship) de schepen (the ships)

de stad (the city) de steden (the cities)

There are also some het-nouns that take -eren in the plural.
het kind (the chifd) de kinderen (the children)

het ei (the egg) de eieren (the eggs)

het been (the bone) de beenderen (the bones)

het lied (the song) de liederen (the songs)

het blad (the teat) de bladeren (the leaves)

With loanwords from Greek or Latin, you'll sometimes find plurals

derived from the original language. These forms are more aften
used in formal or academie settings.
het museum (the museum) de museums/musea (the museums)
de collega (the co/league) de collega's/collegae (the
co/leagues)

de crisissen/crises (the crises)

de dogma's/dogmata (the dogmas)

Grammar point z: Adjective agreement

Adjectiv~s are desc~ipti:e words, such as goed (good), slecht (bad),

groot (big, tall), klem (lzttle, short), mooi (beautiful), schoon (clean),
rood (red) and so on. You can use adjectives after a verb like zijn (to
be) to describe nouns.
De kinderen zijn klein.
The children are small.
De stoel is groen.
The chair is green.

38
 Het huis is rood.
The house is red.
De handdoek is schoon.
The towel is clean.
De leraar is boos.
The teacher is angry.
Mijn oom is dik en mijn tante is dun.
My uncle is fat, and my aunt is thin.
In Dutch, just as in English, you can also use an adjective right be-
fore a noun. In this case, the adjective will usually agree with that
noun by taking on the ending -e.
Wie zijn de kleine kinderen?
Who are the small children?
Ik heb een groene stoel.
I have a green chair.
But, as you might have guessed, the same types of spelling changes
that you saw with noun plurals will happen when you add the
agreement ending -e. Adjectives that end in -s or -f will change it to
-z or -v after long vowels, diphthongs, and certain consonants. Also,
consonants will double to preserve short vowels, and double vowels
will become single vowels to avoid redundancy in the spelling.
Ik vind het rode huis mooi.
I find the red house pretty./I like the red house.
Waar is de schone handdoek?
Where is the clean towel?
De boze man is onze leraar.
The angry man is our teacher.
De dikke man is mijn oom en de dunne vrouw is mijn tante.
The fat man is my uncle and the thin woman is my aunt.

There are just a few cases where adjectives don't take agreement
endings even though they're used right before a noun. When a sin-
gular het-noun is used with een (a/an) or geen (no, none, not any),
then the adjective doesn't take -e. A few other words trigger this
non-agreement with het-nouns, hut we'll comeback to those later.
Also, there's no agreement in phrases including and adjective and a
het-noun, without any article, as in mooi weer (beautiful weather)
and groen gras (green grass) below.
Dit is een goed boek.
This is a good book.
39
 Zij heeft een klein huis, en hij heeft een groot huis.
She has a small house, and he has a big house.
We hebben geen nieuw meubels tuk.
We don 't have a new piece offurniture.
Mooi weer is heel leuk!
Beautiful weather is very nice !
Ik houd van groen gras.
I like green grass.
Don't forget that these cases only involve sing~lar . het-nouns . With
plural het-nouns, or with de-noun s, there is ad1ect1ve agreeme nt.
Ik houd van goede boeken.
I like good books.
We hebben geen nieuwe keuken.
We don't have a new kitchen.
The other cases where there 's no -e agreeme nt involve adj ectives
that end in-a, -e, -o, -i, -y and-en, such as lila (lilac) , oranje (orange) .
kaki (khaki), albino (albino), sexy (sexy), dronken (drunk) . and tim-
ide (shy), and adjectives denotin g material s, such as ijzeren (iron),
gouden (golden), houten (wooden) , platina (platinum) ,and nylon
(nylon). There's no agreeme nt with these adjectiv es regardle ss of
gen der.
De oranje sokken zijn mooi.
The orange soeks are pretty.
Ik vind het gouden horloge leuk.
I like the gold watch.

Grammar point 3: Er is, er zijn, het is and het zijn

The phrases er is and er zijn mean there is and there are, respec-
tively, in Dutch. Just as in English, you use these phrases to intro-
duce somethi ng new in convers ation, so you typicall y use er is
and er zijn before phrases with een (a/an), geen (no, not any), wat
(a few, some), weinig (few, a little) een beetje (a little bit) , genoeg
(enough), veel (mucb/many), and number s.
Er is een groot probleem .
There is a big problem.
Er zijn veel grote problem en.
There are many big problems.

40
 Er zijn zeven kamers in het huis.
There are seven rooms in the house.
Er is geen brood.
There's no bread.
Er zijn weinig mensen in de winkels vandaag.
There are few people in the stores today.
Is er genoeg water?
Is there enough water?
Er zijn wat eieren in de koelkast.
There are afew eggs in the refrigerator.
Veel, meer, genoeg, and een beetje are all words that trigger non-
agreement with adjectives used with singular het-nouns, so you
don't add -e in these cases.
Er is veel heet water in de pot.
There's a lot of hot water in the pot.
Is er genoeg vers brood?
Is there enough fresh bread?
Er is nog een beetje oud meel in de kast.
There's still a little bit of old flour in the cupboard.

If you're referring to something that has already been introduced

in conversation, you wouldn't use er, hut rather het (it), dit (this) , or
dat (that). In fact, you can use het, dit, and dat with both singular
and plural nouns, so they can also be translated as they, these, and
those, respectively.
frët is een groot probleem.
!t's a big problem.
Het zijn grote kamers.
They 're big rooms.
Dit is goed brood.
This is good bread.
Dit zijn kleine eieren.
These are small eggs.
Dat ü OliJ:Ze nieuwe leraar.
That's our new teacher.
Dat zijn onze nieuwe leraren.
These are our new teachers.

41
 JG. READING
Read the following letter written by a student who is writing to
a friend about her new apartment. Can you understand the new
words from context?

Lieve Anja,
Mij nieuwe flat is echt geweldig. Ik woon hier met twee andere
studenten van de universiteit. We hebben drie slaapkamers, een
grote woonkamer en een kleine keuken. Onze woonkamer is
heel mooi met een groot rood kleed, een nieuwe televisie, veel
boekenplanken, een comfortabele (maar lelijke!) bank en een
paar stoelen. In de keuken hebben we een oud fornuis en een
oude koelkast, een magnetron, een koffiezetapparaat en een erg
smalle tafel met vier stoelen. Er zijn veel borden, schalen, kop-
jes en glazen in de kasten, maar nog meer in de gootsteen. Mijn
slaapkamer is klein, maar rustig en gezellig. Ik heb een bed, een
bureautje, een oude leunstoel waarin ik vaak zit te lezen, en en-
kele planken. Al mijn kleren zitten in een kast. Het is vandaag
mijn beurt om te koken. Daarom stop ik nu en ga ik gauw naar
de keuken. Tot schrijfs !
-Marlies

Dear Anja,

My new apartment is really great. 1 live here with two other students
from the university. We have three bedrooms, a big living room, and
a small kitchen. Our living room is really nice, with a big red car-
pet, a new television, l~ts of book shelves, a comfortable (but ugly !)
couch, and a few chmrs. In the kitchen we have an old stove and
refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee maker, and a very narrow table
with Jour chairs. There are lots_ of plates, bowls, cups, and glasses in
the cupboards, but even more m the sink! My bedroom is small but
quiet and cozy. I've got a bed, a small desk, an old armchair wh~re l
often
,
sit reading, and some shelves• All or'J
· G cl oset.
my clothes a re m
It s. my turn to cook today, so /'Il stop naw and go to th e k.tz c hen. J'll
wrzte to you again.
-Marlies

42
 3H. CULTURE NOTE 2
Colors
The eleven basic colors in Dutch are : rood (red), geel (yel/ow).
blauw (blue), oranje (orange), groen (green) , paars (purple), bruin
(brown), roze (pink), grijs (gray), wit (white), and zwart (black). You
can be more precise about a color by saying that it is licht (light) or
donker (dark), and these words are combined with the colors in a
compound word, as in lichtrood (light red) or donkerblauw (dark
blue).
Speaking of colors, because there is so much brick architecture in
the Netherlands, you 'll see a lot of red, brown, or yellow-the colors
of baked day-in the country. The day for these bricks is generally
local, found along the many rivers in the country. In fact, if you
travel along a Dutch river, a common sight will be the tall chimneys
belonging to brickyards where the day is baked. But the Nether-
lands isn't all about reddish earth tones, of course. The wood in
older houses is typically painted in beige, clark green, or <lark blue.
If you're familiar with Delftware, you know that this blue and white
pottery is famous throughout the world. And of course there are the
tulips and other flowers that you can find throughout the country,
induding Amsterdam's bloemenmarkt (flower market). And even
though the colors of the Dutch flag are rood, wit, and blauw, no
discussion of Dutch colors would be complete without oranje, but
that deserves its own note, so we'll carne back to it later. For more
information, check out these sites:
www.amsterdam.info Everything about the city, including
images and information about the
bloemenmarkt (flower market).
www.delft.nl About the Dutch city of Delft,
including of course Delfts blauw
(Delft Blue), the famous pottery.

EXER(ISES
Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You do
not need to use every word in the list.
rode, tuin, man, vroeg, klaar, is, zijn, opruimen
Mevrouw Jansen: Ik ben vijf minuten te 1 _ _ _. Het is nog
geen vier uur.
43
 Mevrouw Pieters : Dat is niet erg, maar ik moet de keuken nog
2

Mevrouw Jansen: Dat 3 _ __ een prachtige 4 _ __ _ bank.

Mevrouw Pieters: Dank u. Er 5 _ _ __ m aar weinig van zulke
banken.
Mevrouw Jansen: Zijn de nieuwe stoelen al 6 _ _ __?
Mevrouw Pieters: Nee, mijn 7 _ __ heeft daarvoor nog geen
tijd.

B. Give the plural form of each of these nouns , and translate your
answers.

1. kamer
2. bank
3. tuin
4. auto
5.hond

6. bed
7. kelder
8.keuken
9. vrouw
io. zolder
II. buur
12. neef

C. Choose the right form of each adjective.

1. Dit is een blauw/blauwe kamer.
2. Het is een groot/grote jongen.
3. Hij heeft geen rijk/rijke ouders.
+Dat zijn heel mooi/mooie huizen.
5. Onze hond is dik/dikke.
6. Het zwart/zwarte meubelstu k is prachtig/p rachtige.

44
 7. Wat een lief/lieve kind!
8. Dat zijn hele goed/goede boeken.

D. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

i. This is a big living room.
2. There are three black dogs in the cellar.
3. Those are nice parents.
4. The old man has a young wife.
5. lt's a beautiful color.
6. The kitchens are white.
7. There's a little bit of bread.
8. Are there eggs in the refrigerator?

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Imagine that you're showing a Dutch friend around your house

or apartment. Write about ten sentences in your Language
Journal listing the rooms and items that there are in your
house, and use adjectives to describe them. For inspiration, or
a good comprehension challenge, check out these Dutch real
estate websites: www.funda.nl, www.koopwoning.net, or www
.academica.nl. You can also check out these furniture sites for
even more vocabulary: www.kwantum.nl, www.ikea.com/nl,
and www.berden.nl.

ANSW•I KEY
A.i. vroeg; 2. opruimen; 3. is; 4. rode; 5. zijn; 6. klaar; 7. man

B. 1. kamers (rooms); 2. banken (benches, couches); 3. tuinen (gar-

dens); 4. auto's (cars); 5. honden (dogs); 6. bedden (beds); 7. kelders
(cellars, basements); 8. keukens (kitchens); 9. vrouwen (women);
10. zolders (attics); 11. buren (neighbors); 12. neven (cousins/neph-
ews)

45
 ; '). dik; (i. zwar te, pracllti•r·
C.l. blauw e; 2 . grote ; {. rijke; 4. mooi e h·

7. lief; 8. goed e
dri(' zwar te hond en in df·
D. 1. Dit is een grote woonkanH>r. 2 . h zijn
rs.+ Ik oude rnan hedt \'<·11 joncrr.
kelde r. 3. Dat zijn aardi ge oude
kl('lll . De keuk ens zijn wit. 7. Er is f·;n
vrouw . 5. Het is een mooi e (1 .
ast/
beetj e brood . 8. Zijn er eiere n in de koelk

46
 LESSO N

4 Een gewone dag

A regular day

This lesson focuses on everyday life, so you'll learn a lot of new

vocabulary that will help you talk about your daily routine, includ-
ing verbs. Naturally you'll also learn how to use those verbs, which
means that you'll learn the present tense conjugation in Dutch. To
do that, we'll take another look at the spelling rules that you learned
in the last lesson when you were introduced to plurals. But that's
not all; you'll also learn about object pronouns, and you'll continue
with counting, this time from eleven to twenty. We'll do that right
in the vocabulary warm-up.

1tA. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

elf eleven
twaalf twelve
dertien thirteen
veertien fourteen
vijftien fifteen
zestien sixteen
zeventien seventeen
achttien eighteen
negentien nineteen
twintig twenty

Jan and. Marie are a married couple living in a small town in the
Netherlands. Listen in as they get ready to begin their days.
47
 Jan: Morgen Marie, wakker worden en opstaan!
De wekker gaat.
Marie: Dag schat, ook goedemorgen. Ik blijf no?
vijftien minuten liggen. Daarna douche 1k
me en kleed ik me aan.
Jan: Oké, ik breng je de krant uit de brievenbus
en ik maak ontbijt voor jou.
Marie: Ja, fijn dat je dat voor mij doet. Krijg ik dan
ook een beschuitje met hagelslag? Dat vind
ik zo lekker.
Jan: Ja hoor. Ik heb nog achttien minuten. Dan
moet ik me wassen, scheren en mijn tanden
poetsen.
Marie: Er is nog genoeg tijd. Kijk eens in de krant.
Er komen leuke films op tv vanavond. Ze
staan op pagina elf, denk ik.
Jan: Nee, ze staan niet op pagina elf, maar op
pagina dertien. Er komt om halftwaalf een
film op kanaal veertien.
Marie: Dat wordt te laat voor mij. Morgen ga
ik twintig minuten eerder naar kantoor.
's Middags ga ik met een klant lunchen. Doe
jij vandaag een kaartje op de bus voor Piet?
Het is morgen zijn verjaardag.
Jan: Dat is goed. Ik schrijf er dan ook een voor
mijn moeder en ik vraag haar voor het diner
op zestien januari.
Marie: Goed, dan zien we haar ook weer eens. Maar
nu ga ik. Bus zeventien en negentien zijn al
geweest. Ik poets gauw mijn tanden en loop
naar het station. Tot vanavond!
Jan: Tot vanavond. We eten dan hutspot. Fijne
dag!

fan: Morning Marie, wake up and get out of bed.'

The alarm clock's going off
Marie: Morning to you, too, sweetie. J'm going to stay
in bed (/it., keep lying down) another jijteen
minutes. After that til take a shower and J'll
get dressed.
48
 fan: Okay, /'Il bring you the newspaper from the
mailbox, and /'ll make some breakfast for you.
Marie: Yes, that's nice of you. Do I get a piece of
biscuit with chocolate sprinkles, too? I like that
so much.
' Jan: Sure. /'ve still got eighteen minutes. Then I have
to get washed, shave and brush my teeth.
Marie: There's plenty of time. Take a look in the
newspaper. There are some good movies on TV
tonight. They're on page eleven, I think.
fan: No, they're not on page eleven, but on page
thirteen. There's a movie storting at eleven
thirty on channel fourteen.
Marie: That'll be too late for me. Tomorrow I go to the
office twenty minutes earlier. At noon I have
lunch with a dient. Will you put a postcard
in the mail for Piet today? !t's his birthday
tomorrow.
Jan: All right. J'Ll write another one for my mother,
too, and /'IL invite her to dinner on f anuary
sixteenth.
Marie: Right, it will be nice to see her again. But J've
got to get going naw (Lit., now J'm leaving).
Buses seventeen and nineteen have come by
already. J'll brush my teeth quickly and walk to
the train station. See you tonight !
fan: See you tonight! We're having (Zit., then we'll
eat) hutspot. Have a nice day!

4C. VOCABllLARY
zich aankleden to get dressed
aflopen to go off (as in an alarm)
avond(de;avonden) evening
bad (het; baden') bath
baden to bathe
beginnen : to begin, to start
besçftY,it (de; beschuiten) hard biscuit, zwieback, hard toast,
rusk
49
 brengen to bring
brievenbus (de; -bussen) mailbox. mail slot

denken to think
diner (het; diners) dinner
dineren to dine
doen to do
douchen to take a shower
drank(de;drank en) drink
drinken to drink
eerder earlier
eten to eat
eten (het) food
film (de; films) movie, film
gaan to go
genoeg enough
hagelslag (de) chocolate sprinkles
kanaal (het; kanalen) channel
kantoor (het; kantoren) office
kijken to look
klant (de; klanten) dient, customer
komen to come
krant (de; kranten) newspaper
krijgen to get, to receive
lekker vinden to like
leuk good, funny, pleasant, amusing
liggen to lie (down); to be (located)*
lunch (de; lunches) lunch

*In Dutch you'll aften hear the verbs liggen (to lie} and staan (to stand} used where
English would use be. Liggen is normally used to describe a more or less flat posi·
tion, as in het boek ligt op de tafel (the book is (lying) on the table}. Staan is used
more or less to describe an upright position, as in het boek staat in de boekenkast
(the book is (standing upright) on the bookshelj). By the way, text staat in books and
in newspapers.
50
 lunchen to have lunch
middag (de; middagen) afternoon
morgen tomorrow
morgen (de; morgens) morning
nacht(de ;nachten ) night
nemen to take
ontbijt (het; ontbijten ) breakfast
ontbijten to have break/ast
schrijven to write
1
savonds in the evening
s middags
1
in the afternoon
s morgens
1
in the morning
staan to stand (up); to be (located)
pagina (de; pagina's) page
opstaan to get up
poetsen to clean, to brush
scheren to shave
slapen to sleep
station (het; stations) station
tand (de7 tanden) tooth
tijd (de; tijdeN) time
tv (de; tv's) TV
vanavond tonight
vandaag today
wakker worden · to wake up
wassen to wash
weggaan to go away, to leave
wekker (de; wekkers) alarm clock
werken to work
worden to get, to become
zien to see
51
 1tD. KEY PHRASES
Here are some phrases that will help you talk about your daily
routine.
Ik word altijd vroeg wakke r. I always wake up early.
Ik ga vandaa g naar mijn werk. f'm going to work today.
Ik ga vandaa g naar school. J'm going to school today.
Ik doe vandaa g boodsc happen . til get groceries today.
We hebben vandaa g veel te We have a lot to do today.
doen.
We eten gewoo nlijk thuis. We usually eat at home.
Wat eten we vanavo nd? What are we having for dinner
tonight?
Wie kookt er morge n? Who 's cooking tomorr ow?
Hoe was je dag vandaa g? How was your day today ?
Vanav ond gaan we uit. Tonight we 're going out.
We gaan vaak naar de film. We aften go to the movies .
Soms gaan we met vriend en Someti mes we go to a restaur ant
naar een restaur ant. with friends.
Ik lees 's avonds vaak een I aften read a book in the evening.
boek.
Er is niets op tv. There 's nothing on television.

4E. CULT URE NOTE 1

In the dialogue you heard Jan say that he and his wife were going
to
have hutspo t for dinner. Hutsp ot is a traditional Dutch stew
made
of potatoes, winter carrots, onion, and meat. Sta'!lp otten (dis
hes
with mashed potatoes mixed with greens and meat) are also typi-
cal of traditional Dutch cooking, for example a stamp pot made
of
potatoes with rookw orst (smoked sausage) and andijv ie (endive
s),
zuurko ol (sauerkraut), boeren kool (kale) or raapst elen (turnip
tops). Although meat is apart of these traditional dishes, vegetables
have actually been a central part of Dutch cooking for centur
ies,
and in earlier times Dutch people ate little meat. So if you ask
wat
eten we vanda ag? (what are we eating today?) you're likely to
hear
rodeko ol (red cabbage), groen e erwte n (green peas) or witte
bonen
52
 (white navy beans) rather than varkensvlee s (park), kip (chicken),
or rundvlees (beef) . Salads are also popular, especially in the sum-
mer time. For breakfast, a Dutch favorite is hagelslag (chocola te
sprinkles) on bread. Tea and coffee are also a typical part of the
Dutch daily routine, often drunk with a beschuitje (a dry biscuit,
zwieback, or rusk). Indonesian cuisine has had a tremendous in-
fluence on Dutch cooking and eating habits, so alongside hutspot
you'll find that many Dutch people make nasi goreng (!ried rice) or
gadogado (salad with cucumber, bean sprouts, string beans, tofu,
peanut sauce and cooked rice) as part of their daily routines. If you
go to the Netherlands, be sure to try one of the many excellent In-
donesian restaurants. But try something more "native" as well ! Per-
haps a nieuwe haring (salted "new" herring), which is especially
delicious with jenever, the famous Dutch gin. Eet smakelijk! (Enjoy
your meal!)

4F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: Object pronouns
In Lesson 1 you learned subject pronouns, which are used as the
subject of a sentence. Now let's look at object pronouns, which are
used as objects and after prepositions , just as in English.

[_~!~~°-'~ me

lJoulje you {infml. sg.)

u you (fml.)
heml'm, haar/'r, het/'t him, her, it

ons US

jullie you (infml. pl.)

hen (only for people)lze them

Again there are stressed and unstressed varieties of a few different

pronouns. Mij (me), jou (you}, hem (him), haar (her) and het (it)
are stressed, and their unstressed forms are me, je, 'm, 'r and 't.
Stressed pronouns are usually used in writing, or in conversation
only to show emphasis. Otherwise, the unstressed forms are used,
just like the subject pronouns. Notice that there are two pronouns
for them. The first one, hen, is restricted to people, but ze can be
used generally.
53
 Ik zie hem en hij ziet mij.
I see HIM and he sees ME. (stressed)
Ik zie 'm en hij ziet me.
I see him and he sees me. (unstressed)
Hoe gaat het met jullie?
How are you? (infml. pl.)
Wie kookt vanavond voor ons?
Who's cooking for us tonight?
Hij groet jou.
He is greeting you. (infml. sg. stressed)
Wij eten vanavond bij hen.
We're eating at their place tonight.
You may rarely come across the object pronoun hun (them) as wel!.
It's only used to refer to people, and only as an indirect object. But
most of the time Dutch people use aan hen (to them) instead.
Ik zeg het hun.
I say it to them.
Ik zeg het aan hen.
I say it to them.

Grammar point :z: Verbs in the present tense

You've learned the conjugation of zijn (to be) and hebben (to
have), and you've already seen plenty of other verbs in Dutch in
this course. Now let's look at how to conjugate those in the pres-
ent tense. The first thing to know about Dutch verbs is that the
infinitive form, which is like the English to form, usually ends in
-en. To conjugate a verb, you need to work with the stem, which is
the infinitive without the -en ending. So for example, the stem of
werken (to work), is werk. The stem is the ik form of the verb. For
the other singular forms, just add -t. And for the plural farms , add
-en, which of course means that plurals look like infinitives. Notice
that the present tense in Dutch can be translated as the simple pres-
ent (works) or the present progressing (is working) in English. Jt's
also very often used to express the future, so you can even trans late
it with will. If you go back over the dialogue from this lesson, you'll
see several examples of that.

54
 Ik werk (stem) I work/am working

jij/je werkt (stem+ -t) you (infml. sg.) workl

are working

u werkt (stem + -t) you (!ml.) work/are

working

hij, zij/ze, het/'t werkt (stem + -t) he, she, it works/is

working

wij/we werken (stem+ -en) we work/are working

·-··---· - · ~ ~-·· · ··-- - - ~--- -- -- --- '

i jullie werken (stem+ -en) you (infml. pl.) workl

i are working

r;ij1z~~erken (stem + -en) they work/are working

!.- -------···------

Almost all other verbs have the same conjugation. Examples that
you've seen are brengen (to bring) , denken (to think), krijgen (to
get/receive), drinken (to drink), kijken (to look), worden (to get/ to
become) and many others. And don't forget that the jij form loses
its -t in questions.
Ik werk in Amsterdam en hij werkt in Rotterdam.
I work in Amsterdam and he works in Rotterdam.
Wat drinken ze?
What are they drinking?
Hij brengt haar de krant.
He brings her the newspaper.
Wat denk je?
What do you think?
Even though the conjugation itself is very regular in Dutch, there
are some spelling changes that will happen to many verb sterns. But
you're already familiar with these; they're exactly the same changes
that happen in noun plurals and adjective agreement. If the stem
includes a short vowel, the consonants will be double in the in-
finitive and plural forms, hut single in the singular forms to avoid
redundancy. Examples are beginnen (to begin), liggen (to Zie), and
wassen (to wash). Here are the forms of beginnen as an example.
ik begin wij/we beginnen
jij/je, u begint jullie beginnen

hij, zij/ze, hetl't begint zij/ze beginnen

55
 Zitten (to sit) is the same, but there 's one more minor point to make
about it. Because its stem ends in a -t, there's no need to acid an-
other -t in the singular forms that normally end in -t. All verbs
whose sterns end in -t are like this.
ik zit wij/we zitten

jij/je, u zit jullie zitten

hij, zij/ze, het/'t zit zij/ze zitten

Zij ligt in bed.

She's lying in bed.
Jullie zitten naast ons.
You're sitting next to us.
Begint nu de film?
Is the movie starting now?
Another spelling change that you 're familiar with concerns long
vowels. If a verb stem contains a long vowel, the vowel will double
in the singular forms to preserve the vowel length. Some examples
are baden (to bathe), eten (to eat), lopen (to walk), nemen (to take),
slapen (to sleep), and vragen (to ask). Let's look at lopen.
ik loÖp wij/we lopen

jij/je, u loopt jullie lopen

· hij, zij/ze, het/'t loopt zij/ze lopen

There's one very common exception to this pattern. Komen (to

come) has a short vowel in the singular farms, hut a long vowel in
the plural.
1 ik kom wij/we komen
!
, jij/je, u komt jullie komen

zij/ze komen

Wat eten we vanavond?

What are we eating tonight?
Hij loopt snel naar het station.
He walks quickly to the station.
We komen niet terug!
We're not coming back!

56
 And finally, the same alternation between z and s and v and f that
you've seen already happens in verb conjugations. Verbs ending in -
zen have a stem that ends in -s, and verbs ending in -ven have a stem
that ends in-f. Examples include blijven (to stay), schrijven (to write),
geven (to give), geloven (to believe), lezen (to read) and verhuizen (to
move). Here are the conjugations of geven and lezen as examples.
(!'-p~,I~;~~----- . wij/we geven, lezen
j Jl)lje, u geeft, leest jullie geven, lezen
[~! zljlze~-~~'tÎ:eeft, leest zij/ze geven, lezen

Ik geef je mijn nummer.

I'll give you my number.
Ze gelooft me niet!
She doesn't believe me!
Ze lezen veel hoeken in de bibliotheek.
They're reading a lot of hooks in the library.
Wat schrijf je?
What are you writing?

Grammar point 3: Verbs ending in - n

There area few infinitives in Dutch that don't end in -en, but rather
~n, JDJlowing a long vowel. You already know zijn (to be), which is
irregular. Other examples are gaan (to go), doen (to do), staan (to
stand) and zien (to see). In these verbs, the stem is simply the verb
infinitive minus the -n,
and the plural farms retain the -n.

zien
zie
ziet
ziet
zien
i Jullie gaan staan doen zien
zij/ze gaan .".n
~-·----------·-· - · -· · ------

doen zien

Ga je naar huis?
Are you going home?

57
 De films staan op pagina dertien.
The films are (listed) on page thirteen.
Wat doen ze morgen?
What are they doing tomorrow?
Ik zie je!
1 see you!

46. READING
Read the following passage, written by Jan from our dialogue. You
already know a lot of the vocabulary and grammar that he uses, hut
see if you can figure the rest out from context. As usu al, the transla-
tion is provided to help you.
Het is vandaag een drukke dag. Marie gaat al vroeg naar haar
kantoor. Zij heeft een lunch met een belangrijke klant. Ik maak
thuis mijn cursus af. Daarna doe ik de boodschappen en kook ik
het avondeten. Marie komt om zeven uur thuis. We gaan naar
Piet vanavond. Hij viert zijn verjaardag. Hij wordt twintig jaar.
Ik heb al een cadeautje voor hem.
Today's a busy day. Marie's going to her office early. She's having
lunch with an important dient. J'm finishing up my course at home.
After that J'll get groceries, and J'll cook dinner. Marie will come
home at seven o'clock. We're going to Piet's tonight. He's celebrating
his birthday. He's turning twenty. J've already gat a present for him.

4H. CULTURE NOTE 2

Now that you have a pretty good amount of the Dutch language
under your belt, let's take a moment to talk about the history of the
Netherlands. The Netherlands, which of course literally means the
"Low Countries," was the name of seventeen territories that were
finally united under the Habsburg emperor Charles V in the early
161h century. The territories occupied the lands that would becorne
the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg of today, but in that
time these seventeen territories did not form a single state. Each of
them had its own laws and its own taxes. Charles V's son, Philip Il ,
wanted to unify the laws and the taxes, and as king of Spain, he also
wanted all of his subjects to be Roman Catholic. These goals met
with resistance in the Low Countries, and ultimately they sparked a
58
 revolution in 1568. In the end, seven northern territories achieved
independenc y in 1648, forming the Dutch Netherlands. The ten
other territories remained under Spanish control, and later under
control of the Austrian empire, but today they form the indepen-
dent states of Belgium and Luxemburg. The seven Dutch territo-
ries formed a confederatio n without a king, but with a parliament
in The Hague. They also had a common language, Dutch, which
grew more and more distinct from neighboring German dialects.
Within the confederatio n the most powerful territory was Hol-
land, and the most influential city was Amsterdam. Traders from
the southern territories-s till under foreign control-fled to the
north, and the new republic flourished. During the 1 ih century, or
de Gouden Eeuw (the Golden Age), the Netherlands was a global
power. Trade was important, which brought the Dutch to all corners
of the earth. They established colonies across the globe, including
of course Nieuw Amsterdam, settled in 1612. This mighty repub-
lic lasted until 1795, when the French occupied the Netherlands.
In 1814 the Congress of Vienna founded a new state, the United
Kingdom of the Netherlands, incorporatin g most of the original
seventeen territories. Eventually Belgium broke away and gained
independenc e in 1830, and then Luxembourg fully broke away in
1890. The Netherlands remained neutral during WWI, hut was
invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany during WWII. After the
war, the Netherlands entered back into a union with Belgium and
Luxembourg , the economie partnership of Benelux. It also helped
establish NATO and the European Union.

EXl,RCISES
A. Translate each of the following phrases into Dutch. Write out
the numbers.
i. five young men
2. three Jall women

3. fifte~n new hooks

4. twu ~autiful houses
5. twelve busy days
6. twenty blue cars

59
 B. Complete each sentence with the correct form of the Vf'.rh gi v1·r1
in parentheses.
1. jij de krant naar de keuken? (to bring)
2. Marie een cadeau voor Piet. (to buy)
3. Ik niet naar New York. (to go)
4. Waar jullie? (to sit)
5. U vandaag niet thuis. (to have lunch)
6. De mannen zich 's middags. (to shave)
7. Nee, wij geen ontbijt. (to make)
8. Hij zijn tanden elke dag. (to clean/brush)
9. Moeder de krant. (to read)
io. Ik ___ morgen naar huis. (to come)

11. Helen ___ in haar dagboek. (to wri te)

12. Wie ___ er voor de deur? (to stand)

C. Rewrite each sentence, changing the underlined object noun in

parentheses to a pronoun.
1. We staan naast (de kleine man).
2. Ik kom morgen met (mijn vrienden).
3. Ze ziet (Piet en ik) . .
4. Ik geef een cadeau aan (mijn ouders).
5. Ik geloof (Marie) niet.
6. Hij spreekt met (jou en jou).
7. Ik lees (het boek).
8. Ik haal (de kranten) uit de brievenbus.

D. Translate the following sentences from Dutch. See if you can fig-
ure out any unfamiliar vocabulary or constructions by context .
I. Vandaag vier ik mijn verjaardag.
2. De wekker loopt af.

60
 . Ik was me in de blauwe badkamer.
3
. De kinderen lopen naar het station.
4
. Neem je de krant uit de brievenbus?
5
6. De mannen gaan vroeg naar huis.
en aardappels.
7. Zij kookt vandaag wortels
8. De oude vrouw koopt een nieuw boek.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

In f9UI Language Journal, write about a typical day of yours,

either at home, at school, or at work. Try to use the verbs that
you've leamed in this lesson, of course in the ik form. For addi-
tional practice, write about someone else's day, obviously using
the ~ or zij form. For inspiration talking about daily life at
home, check out these sites: www.huishouden.startpagina.n l,
www.huishoudplaza.nl, and www.omaweetraad.com.
Have fun with this challenge, and don't forget to record any
new vocabulary you find in your journal !

l•S•EI KEY
A.i. \(iff jonge mannen; 2. drie grote vrouwen; 3. vijftien nieuwe
boeken; 4. twee mooie huizen; 5. twaalf drukke dagen; 6. twintig
blauwe auto's

B. 1. breng; .2. koopt; 3. ga; 4. zitten; 5. luncht; 6. scheren; 7. maken;

8. poetst; 9. leest; 10. kom; 11: schrijft; 12. staat
C.i. hem/m; 2. hen; 3. ons; 4. hen; 5. haarj'r; 6. jullie; 7. het/'t; 8. ze
D.i. Today J'm celebrating my birthday. 2. The alarm doek is going
off. 3. J wash myself in the blue bathroom. 4. The children walk/are
walking to the station. 5. Do you take/Are you taking the newspaper
out of the mailbox? 6. The men go/are going home early. 7. She's
cqoking carrots and potatoes today. 8. The old woman buys/is buy-
i ng a new book.

61
62
 LESSO N

5 Op school
At school

In this lesson, you'll visit a Dutch school, which means that you'll
learn a lot of vocabulary that's useful for talking about school sub-
jects and studying in general. You'll also continue to learn more
Dutch grammar that will help you express yourself. Furthermore,
you'll learn more about verbs and adjectives, and you'll learn how
to express likes and dislikes. So, let's get started with a vocabulary
warm-up!

5A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

atheneum (het; atheneums/ high school
athenea)
gymnasium (het; gymnasiums/ high school (with Latin and Greek)
gymnasia)
havo (de; havo's) higher secondary school
hogeschool (de; hogescholen) college (with Bachelor's degree)
universiteit (de; universiteiten) university
vmbo-school (de; vmbo-scholen) lower secondary school (preparing
for intermediate vocational
education)
VWO (het) highschool (pre paring f or
university)

58. DllLOGUE
Daan and Marijke are at the same vmbo-school. Listen in as they
discuss their favorite subjects.
63
 Daan: Hallo Marijke! Ben je zenuw achtig voor de
overho ring Duits van vanmid dag'?
Marijke: Ja, bij een overho ring kan ik niet sp~eken. Ik
vind Duits het moeilijkst. Ik houd met van
Duits, aardrij kskund e is veel leuker. Ik wil
dat de hele dag wel doen.
Daan: Dat is niks voor mij, ik heb daar een hekel
aan. Ik houd veel meer van tekene n dan van
aardrij kskund e.
Marijk e: Jouw tekenin gen zijn altijd de beste van de
klas. Wat voor potloo d gebrui k je eigenlijk?
Daan: Ik gebrui k het liefst een hard potloo d.
Zachte potlod en zijn minde r geschi kt voor
mijn technie k.
Marijk e: Op de basissc hool vond ik tekene n wel leuk,
maar nu mag het niet in mijn vakken pakket .
Ik heb al te veel vakken voor een
vmbo-school.
Daan: Ben jij dan zo'n studieb ol? Wil je niet veel
liever naar de havo?
Marijk e: Ja, dat wil ik wel, maar mijn Cito-toets was
daar nog niet goed genoeg voor. Misschien
kan ik dat na het exame n doen. Ik moet dan
wél goede cijfers halen.
Daan: Dan zul je goed je best moete n doen.
Het lijkt mij niets, ik ben geen uitslov er.
Wisku nde en geschi edenis zijn niet mijn
favorie te vakken . Ze mogen dat lekker
op het vwo doen. Ik wil toch niet naar de
univer siteit; vier jaar vmbo is wel genoeg.
Marijk e: Het hoeft ook voor mij niet veel langer te
duren. Die twee jaar havo kunne n er nog wel
bij. Dan heb ik ook meer studiek euze.
Daan: Dat moet je zelf weten. Jij bent slimm er dan
ik.
Marijk e: Mag ik een pen van je lenen? Ik heb er geen
in mijn etui.
Daan: Ik wil je mijn potloo d wel lenen, maar ik
vind het niet leuk als je hem kwijt maakt
hoor!
64
 Marijke: Ik zal het teruggeven na de overhoring.
Daarna heb ik alleen nog gym. Dank je wel!

Daan: Hi Marijke! Are you nervous about the oral test

in German this afternoon?
Marijke: Yes, I can't copy in an oral test. J think German
is the hardest. 1 don't like German, geography
is much more Jun. I could do that all day long.
Daan: That's not my thing, 1 can't stand it.! prefer
drawing over geography.
Marijke: Your drawings are always the best in the class.
What kind of pencil do you use, by the way?
Daan: I prefer to use a hard pencil. Soft pencils are
less suitable for my technique.
Marijke: In elementary school J liked drawing, but now
I don't have that option (Zit., it's not allowed in
my course options).1 already have toa many
subjects fora vmbo-school.
Daan: Are you that crazy about studying? Wouldn't
you rather go to the havo?
Marijke: Yes, I want to do that, but my entrance exam
wasn't good enough for it. Maybe 1 can do it
after the finals. I have to get good grades then.
Daan: In that case you'll have to do your best. J'm
not too crazy about it. I don 't really go out of
my way. Mathematics and history aren't my
favorite subjects. They may do them in high
school. I don't want to go to the university
anyway. Four years of vmbo is enough.
Marijke: I don't want to stick it out much langer either.
But I could do those two years of havo. Then J'll
have more choices of things to study.
Daan: That's for you to decide. You're smarter than me.
Marijke: Can I borrow apen from you? l don't have any
in my case.
Daan: J'm happy to Zend my pencil to you, hut I won't
like it very much if you lose it, okay?

Marijke: I'll give it back to you after the test. After that I
only have PE. Thanks a lot!
65
 SC. VOCABULAR Y
aardrijkskunde (de) .<J<'Ofjr<lf'hy
hiologic (de) hioloyy
blijven zitten to stay /wek, to r<'f W<ll <1 qrwJ"
cijfer (het; cijfers) ymde (ut school)
dan in thal c<lse, tlwn

Duits (het) Germmz

duren to last

eigenlijk rcally, act ually

Engels (het) Erzylish

etui (het; etuis) (perz/pencil) case

examen (het; examens) exam

examen afleggen/doen to take arz exam

examen afnemen to examine, to yive arz exum

favoriet favorite

Frans (het) Frerzch

gemakkelijk easy
geschiedenis (de; history
geschiedenissen)
Grieks (het) Greek
gymnastiek (de) gym, PE
huiswerk (het) homework
huiswerk maken to do homework
Latijn (het) Latin
leerling (de; leerlingen) . student (elem.enwry or high school)
leraar (de; leraren/leraars) teacher
lenen to !end, to horrow*
leren to learn, to teach*

*You may be surprised to learn that in Dutch, the same verb can nl('an 10 /eruf or 111
borrow, and the same verb can mean to teach or to study. Of course the rontt•xt will
always make it clear what's being said. For example: Hij leert zijn kinden•n zwem
men. (He teaches his children to swim.) Or: Zijn kinderen leren zwemmen van hem.
(His children learn to swimfrom him.)
66
 Jeuk vinden to enjoy, to like

liever willen to prefer

lezen to read

moeilijk difficult, hard

muziek (de) music

natuurkunde (de) physics

Nederlands (het) Dutch

niks nothing, zilch (infml.)

overgaan to move up a grade

overhoring (de; overhoringen) test (oral)

proefwerk (het; -werken) test (written)

scheikunde (de) chemistry

rekenen (het) calculus

schrijven to write

slim smart
spellen to spell
spieken to copy, to cheat by copying (infml.)
studiebol (de; -hollen) bookworm
studiekeuze (de; -keuzes/ choice of studies
-keuzen)
taal (de; talen) language
tëkenen to draw
tekening (de; tekeningen) drawing
theoretisch theoretica[

toets (de; toetsen) test

uitslover (de; -slovers) hard worker

vak (het; vakken) subject(atschoo~

vakkenpakket (het; -pakketten) chosen set of course options

vanmiddag this afternoon

voor een examen slagen to pass an exam

voor een examen zakken to fail an exam

wiskunde (de) math

67
 ZéWhl \()ff

zenuwachti g rwrvr>U .\
zijn uiterste best doen to try (1.\ hard as one uw

sD. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases t h at w1·11 comc· , in handy when 1ctlkiri"
. . .. .h
.
about school suhiects, . wh ·ng Jikes· and d1:,lih '> 1ri
or en express1
gene ral.
Ik leer het liefst geschieden is. J /ike studying history the most.

Zij houdt meer van Spaans. She pre/ers Spanish.

Dat lijkt me niets. J don't think much of it.jf'm not /()rJ

crazy about it.

Ik teken graag. J enjoy drawing.

Ik heb een hekel aan J hate geography.

aardrijksku nde.
Dat is niets voor mij. That's not really my thing.

Ik vind wiskunde veel leuker. J like math a lot more.

Jij houdt meer van wijn dan You prefer wine over beer?
van bier?
Dat is genoeg! That will do!(That's enough .1

Dat vind ik leuk! I like that!

Dat is onwijs gaaf! That 's great! (infml.)

Dat is verreweg het best! That's easily the best!

5E. CULTURE NOTE 1

In the Netherlands, all children go to a basisscho ol (primary;

elementary school) at the age of four. For the first two years , they're
in the kleutersch ool (kindergarten). At the age of twelve children
have a Cito-toets, which is a diagnostic test that's used to determine
which school children are most suited for. Children then go on to
different secondary schools, depending on the results of their Cito-
toets. Gymnasiu m (with Latin and Greek) and atheneum are corn-
parable to American high schools, although they are six years long
and meant specifically to prepare students for university studies.

68
 The havo, which is an abbreviation of hoger algemeen voortgezet
onderwijs (higher genera[ continuing education), offers secondary
education that prepares students for de hogeschool or academie,
which are like American colleges with Bachelor's degrees. All other
students go to a vmbo-school (voorbereidend middelbaar beroep-
sonderwijs, or lower secondary school for preparing intermediate
vocational education) for a more practical-oriented education. Af-
ter four years they may go either to an mbo-school (middelbaar
beroepsonderwijs, or tertiary school for vocational education), or
to the havo. In Belgium the names differ, hut the school system
is about the same. A graduate of a university used to be called a
doctorandus in the Netherlands and a licentiaat in Belgium. Nowa-
days both countries use the international title of master.
The oldest type of school in the Netherlands is the gymnasium.
Around the year 700, a seminary was founded near the bishop's
church in Utrecht. It educated boys as priests. Latin was spoken
there, since it was the language of the church and of science. Later
the cities took over these Latin schools. They educated boys for the
newly founded universities, where Latin remained the language of
instruction until the i9 1h century. Today students learn some Latin
and Greek in gymnasium, and English is often spoken at interna-
tional scientific conferences, but Dutch is the language of instruc-
tion in all Dutch and Flemish schools and universities.

5F. GRAMMAR
&r•mm.e r point 1: Expressing likes and dislikes
You've already seen a number of different ways of expressing likes
and dislikes in Dutch, hut let's take a closer look at a few of them
now, since they work a little bit differently in Dutch than they do
in English. One very useful adverb to know is graag, which means
something like gladly. If you use it with a verb, it means that you
like to do that thing. If you use liever it means that you 'd prefer or
would rather do that thing, and if you use het liefst it means that
you like that thing the most.
Ik leer graag biologie.
I like studying biology.
Ik leer liever aardrijktbmde.
I prefer studying geograplfy.

69
 Ik leer het liefst Nederlands.
I like studying Dutch the most.
Anothe r really useful express ion is houden van (to love, to like) .
Ik houd* van jou.
I love you.
We houden van Frans eten.
We like French food.
Houdt zij meer van Spaans of van Duits?
Does she like Spanish or Gennan more?
The express ion iemand /iets leuk vinden (to find so:neone/ some-
thing nice) can also be used to mean like. Iets leuker vmden means
that you like something more, or you prefer it.
Ik vind Marie leuk, maar ik vind Jeanne leuker.
I like Marie, but I like Jeanne more.
Joos vindt school niet leuk.
Joos doesn't like school.
If you really don't like someon e or someth ing, the express ion een
hekel aan iemand /iets hebben (to hate someon e/somet hing) is very
useful.
Ik heb een hekel aan wiskun de.
I hate math.
Ze heeft echt een hekel aan die jongen.
She really hates that boy.

Grammar point 2: Making comparisons

Just like in English , most Dutch adjectiv es have degrees of compar
i-
son. Usually the compar ative is formed by adding -er to the end
of
the adjectiv e. The superla tive is formed by adding -st.

klein-kl einer-k leinst small-smaller-smal/est

mooi-m ooier-m ooist beautiful-more beautiful-most
beautiful
gelukki g-geluk kiger-ge lukkigst happy-happier-happiest
gema kkelijk- gema kkelij ker- easy-easier-easiest
gemakkel ijkst

*In the first person singular, you usually write ik houd van, hut in spoken
language
the tl is not pronounced, soit wil! sound like hou instead of houd. You
may alsu see
that the d is left out in writing, as in ik hou van jou.

70
 As you can see, even longer Dutch adjectives can take -er and -st.
But don't forget about your spelling changes.
, .---·-----·- ...... .
!groot-groter-grootst big - bigger-biggest
ii.;~=d~;~~;~d~~~ thin-thinner-thinnest
f

r&riJs-grijzer-grijst gray-grayer-grayest
L-- ·-

If an adjective ends in -r, a -d will be inserted in the comparative.

This is a bit like the th in farther.
ji;.;k~:d;nkerder-donkerst dark-darker-darkest
r;;~;:;.,~~-;d~r-~aarst heavy-heavier-heaviest
L_ ..

There are only three irregulars to keep in mind.

[~~~=~~~~~b~~<- good-better-best
! veel-meer-meest
1
much/many-more-most
!;;ï;.:g:.~lnder-minst
1.
little/few-lesslfewer-leastlfewest

You will see some comparatives with meer (more) and superlatives
with meest (most) with adjectives that are only used predicatively,
meaning with adjectives that come after a verb like zijn (to be)
rather than right before a noun. You'll also see this with adjectives
that are formed from past or present participles of verbs.
Zij is meer bereid tot onderhandelen.
She is more willing to negotiate.
Hij was het wachten het meest zat.
He was most fed up with waiting.
Dit is de meest gelezen krant.
This is the most read newspaper.
Adjectives ending with -st, -sd, -sch, -sk and -de use meest in the
superlative to avoid very clumsy consonant clusters.
vast-vaster-meest vast fixed-more fixed-most fixed
verbaasd-verbaasder-meest surprised-more surprised-most
verbaasd surprised
! logisch-logischer-meest logisch /ogica/-more logical-most logica/
' bruusk-bruusker-meest bruusk brusque-more brusque-most
brusque
solide-solider-meest solide solid-more solid-most solid
71
 The use of comparative and superlative adjectives is almost the
same as in English. Don't forget that they're still adjectives, which
means that they'll take the -e agreemen t ending, but only before
nouns.
Amsterda m is de belangrij kste stad van Nederlan d.
Amsterda m is the most important city in the Netherlands.
Ik houd van de kleinere collegezaal.
J like the smaller lecture hall.
Ik vind dat het mooist.
1find that the most beautiful.
The equivalent of than in Dutch is dan. Notice that where English
speakers (sometimes) use object pronouns like him or me after
than, in Dutch you always use a subject pronoun. Also notice that in
English you use the comparative when you're only speaking about
two people or things (she's the taller of the two), but in Dutch you
use the superlative.
Zij is groter dan hij.
She is taller than him/than he (is).
Zij is de grootste van de twee.
She is the taller of the two.

Gramma r point 3: Modal verbs

A modal verb is a grammatica! term for a verb that expresses mo-
dality, in other words a speaker's view about things like necessity,
willingness, ability, and so on. In English, modal verbs are can,
must, have to, want to, and so on. You use them along with another
verb, as in I can speak, or I must speak, or 1 want to speak. Dutch is
similar. You can use a modal verb along with another verb in the
infinitive, but there are word order issues that come into play. Be-
fore we getto them, let's look at the farms of the modal verbs. We'll
start with moeten (must, to have to), which is regular. Rememb er
that since the stem ends in -t, there's no need to add -tin the jij or
hij/z~j/het forms.

ik moet wij/we moeten

jij/je, u moet jullie moeten
hij, zij/ze, het/'t moet zij/ze moeten

The modal willen (to want to) is irregular, because the hij/zijjhe t
forms don't include -t.
72
 ik Wil wij/we willen
jij/je, u wilt jullie willen
hij, zij/ze, het/'t wil zij/ze willen
vou may hear the form je wil (one wants, you [generic] want) in informal conversation.

The modals zullen (will, shall) and kunnen (can, to be able) are ir-
regular in a similar way. The stem vowel changes from u to a in the
ik and hij/zij/het forms, and the -t is also missing in the hij/zij/het
forms.
ik zal, kan wij/we zullen, kunnen
jij/je, u zult, kunt jullie zullen, kunnen
hij, zij/ze, het/'t zal, kan zij/ze zullen, kunnen

Again, you may hear the forms je zal (one will, you fgenericj wil!)
and je kan (one can, people {genericj can) in informal conversa-
tion.

The modal mogen (may) is irregular because its stem vowel changes
from o toa in all of the singular forms, and -t is missing in all of the
singular forms as well.
ik mag wij/we mogen

jij/je, u mag jullie mogen

hij, zij/ze, het/'t mag zij/ze mogen

Naw that we've looked at the forms of the modal verbs, let's focus
on how to use them. Just as in English, you use these Dutch modals
along with a main verb. In Dutch, the modal will be conjugated as
above, and the 111ain verb will be in its infinitive (-en/-n) form. Take
a look at the following pairs.
·· -· - - - --·-···· -·-·
..,,.ek/ik wil spreken . I speakll want to speak

- -~akt/zij moet mf~~en . ---~~-~-~:ak~s/she has to make

But there's one very important point to keep in mind about word
order with modals. If you use a modal, it "sends" the main verb to
the end of the sentence. So if you have a direct object, a location
phrase, or an adverb, t hcy11 all come between the modal and the
main verb. The word order will be:
73
 direct object, main verb
modal
location (infinitive)
(conjugated)
phrase,
adverb, etc.

Let's see how this works with some examples.

Ik wil Nederlands spreken.
I want to speak Dutch.
Zij moet nu huiswerk maken.
She has to do homework now.
Marijke wil de hele dag aardrijkskunde leren.
Marijke wants to study geography the entire day.
Marijke kan dat na het examen doen.
Marijke can do that after the exam.
Maar ze moet goede cijfers halen.
But she has to get good grades.
Mag Marijke een pen van Daan lenen?
May Marijke borrow apen from Daan?
We kunnen het scherm niet zien!
We can't see the screen!
Also, keep in mind that willen means want and not will. In Dutch,
the future is usually expressed with the present tense and some
kind of .adverb or other time reference to indicate the future. But
you can use zullen (will, shall) if you want to give emphasis or indi-
cate some kind of promise or strong conviction.
Ik maak mijn huiswerk later.
J'll do my homework later.
Ik zal mijn huiswerk later maken!
I (absolutely) will do my homework later!

Grammar point 4: Negation with niet and geen

You':e already seen several examples of negation with niet (not) . In

Enghsh, not usually comes right before the (auxiliary) verb, but in
Dutch it can come in a few places. If the whole sentence is negated
niet usually comes at the very end. '
De leerlingen maken hun huiswerk niet.
The students don't do their homework.

74
 Ik weet het antwoord niet.
1 don't know the answer.
In simple sentences with zijn and an adjective, niet usually comes
right before the adjective.
Het examen is niet gemakkelijk.
The exam is not easy.
De overhoringen zijn niet heel moeilijk.
The oral tests aren't very difficult.

Niet can also come right before any element that is specifically ne-
gated, for example an adverb or a prepositional phrase.
Jullie leren niet graag scheikunde.
You don't like to leam chemistry.
De potloden passen niet in het etui.
The pencils don't fit in the case. (Maybe in another one.)
We gaan niet met de trein naar school.
We don't go to school by train. (Maybe by bus or car.)

As you learned in Lesson 2, there's also another negative in Dutch,

geen (no, not any, none). Geen is only used right before nouns, hut
the noun has to be either categorical or indefinite. A categorical
noun is one that refers to a whole category, like vlees (meat) or
leerlingen (students) in the examples below. Niet is not possible in
either of the following examples.
Zij eet geen vlees.
She doesn't eat (any) meat.
Er zijn geen leerlingen.
There aren't any students.

With an indefinite noun phrase, in other words one with een instead
of de, it's possible to use either geen or niet, but geen is preferred.
Dit is geen goede oplossing.
This isn't a good solution.fThere is no good solution.
Dit is niet een goede oplossing.
This is not a good solution.

With a definite noun phrase with de or a possesive, though, geen is

not possible, so niet is the only option for negation.
Dat is niet de eerste keer.
That's not the first time.
Dat is niet onze leraar.
That's not our te~r.
75
 56. READING
Read the following short composition written by Martijn, a student
at a gymnasium. See how much you can understand, and whether
you can get the gist of the parts that are new to you from context.
Ik vind de school heel leuk. Vooral de vakken Latijn en wiskunde
zijn boeiend. Ik moet ook biologie, scheikunde en natuurkunde
in mijn vakkenpakket kiezen, want ik wil arts worden. Mijn ler-
aar zegt: "Je zult op de universiteit gemakkelijker kunnen stud-
eren, als je nu die vakken kiest." Mijn vader is ook arts. Hij werkt
in het ziekenhuis als chirurg. Ik wil net zo goed worden als hij.
Daarom ga ik hard studeren en altijd mijn huiswerk maken. Ik
wil voor ieder proefwerk een goed cijfer halen. Ik hoef nu nog
geen eindexamen te doen. Dat komt pas over drie jaar, maar de
voorbereiding is al begonnen.
I like school very much. Especially the subjects Latin and math are
fascinating. I have to choose biology, chemistry, and physics in my
set of options too, because I want to be a doctor. My teacher says,
"You'll be able to study much easier at the university, if you choose
these subjects naw." My father is a doctor too. He works at the hospi-
tal as a surgeon. I want to become just as good as he is. So J'll study
hard and always do my homework. I want to get a good grade on
every test. I don't need to take the final exams yet. That won't come
for another three years, but it's already time to start preparing. (fit.,
the preparation has begun afready.)

5H. CULTURE NOTE z

We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalien-
able Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent Jrom the
governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destruc-
tive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government. [ ... ] A Prince whose character
is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be
the ruler of a free people. Of course you recognize these words, writ-
ten by Thomas Jefferson, from the Declaration of Independence.
But did you know that in the year i581 the Congress in the Nether-
hmds wrote: It is common knowledge that a sovereign of a country
76
has been appointed by God as a head of his subjects to protect them
and to save them against all injustice, harm and violence. ! . .. ] IJ
he doesn't do sa, but instead of protecting his subjects tries to op-
press them, [ .. · 1 he must not be considered as a sovereign but as a
tyrant. His subjects are free to abandon him and to choose another
sovereign. This text is the beginning of the Plakkaat van Verlat-
inge (Oath of Abjuration), which was the document by which the
Dutch expressed the desire to be freed from the foreign-based rule
of the Spanish king Philip II. The Founding Fathers of the US were
inspired by this Dutch Oath, which served as a model for the Decla-
ration of Independence.
The tradition behind the Dutch declaration goes back at least as far
as 1356, when the Duchess of Brabant married Wenceslas van Lux-
emburg. Before th.is new duke was allowed to reign, he had to ac-
knowledge adherence to a document that clearly expressed that his
new subjects had the right to resist him if he, as their duke, violated
their rights. This document was well known to the Dutch Congress,
and future miers were bound by it, including Philip Il, at least from
the Dutch point of view. Philip didn't quite see things the same
way, and this ultimately led to occupation and continued loyalty to
Spain for what would become Belgium, and independence for what
would become the Netherlands. Not to mention a nice precedent
fora far-away land that would become the United States.
You cah read more about the Oath of Abjuration and Philip II at:
en.wikipediaorg/wiki/Oath _of_ Abjuration, or en.wikipedia.orglwiki/
Philip _II_ of_Spain.

EXERCISES
A. Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
may not need to use every word in the list.
ik, kun, tekenen, geen, niet, uit, school, liever,
moeilijker, vak
Mien: Zeg Kees, wat vind je het leukste vak op
1 ?
Kees: Ik mag graag 2 _ _ _, Mien.
Mien: Dat vind ik ook leuk, maar nog 3___ doe
ik wiskunde.
Kees: Is dat niet het moeilijkste 4 ___op school?
77
 Mien: Nee hoor. Het is nil't :'î dan Duits.

Kees: Die twee vakken 6 ___ __.__ _ je nil't gol'd

vergelijken.
Mien: Dat hoef ik ook niet tt' dot•n : ik ht'b 7 __ __
Duits.

B. Complete each sentence with niet or geen, and translate into

English.
i. Wie is de vader?
2. Er zijn _ _ _ leraren in de school.
3. We hoeven vandaag _ _ _ huiswerk te maken.

4. Zij weten _ _ _ betere school in Nederland.

5. Is dit _ _ _ de bus naar Utrecht?

6. Er is _ _ _ één leerling gezakt voor het examen.

7. Ik ben _ _ _ in Amsterdam.

C. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

1. Martin is a better teacher than me.
2. There are few people in the big station.
3. Who wants to learn the history of the oldest Dutch people?

4. The little girl has to study a bit harder.

5. 1 Jike history and geography.
6. We have to read the hooks, and they have to do their homework .
7. She likes learning languages.
8. I find physics harder than chemistry.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Check out these websites, for different types of schools in the

Netherlands: www.digischool.nl, www.vrijeschooldenhaag.nl.
or www.barlaeus.nl. Choose one of the sites, and explore it. Try
to understand as much as you can, using a dictionary or online
78
 reference if you need to. See if you can write a few simple
sentences about the school you've chosen in your Language
Joumal, perhaps comparing it to a school that you're familiar
with. Challenge yourself to try to express as much as you can,
·and don't worry if your Dutch isn't qui te perfect. The point is
to explore, and see how far you can push the Dutch that you
know already !

AISWER KEY
A.1. school; 2. tekenen; 3. liever; 4. vak; 5. moeilijker ; 6. kun ; 7. geen
B.i. niet, Who isn't the father? 2 . geen, There are no/aren't any teach-
ers in the school. 3. geen, We don 't have to do any homework to-
day. 4. geen, They don't know any better school in the Netherlands.
5. niet, Isn't this the bus to Utrecht ? 6. niet, Not one/not a single
student failed the exam. 7. niet, I'm not in Amsterdam.
C.1.Martin is een betere leraar dan ik. 2. Er zijn weinig mensen in het
grote station. 3. Wie wil de geschiedenis van de oudste Nederlanders
leren? 4. Het kleine meisje moet een beetje harder leren. 5. Ik vind
geschiedenis en aardrijkskunde leuk.fik houd van geschiedenis en
aardrijkskunde. 6. Wij moeten de boeken lezen, en zij moeten hun
huiswerk maken. 7. Ze/zij leert graag talen. 8. Ik vind natuurkunde
moeilijker dan scheikunde.

79
80
 Weer op weg
On the rood again

In Lesson 6 you'll learn how to find your way around a city. That
means asking for and getting directions, which involve a few impor-
tant points that we'll look at closely. First, of course, you'll need to
know questions and question words. You'll also need to understand
some prepositions, those little words like to and from. Believe it or
not, these little words can give language learners a lot of trouble,
because their use tends to differ a lot from language to language.
And finally, you'll need to understand commands. First, let's begin
with a vocabulary warm-up.

6A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

wie? who?
wat? what?
welk/welke? which?
waar? where?
wanneer? when?
hoe? how?
hoeveel? how much, how many?
waarom? why?
waarmee? with what?
met wie? with whom?

68. DIALOGUE

Mieke is visiting Utrecht for the first time. She wants to take a baat
tour of the canals, hut she can't find the boats. Listen in as she asks
Thomas for directions. 81
 Thomas: Kijk uit! Je staat op het fietspad!
Mieke: Sorry! Volgens mij ben ik verdwaald.
Thomas: Waar moet je naartoe·?
Mieke: Ik wil naar de Oude Gracht, naar de
rondvaartboot.
Thomas: Dat is hier de straat uit, dan rechts afslaan
en daarna de tweede straat links, de brug
over, en dan die smalle steeg tussen de
schoenwinkels in. Aan het einde is de Oude
Gracht. De rondvaartboten vertrekken van
tegenover het postkantoor. Je moet naar
beneden, naar de werf bij het water.
Mieke: Dat zal ik doen, bedankt. Maar ik wil je
nog wat anders vragen: Waar kan ik een
plattegrond kopen?
Thomas: Zie je die kerk? Ga rechtdoor langs de
bank en voorbij de stoplichten. Steek
de voorrangsweg over. Dan sta je voor
een boekwinkel. Daar verkopen ze ook
plattegronden.
Mieke: Kan ik daarvandaan gemakkelijk bij het
station komen?
Thomas: Ja, neem de tram. Achter de boekwinkel zie
je een halte naast het stadhuis. Neem de
tram naar het stadion. De andere tram gaat
de verkeerde kant op. Het is twee zones naar
het station.
Mieke: Hartelijk dank!
Thomas: Niets te danken. Kijk voortaan wel uit waar
je loopt!

Thomas: Look out! You're standing in the bike path!

Mieke: Sorry! I think J'm lost.
Thomas: Where do you need to go?
Mieke: I want to go to the Old Canal, to the tour baat.
Thomas: Go to the end of the street, then turn right, and
after that take the second street on the left,
across the bridge, and then into that narrow
alley between the shoe stores. At the end is the
82
 Old Cmwl. The tour hollts leun• /rom tlcross
Jrom the post office. ){Ju lwve to qo down. to
the lower </WIV on the w11ter. .
Wieke: f1/ do thut. thank.'\. Rut f WWI( to usk VOi/
sonwthing else. i\'here cw11hm•11 streef nwp!'
Thomas: Do you see that church!' Go strui11ht uhcwi.
along the side of the honk mul p;1st the tmf /ic
lights. The11you11 cross tht' thorouqh/art' wui
youll he standi11g in front of 11 hooC.;,turc. The\'
sell streef maps there. too.

Mieke: Can l getto the statio11 e11sil\· /rom there:'

Thomas: )es, take the stret:'tcar. Hehind the hookstore
youll SPI:' a stop 11e\t to cif\' h11/I. fokt' the
streetcar to the stwiiwn. The othcr strt•ct,·nr
goes the wronq wnv. lts two ~oncs to the
station.

Mieke: Thank )'011 wrv rnuch .'

Thomas: No prohlem. Look out whcre vou rt' wulk in</
from TIOW OTI ·'

6C. VOCABULARY
aan at, on
achter behind

afslaan to make a turn: to turn off

ander other

bank (de; banken) bank, soja

bij near

boekwinkel (de; -winkels) bookstore

brug (de; bruggen) bridge

daarvandaan from there

door through, by

fietspad (het; -paden) bike path

gebouw (het; gebouwen) building
gracht(de;grachten) canal
halte (de; haltes) stop (bus/streetcar)
83
 i Il i f/, /(//()

kant (df•; kalll1'11) iflff'I /tof/, WUV, \idf'

kantoor (het; ka11ton•11) u//u ,,

kerk (de; knkf•n) 1l11mh

kopen to lmy

links "'f 1
linksaf l<'/1 turn, to the le/t

met with

na aft er

naar to

naast next to

om arourul, at (a time}, /or (u n'11\un1

onder wzder, mnong

op on, in
over over, above, across, uhuut
oversteken to cross (over)
plattegrond (de; -gronden) street map
postkantoor (het; -kantoren) post office
rechtdoor straight ahead
rechts right
rechtsaf right turn, to the right
rondvaartboot (de; -boten) tour baat
smal narrow
stadion (het; stadions) stadium
steeg (de; stegen) alley
stoplicht (het; -lichten) traffic light
straat (de; straten) street
te to (before a verb)
tegen against
tegenover across (trom)
tijdens during

84
 tot to, as far as, until
tra.ID (de; trams) streetcar
nissen between, among
uit out,from
uitkijken to look out
van offrom
verdwalen to get lost
verkeerd wrong
verkopen to sell
vertrekken to leave
volgens according to
voor infront of beforeJor
voorbij beyond, past
voorrangsweg (de; -wegen) major raad, thoroughfare
voortaan from naw on
wat ànders something else
werf (de; werven) (lower) quay. area alongside a
canal used for loading and storage
winkel (de; winkels) shop, store
zeggen to say

6D. KEY PHIASES

Here are some key phrases that will help you get around town.
Hoe kom ik bij het station? How do I get to the train station?

Hoe ver is het vanaf het How far is it from the airport?
vliegveld?
Ik moet naar hotel Terminus. I need to go to the Hotel Tenninus.

Waar is de bushalte? Where is the bus stop?

Waar kan ik een taxi vinden? Where can I find a taxi?

Hoeveel is de ritprijs? How much is the Jare?

Is er in de buurt een goed Is there a good restaurant in the

restaurant? neighborhood?
85
 Is er een apothee k vlakbij het Js there a pharmac y near the hotel?
hotel?
Waar gaat deze trein naartoe? Where is this train going?

Zijn deze plaatsen vrij? Are these seats free?

Mag ik uw plaatsbe wijs zien? May 1 see your ticket?
Dit kaartje is niet meer geldig. This ticket isn 't va/id anymore.
U zit in de verkeerd e trein. You're on the wrong train.
Hoe ver is het nog? How far is it from here?
Moet ik hier overstap pen? Do I have to change here?
Waar moet ik uitstapp en? Where do l have to get off?
Goede reis! Have a good trip!

&E. CULTURE NOTE 1

The Netherlands is no stranger to traffic and congestion. Most city
centers were built in the Middle Ages, so many streets are too nar-
row for cars, and parking can be a challenge, too. Thankfully, dis-
tances are usually not very great, and hills and mounta ins are not
exactly commonplace, so a lot of people opt to go to work op de
fiets (by bike). Cyclists have their own fietspad en (bike paths or
tracks), stoplich ten (traffic lights) and fietsens tallinge n (bicycle
sheds). In Amsterdam there was a city bike program once, called
the Wittefie tsenplan (white bike plan), which allowed people to
borrow bikes. Nowadays you have to rent a bike, hut similar lend-
ing programs have been planned for other cities. In cities a bike can
get around as fast as a car, and bromfie tsen or bromm ers (mopeds)
are even faster. Public transportation is making a comeback, so
people have plenty of other options, too. Treinen (trains), metro's
(subways), trams (streetcars) and bussen (buses) are more frequent
than in the past. People use a strippen kaart ("strip" card) to pay for
bu~ses and streetcars. A certain number of strips on the card
are
sttUnped, dependi ng on the number of zones a commu ter passes
through . (The total number is the number of zones plus one.) But
in the near future a kind of credit card will be used instead. But of
course, people everywhere sometimes prefer to simply drive their
,own cars to work. And every morning this means the same thing:
·· file (a traffic jam)!

86
 for more information on transportation in Amsterdam, check out:
www.gvb.nl/english/
www.amsterdam.info/transport/

6F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: Word order
Now that you have a decent amount of Dutch grammar under your
belt, and you've seen and learned how to produce a good range of
sentences, let's take a moment to talk about word order in Dutch.
Even though Dutch and English are close collsins linguistically
speaking, this is one area where the languages can really part ways.
The most important point to keep in mind is that in simple declara-
tive sentences, the position of main verbs is pretty much fixed; it
comes second. That usually looks just like English, if the first word
(or phrase) in a sentence is the subject. Take a look at these exam-
ples, where phrases are separated by vertical lines.
Ik 1ga 1met de trein 1naar Groningen.
J'm going to Groningen by train.
Mieke en Thomas 1 spreken 1 geen Engels.
Mieke and Thomas don't speak English.
If a sentence starts with something other than a subject, for exam-
ple with an adverb or some word that is emphasized, then the verb
still holds on to its second position, and the subject comes after it.
The only time you see something like this in English is in construc-
tions like Never have I seen such a thing before! But it's completely
common, and in fact required, in Dutch.
Misschien 1gaat 1hij 1vanavond 1 zwemmen.
Maybe he'll go swimming tonight.
Maandagmorgen vroeg 1 stapt 1 zij 1 om zes uur 1 op haar fiets.
Early Monday morning she gets on her bike at six o'clock.
Dat 1 doe 1 ik 1 nooit!
I never do THAT!
In Lesson 5, you learned that modal verbs like willen (want) and
moet.en {must) send the main verb to the end of the clause.
Ik 1 wil 1 met de trein 1 naar Groningen 1 gaan.
I want to go to Groningen by train.

87
 We 1moeten 1morgen 1werken.
We have to work tomorrow.
As you can see, it's possible for other elements of main clauses to
shift around in Dutch, hut the (conjugated) verb always wants to
be in the second position. In fact, depending on what you want
to stress, you can say pretty much the same thing in a few differ-
ent ways in Dutch, as long as the main verb doesn't move. The fol-
lowing sentences all mean: They still have to wait for the bus from
Utrecht for about another quarter of an hour. The first translation is
neutra!, the second one stresses the amount of time, and the third
stresses the particular bus.
Zij 1moeten 1nog ongeveer een kwartier 1op de bus uit Utrecht 1
wachten.
Nog ongeveer een kwartier 1moeten1zij1 op de bus uit Utrecht 1
wachten.
Op de bus uit Utrecht 1moeten 1zij 1nog ongeveer een kwartier 1
wachten.
We'll take a look at questions with question words in a moment,
hut as you can see, the word order is such that the (conjugated) verb
is still in the second position.
Wanneer 1 komt 1 hij 1 thuis?
When does he get home?
Wat 1 willen 1 jullie 1 eten?
What do you (pl.) want to eat?
Way back in Lesson I, you learned that yes-no questions are formed
by putting the verb first, so they're an exception to the verb-second
generalization. Imperatives (Stop that! Leave now!) and dependent
dauses (He said that he's leaving. She asked why he left.) are also ex-
ceptions. We'll deal with imperatives in this lesson, and we'll carne
back to dependent clauses later.

.Grammar point :z: lmperatives

Imperatives, or commands, are an exception to the verb-second

rule. But they're just like English: The verb comes first. The form
of the imperative is simple. It's just the stem of the verb, which
means that sometimes you'll have to double a vowel or use a single
consonant in spelling. The only irregular imperative is wees from
zijn (to be). '

88
 l)oe het niet!
Don't do it!
Wacht op mij!
Waitforme!
Geef een tram altijd voorrang!
Always yield Jor a streetcar !
Bel me op!
Call me.
Wees niet bang!
Don't be afraid.

It's also possible to have two verbs in a command, in which case the
main verb comes first, and then the second verb comes at the end,
in the infinitive form.
Ga eens staan!
Get up!
Laat de mensen eerst even uitstappen!
Let the people get offfirst!

The words eens (once) and even (just) mean nothing literal in these
contexts, hut they make a command more friendly.
You can also give commands by using an infinitive or a past par-
ticiple. We'll comeback to the form of the participle later, but for
now just take a look at these examples.
Niet doen!
Don't do it!
Uitstappen!
Getoff!
Opgelet!
Be careful!
And finally, you can express commands with the modals moeten,
mogen, or kunnen.
Je mag dat niet doen!/Dat mag je niet doen!
You 're not allowed to do that!
Je moet dat niet doen!/Dat moet je niet doen!
You shouldn't do that!
Je kunt dat niet doen!jDat kun je niet doen!
You can 't do that!

89
 Grammar point 3: Questions and question words
As you already know, yes-no questions are another exception to the
verb-second rule. The main (conjugated) verb always comes first.
Don't forget that the -t in the jij form is dropped in this order.
Bestel je een taxi?
Are you calling a taxi?
Komt de trein eraan?
Is the train coming?
Hebt u een plaatsbewijs?
Do you have a ticket?
Zijn we er allemaal?
Are we all here?
You can of course ask questions with interrogatives, or question
words. You saw a number of them in the vocabulary warm-up, so
let's see some examples now. Remember that in questions in Dutch,
you don't need to use do or does as a helping verb. Simply start with
the question word, put the verb second, and then say the rest.
Wat zeg je?
What are you saying?
Wie reist vandaag per trein?
Who's traveling by train today?
Welke mensen gaan niet fietsen?
Which people aren't going biking?
Wanneer komt hij thuis?
When is he getting home?
Waarom is het geen goede auto?
Why is it nota good car?
Van wie leen je geld?
Who do you borrow money from?
Waarmee kan ik u van dienst zijn?
What can I do for you?
Hoe vindt u de weg?
How do you find your way?

66. READING
Read the following short passage about Thomas, from our dialogue.
Can you follow everything?
90
 Ik zie een jonge vrouw midden op het fietspad! Ik waarschuw
haar. Ze wil naar de rondvaartboot, zegt ze. Ze is verdwaald,
want ze heeft geen plattegrond. Ik zeg haar hoe ze moet lopen.
ze gaat rechts de hoek om en daarna de tweede straat links.
Aan het einde ligt de boot langs de werf. De plattegrond moet ze
kopen in de boekwinkel voorbij de kerk. Dan kan ze ook de
weg naar het station vinden. Ze hoeft maar op de plattegrond
te kijken. Ze kan de tram nemen, maar ze kan ook gaan lopen.
Het is niet zo ver. De vrouw bedankt me hartelijk voor mijn hulp.
Ik zeg: "Niets te danken. Kijk voortaan wel uit waar je loopt!"
J see a young woman in the middle of the bike path! I wam her. She
wants to go to the tour baat, she says. She's lost, because she has no
street map. I tel/ her how she has to go. She goes around the corner
to the right and then takes a left at the second street. At the end is
the baat alongside the lower quay. She can buy the street map in the
bookstore past the church. Then she can also find her way to the sta-
tion. She just has to look at the street map. She can take a streetcar,
but she can walk, too'. lt isn't so far away. The woman thanks me for
my help. I say: "No problem. Watch out where you're walking from
nowon!"

6H. CULTURE NOTE :z

In the year 1814, after the French occupation, the Netherlands were
reunited and the Prince of Orange-Nassau was made king. England
and Prussia had wanted a strong country on the northern border
of France, hut things didn't quite go according to plan. By i830,
the years of separation of the territories proved to be more than
a match for the wishes of the king, and Belgium became indepen-
dent. Since that time, the relationship between the two nations
has varied. In the beginning, Belgium was really a French nation,
despite its historica! ties to the Netherlands. The government, the
politicians, the upper classes, the clergy, and the officers all spoke
French. The Flemings, on the other hand, spoke several Dutch dia-
lects and couldn't understand their own leaders, who in any event
disdained them. This language harrier within a single society was
so great that in World War 1, many Flemish soldiers <lied because
they couldn't understand orders given by their commanders. But
Flemish would begin to gain ground. In 1918, for example, the Uni-
versity of Gent adopted the Dutch language, giving it amore official
status within Belgium. Nowadays, Dutch, or rather Vlaams (Flem-
ish), is the language spoken in Vlaanderen (Flanders), and the Flem-

91
 ings are partly independent. They share a federal government and él
king with the French-speaking Walloons and the Gerrnan -speakin g
people in the Oostkantons (the eastern parts of the country) , but
they have their own government bodies and politica! parties. D('. -
spite the division of this historica! region in to separate nations, thf'.
Dutch, Belgian, and Luxembourg governments signed an economi-
cal treaty in i960, and this has in a sense maintained the territoria!
integrity of the "Benelux." And the Dutch and Flemish governmenh
also signed a treaty regarding cooperation in matters concerning
the Dutch and Flemish language in i980, known as the Taalunie
(Language Union) . The union has even grown: In 2004 Suriname
was added as a member.

EXERCISES
A. Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogu e. You
may not need to use every word in the list.
naar, niet, kopen, ik, het, langs, geen, afslaan, de, dank
Katja: Kunt u mij de weg i _ _ _ het station
zeggen, meneer?
Henk: Jawel. Dan moet u bij het stoplicht links
2
---
Katja: Zal ik dan ook 3 een boekwinkel
komen? - --

Henk: Nee, daar vindt u 4 _ __ boekwinkel. Er is

een boekwinkel achter het station.
Katja: 0, dat is mooi. Dan kan ik daar een boek
5 _ _.

.. , m aar u moet niet op 6 _ _ _ fietspad

Henk: Goed
blIJven staan!
Katja: U hebt gelijk. ? _ _ _ dank u!
Henk: Geen 8_.-~' en goede reis!

B.. Fill in each blank with the right form of the .

translate into English. verb g1ven, and

-1 . mogen: U hier niet staan.

~en: Waar wij de bus nemen?

92
 3.geven: ___ mij de plattegrond! (imperative)
4. wachten: Ik ___ op de trein.
5. zijn: ___ dit de boot naar Amsterdam?
6. krijgen: Vandaag ___ u Engelse les.

7. willen: Wie ___ dit boek van mij lenen?

8. hebben: ___ jij ook een nieuwe fiets?

C. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

i. Go straight ahead to the bank. There you have to cross the street.
(infml. sg.)
2. Do they sell hooks at the station?
3. In front of the church there's a bookstore. Wait there for the bus.
4. The other streetcar goes the wrong way.
5. Maybe she wants to bike today.
6. Who are you borrowing that car from? (fml. sg.)

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Now it's time to practice what you've learned in your Dutch

journal. This time you'll plan a trip by bus, baat, and train. So
you may want to visit the website of the Dutch OV, or open-
baar vervoer (public transport) at www.9292ov.nl. Plan out a
trip from Vismarkt (under straat) in Den Burg (under plaats)
to the Vrijthof in Maastricht and see if you can follow the
travel instructions. What forms of transportation would you
take? How long would the trip last? How much would it cost?
For more information on getting around in the Netherlands,
check out www.ov-chipkaart.nl, where you can get information
on the new chipkaart, or www.ov-fiets.nl, where you can learn
about renting a bike. Remember to make a note of what you
find, including new vocabulary or other useful information, in
your journal. And feel free to explore the links to businesses
and other sites that wil challenge your Dutchl

93
 ANSWER KEY
A.1. naar; 2. afslaan ; 3. langs ; + geen ; 5. kopen ; 6. h et; 7. ik ; 8. dank
B. 1. mag, You are not allowed to stand here. 2. kunnen , Where can we
take the bus? 3. geef, Give me the street map! 4. wac ht, I'm waiting
for the train. 5. is, Is this the boat to Am sterdam ? 6. krij gt, Today
you have (!it., get) an English lesson . 7. wil, Who wants to borrow
this book from me? 8. heb, Do you have a new bike too?
C. 1. Ga rechtdoor tot de bank. Daar moet je de straat oversteken.
2.Verkopen ze boeken op het station? 3. Voor de kerk is er een boek-
winkel. Wacht daar op de bus. 4. De andere tram gaat de verkeerde
kant op. 5. Misschien wil zij vandaag fietsen. 6. Van wie lee nt u die
auto?

94
 LESSON

7 Wie belt daar?

Who's calling?

This lesson focuses on talking on the telephone, which is always

a bit of a challenge for speakers of a new language. But it's essen-
tial for things like making appointments, so we'll focus on vocabu-
lary that will come in handy for scheduling things. That of course
means that you'll learn the days of the week and how to tell time.
You'll also learn how to speak in the past tense with the verbs zijn
(to be) and hebben (to have). But first, let's begin with a vocabulary
warm-up!

7A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

de dagen van de week the days of the week
maandag Monday
dinsdag Tuesday
woensdag Wednesday
donderdag Thursday
vrijdag Friday
zaterdag Saturday
zondag Sunday
maandagsfs maandags onMondays
dinsdags on Tuesdays

woensdags/'s woendags on Wednesdays

donderdags on Thursdays

vrijdags on Fridays

zaterdags on Saturdays

zondags on Sundays
95
 vandaag today
morgen tomorrow
gisteren yesterday
overmorge n the day ajter tomorrow
eergisteren the day before yesterday

78. DIALOGU E
Marie is calling a catering company to order food for a conference.
Listen in as she speaks to Marc.
Marc: Goedemiddag, cateringbe drijf De Warme
Hap, met Marc de Vries.
Marie: Goedemiddag, met Marie Huybrecht s. Ik
wil graag een afspraak maken over een
bestelling voor een congres.
Marc: Op welke dag is het congres?
Marie: Volgende week op woensdag negenentw intig
maart en donderdag dertig maart.
Marc: En wat zullen de deelnemer s dan eten?
Marie: We beginnen woensdag om tien uur met
koffie en cake. Om half één is er een kleine
lunch. Om kwart voor vijf sluiten we af
met een borrel. We dineren rond zeven uur.
Donderdag beginnen we klokslag negen uur.
Om kwart over twaalf is er een uitgebreide
lunch. We eindigen in de middag rond vier
uur met thee en koffie.
Marc: Oké, en hoeveel mensen zullen er
deelnemen ?
Marie: Er komen tweehonde rdvierenze stig mensen.
Marc: Wilt u langskome n om van tevoren te
proeven?
Marie: Ja graag. Vorig jaar mei waren er toch wat
minder lekkere broodjes bij.
Marc: Dat had niet mogen gebeuren! Welke
broodjes had u toen besteld?

96
Marie: We hadden krentenbollen en luxebroodjes
met kaas en ham.
Marc: We zullen er extra goed op letten. Wanneer
wilt u langskomen?
Marie: Aanstaande vrijdag om tien voor half drie?
Marc: Dat kan. Vrijdags ben ik er. Mag ik uw
telefoonnummer nog noteren?
Marie: Dat is nul dertig, negenenzestig,
éénenzeventig, drieënveertig, acht.
Marc: Dank u wel, het staat genoteerd. Ik zie u
komende vrijdag. Goedemiddag.
Marie: U ook nog een fijne middag.

Marc: Good afternoon, "De Warme Hap" catering, this

is Marc de Vries speaking.
Marie: Good afternoon, this is Marie Huybrechts. J'd
like to make an appointment about a delivery
for a conference.
Marc: Which day is the conference?
Marie: Next week on Wednesday, March 29t1', and
Thursday, March 3d".
Marc: And what wil! the attendees eat?
Marie: We'll start on Wednesday at ten o'clock with
coffee and cake. At half past twelve there will
be a small lunch. At a quarter to five we'll finish
off with drinks. We'll have dinner at around
seven o'clock. On Thursday we'll start right
at nine o'clock (lit., at the stroke of nine). At a
quarter past twelve there will be a full lunch.
We'll end in the afternoon around Jour o'clock
with tea and coffee.
Marc: Okay, and how many people will participate?
Marie: There are two hundred sixtyjour people
coming.
Marc: Would you like to come over Jor a tasting in
advance?
Marie: Yes, please. Last year in May there were some
not-sa-delicious rolls.

97
 Marc: That shouldn't have happened! Which rails rlid
you order then?
Marie: We had currant buns and rails with cheese ond
ham.
Marc : We 'll be extra careful about that. When would
you like to come over?
Marie: Next Friday, at twenty past two?
Marc : That works. J'm here on Fridays. Can 1 take
down your telephone number?
Marie: Jt's zero thirty, sixty-nine, seventy-o ne,forty-
three, eight.
Marc: Thank you very much. Jt 's noted. J'll see you
next Friday. Goodbye.
Marie: Have a nice day.

7C. VOCABULARY
aanstaande next
afsluiten to close, to finish up
afspraak (de; afspraken) appointm ent
bestellen to order, to deliver
bestelling (de; bestellingen) order, delivery
borrel (de; borrels) drink(s)
broodje (de; broodjes) roll
cake(de; cakes) cake
cateringbedrijf (het; -bedrijven) catering company
congres (het; congressen) conferenc e
deelneme n to participat e, to attend
deelnemer (de; deelnemers) participa nt, attendee
eindigen to end
extra special, extra
gebeuren to happen
graag willen to like to

98
 bam (de; hammen) ham
hoeveel? how mueh ?, how many !'
jaar (het; jaren) year
kaas (de; kazen) eheese
klokslag negen uur right at nine o 'doek
komende vrijdag next Frida y
krentenbol (de; -bollen) eurmnt bun
langskomen to eome over
lekker tasty, delicious
luxebroodje (het; -broodjes) roll, bun
maand (de; maanden) month
noteren to note, to write down
opletten to pay attention
proeven to taste
rond vier uur around jour o 'doek
telefoonnummer (het; telephone number
-nummers)
uitgebreid sumptuous
van tevoren in advanee
volgende week next week
vorig jaar last year
week (de; weken) week

Let's also add the months of the year.

januari juli
februari augustus
maart september
april oktober
mei november
juni december

99
 7D. KEY PHRASES
Here are some phrases that will come in handy when using the
telephone.
Is er dichtbij een telefooncel? Is there a public plume nenrby ?
Kan ik je mobieltje lenen? May J borrow your cel! phone?

Kan ik met Piet spreken? Mny J speak with Piet?

Kunt u me verbinden met Can you connect me to extension
nummer 214? 214,plense?
Ik moet mijn voicemail J need to check my voicemail.
checken.
Daar spreekt u mee. This is he/she. Speaking.
Een ogenblikje geduld, Just n moment, please.
alstublieft.
Blijft u even aan de lijn, a.u.b.! Please hold!
Kan ik een boodschap Can 1 leave a messa ge?
achterlaten?
Kunt u me verbinden met zijn/ Can you con11ect me to his/ her
haar voicemail? voicemail?
Ik zet u even in de wacht. J'm going to put you on holdfor n
moment.
Dit telefoongesp rek kost u This phone call wil! cost you fifty
vijftig cent per minuut. cents per minute.
Ik heb hem eergisteren nog I had him on the phone the day
aan de lijn gehad. before yesterday.
Ik heb je moeder aan de lijn! Your mot her is on the phone !
Overmorgen kan ik leveren. I can deliver the day ajter
tomorrow.
Kunt u dat voor me spellen? Can you spel! it for me?
Tot horens! Talk to you soon! J'll be hearing
from you!
Pardon, dan heb ik een J'm sorry, J've got the wrong
verkeerd nummer gedraaid. number.

100
 7E. CULTURE NOTE 1

If you call people in the Netherlands or in Flanders, you'll notice

that most people simply say their name when answering the phone.
The equivalent of the greeting heila? isn't used. Since it's often hard
for learners of a language to understand things on the phone, when
all of the visual cues are missing, you might need these expres-
sions: Sorry, dat heb ik niet verstaan. (J'm sorry; J didn't catch
that.), Kunt u dat herhalen? (Can you repeat that?), Wilt u wat
langzamer spreken? (Can you speak more slowly ?) And if someone
asks you to spell your name, it will be useful for you to know the
words that are used in the Netherlands and in Flanders to mean dif-
ferent letters. The following is amore local variation on the NATO
alphabet alpha bravo Charlie ... , which many Dutch and Flem-
ish people know from their time in the armies. The Dutch version
(Anna) is given first, followed by the Flemish version (Arthur) after
the slash.
A Anna/Arthur Johan/Jozef Simon/Sofie
B Bernard/Brussel K Karel/kilogram T Theodoor/telefoon

Cornelis/Carolina Lodewijk/Leopold u Utrecht/Ursula

D Dirk/Désiré M Marie/Maria v Victor

Eduard/Emiel N Nico/Napoleon W Willem/Waterloo

Ferdinand/Frederik 0 Otto/Oscar x Xantippe/Xavier

G Gerard/Gustaaf p Pieter/piano IJ IJsbrand

H Hendrik/Hendrik Q quotiënt/quotiënt y ypsilon/Yvonne

lzaäk/lsidoor R Rudolf/Robert z Zaandam/zero

7F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: Simple past of zijn and hebben

The verbs zijn and hebben are as important and irregular as the
English to be and to have. Here are the simple past conjugations of
both verbs.

ik was I was

jij/je was you were

u was you were

hij, zij/ze, het/'t was he, she, it was

101
 wij/we waren we were

jullie waren you were

zij/ze waren they were

ik had /had

jij/je had you had

u had you had

hij, zij/ze, het/'t had he, she, it had

wij/we hadden we had

jullie hadden you had

zij/ze hadden they had

We waren gisteren in Amsterdam.

We were in Amsterdam yesterday.
Hij was niet thuis, maar zijn vrouw en zijn dochters waren dat wel.
He wasn't home, hut his wife and his daughters were (Zit., were that
indeed).
Ze hadden een heel groot huis op Schiermonnikoog.
They had a very big house on Schiermonnikoog.
Had je een hond of een kat?
Did you have a dog or a cat?

Grammar point :z: Numbers above :zo and dates

In Lesson 3 you learned the numbers één through tien, and then in
Lesson 4 you learned elf through twintig. Let's continue counting.
As you can see below, a lot of Dutch numbers are very similar to
English numbers. These shouldn't give you any trouble; the only
major difference is that numbers like tweehonderd (two hundred)
are spelled together as one word.
tien ten
twintig twenty
: dertig thirty
1 veertig forty
1 vijftig ftfty
1---- ,,_ ' - ~ -- ,

~~~---- sixty

102
 !zeventig seventy
tachtig eighty
negentig ninety
honderd (de; honderden) hundred
tweehonderd two hundred
driehonderd three hundred
negenhonderd nine hundred
., .
negenhonderddertien nine hundred and thirteen
duizend (de; duizenden) thousand

Notice that honderd and duizend are both de-words, and that they
have plurals, as in hundreds and thousands. Miljoen, miljard en
biljoen are all het-words, on the other hand. Notice that in spelling,
there's a space in between, for example, thousands and hundreds.
Also notice that Dutch biljoen does not correspond to English bil-
/ion. Instead, miljard is billion, and biljoen is trillion.
drieduizend zeshondertwaalf three thousand six hundred and
twelve

miljoen (het; miljoenen) mil/ion

miljard (het; miljarden) billion

biljoen (het; biljoenen) tril/ion

When you add ones to tens in Dutch, the word order is different.
Instead of twenty-one the Dutch say one-and-twenty, just as in Ger-
man if you're familiar with that language.
twenty-one
twenty-two
twenty-three
vierentwintig twenty-four
vijfentwintig twenty-five
zesentwintig twenty-six
zevenentwintig twenty-seven
*The two dots on the-•- are called a trema (dieresis). In Dutch wrlting it's the signal
that a new syll.aele btglns. So there are four syllables: twee-en-twln-tlg.

103
 achtentwintig twenty-eight
negenentwintig twenty-nine
vierenveertig forty-four
zevenentachtig eighty-seven

One important thing to keep in mind about written numbers is that

Dutch, like many European languages, uses periods where English uses
commas, and commas where English uses periods. So: tienduizend is
10.000 (with a period) and vier en een half is 4,5 (with a comma).

Ordinal numbers are: eerste (first), tweede (second), derde (third),

vierde (fourth), vijfde (fifth), zesde (sixth), zevende (seventh),
achtste (eighth), negende (ninth), tiende (tenth), elfde (eleventh) ,
twaalfde (twelfth). Notice that most take the ending -de, except
eerste and achtste. The remaining ordinals in the teens all take
the ending-de: dertiende, veertiende, vijftiende, zestiende, zeven-
tiende, achttiende, negentiende. The higher ordinals all end in
-ste: twintigste, tweeëntwintigste, honderdste, driehonderdste,
duizendste, vijfmiljoenste 1 and so on.
When giving dates in Dutch, say the day first , and then the month, anJ
finally the year. Ordinal numbers are not used in dates in Dutch, hut
rather the cardinal numbers, right before the name of the month.
één april the first of April, April first
July rfh

12-1-2009

Grammar point 3: Telling time

To ask what time it is, say hoe laat is het? (!it., how late is it?). If
the answer is a whole hour, it's simply the number plus the word
~ur (hour). T~ spe~ify ':hich pa~t of the day, you c~n use 's morgens
(m the mornzng), s middags (m the afternoon), s avonds (in the
e;e~ing), or 's nachts (at night). Notice that in writing, één (one) is
d1stmguished from een (a, an).
3:00 am drie uur 's nachts
11:00 am elf uur 's morgens
1:00 pm één uur 's middags

negen uur 's avonds

104
 Minutes past the hour are introduced by over, and minutes before
the hour by voor. A quarter of an hour is kwart.

vijf over drie 's middags

kwart over elf 's morgens
kwart voor vijf 's middags
tien over zes 's avonds
11:55 pm vijf voor twaalf 's avonds

If it's half past an hour, this is expressed in Dutch as half followed

by the next hour.

half twee 's middags

half acht 's avonds

And the half hour is used as the point of reference for times from
about a quarter after the hour to a quarter to the (next) hour. So,
2:25 is expressed as five minutes before half three.
1
12:i5 pm vijf voor half drie 's middags
7:20 pm tien voor half acht 's avonds
8:40 pm tien over half negen 's avonds
vijf over half twee 's nachts

To ask what time something happens, use the expression hoe laat?
The answer will include om (at). To give an imprecise time, use
rond (about, lit., around) and to indicate that it's towards a certain
time, use tegen (lit. against).
Hoe laat begint de film?
What time does the film begin?
Hoe laat komt de trein uit Utrecht aan?
What time does the train from Utrecht arrive?
De trein komt om kwart over elf 's morgens aan.
The train arrives at 11: 15 in the morning.
De film begint rond acht uur.
The film begins at about 8:00.
Het liep tegen middernacht.
It was toward midnight. (fit., lt was running ...)

105
 Finally, in official schedules, you'll se(' the 2-4 -hour clock usf'd , s< i
7:10 in the evening will he listed as 19 : 10.

76. READING
Read the following short passage, by Marc de Vries from our
dialogue.
Vorige week had ik een telefoongesprek met Marie Huybrechts.
Ze wilde een afspraak maken over een bestelling voor een con-
gres. Dat congres is morgen op negenentwintig juni en over-
morgen op dertig juni. Er komen driehonderdéénenzeventig
deelnemers. Ze willen woensdag eerst koffie. Om half twee is
er een lunch en om kwart voor vijf een borrel. Het diner is rond
zeven uur. Donderdag begint het congres om klokslag half tien.
Om tien voor half één lunchen ze. 's Middags om vier uur is het
afgelopen. De vorige keer waren de broodjes niet zo lekker. Dat
mag niet nog eens gebeuren!
Last week I had a telephone call with Mnri e Huyhrechts. s·he wrmted
to make an appointment ahout o deliveryfor a conference. Thnl co n·
ference is tomorrow, on fune twentyninth , and the duy after tomor-
row, on fune thirtieth. Three hundrerl (JfUf seventy-one uttendees wil/
carne. On Wednesday, they wont coffee first. A t huif past one th ere
will be a lunch, and at a quarter to five there wil/ he drinks (fit " a
drink). The dinner will be at seven o "clock. On Thursday the confer-
ence wil/ start at (fit., the stroke of} haljpost nine. At twenty rninutes
past twelve they will have lunch. At four o'clock in the afterrwon it
will finish up. The last time the buns weren 'tso tasty. Thclt shouldn t
happen again !

JH. CULTURE NOTE 2

Orange is the color of the Dutch. When a Dutch sports tea111 01

individual Dutch athletes are playing somewhere, you'll sec rnany
Dutch supporters with the color orange on flags, hats, jackcts. shirts .
pants, umbrellas, balloons, and so on. This is because orange is <iiso
the. color of the Dutch royal family, the House of Oranje Nasscttt .
~h1ch d~tes back to Willem van Oranje, who died in is8 4 . Arnong
bis holdmgs was the French Principality Orange, in southcrn
·. France on the river Rhone. Through history the co lor orange bas

106
 been used by people to support the federation or country, or the
prince or king. Things haven't changed. If you want to see a lot of
Dutch orange, the two best places are either a sports game, or a pa-
rade on Koninginnedag (Queen's Day). This national holiday was
originally held on August 3 1 '\ in honor of Queen Wilhelmina, and
then later it was moved to April in honor of Queen Juliana. Now it
is on April 3d'\ in honor of Queen Beatrix. In the future there will
be a Koningsdag (King's Day), in honor of King Willem-Alexander.
Although the date isn't certain, there will probably still be a lot of
orange! For more information, check out these sites:
www.knvb.nl The official site of the Royal
Netherlands Soccer Association,
KNVB (Koninklijke Nederlandse
Voetbalbond).
www.koninklijkhuis.nl The Dutch royal family's site, with
information on Koninginnedag
(Queen's Day).

EXERCISES
A. Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
may not need to use every word in the list.
dan, op, meer, het, gisteren, hadden, waren, dank, thee
Marc: Had u gisteren driehonderd broodjes met kaas
voor I _ _ _ congres?
Marie: Nee, ik had 2 _ _ _ vierhonderd broodjes
met ham. Eergisteren waren er driehonderd
broodjes met kaas.
Marc: Was de koffie dan 3___ maandag?
Marie: Ja, toen 4 _ _ _ de mensen van de bank hier.
Die dronken veel koffie.
Marc: 0 ja, maandag had u nog S_ _ _ koffie
nodig.
Marie: Ja, maar 6 _ _ _ was er genoeg.
Marc: Dronken de mensen maar meer thee 7 _ __
koffie!
Marie: Ja, dan 8 _ _ _ wij het gemakkelijker!

107
 B. Write out the following numbers in Dutch.

1. 30
2. 28

3. 1 37
4. 1098
5· 20.000
6. 4.000.000.000

7. 12.345

8. 33.333

C. Write out the following times in Dutch, including phrases like in

the morning, in the aftemoon.
i. 2:30 am

3. 10:45 am
4. 12:00 pm

5· 5:55 pm
6. 9:15 pm
7.11:2opm
8. 12:00 am

D. Translate the following sentences into Dutch. Don't worry if

you're unsure of some of the vocabulary or some of the grammar.
Just do your best, and compare your answers to the correct answers
in the key.
i. At the stroke of twelve we had sixty-three attendees in the churc:h.
2. That was the seventh conference after April 181h.
3. We want to return at twenty-five past ten p.m.

4. He had a new telephone number: twenty-eight, forty-three, seventy-

one.

108
 5. There were a lot of delicious currant huns on father's forty-first
birthday.
6. You have to call number sixteen, ninety-four, twenty-three right
away! (fml.)

7. Who is she making an appointment with in the bookstore on Mon-

day?
8. The day before yesterday there were three thousand seven hundred
twenty-five children in the new stadium.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Now it's your turn to practice everything you've learned so far

by putting it in your Dutch journal. This time you'll be planning
a work day, from when you get up at 7:25 in the morning until
you go to bed at 11:55 at night. Plan your meals, working time,
coffee breaks and a visit to the theater. And please, don't forget
to pick up your children at day care at 5 :40 in the afternoon !
Write out all the times in words rather than numbers, and chal-
lenge yourself to learn new vocabulary by looking words up in
the dictionary. Writing short pieces like this one is a great way
to increase your vocabulary and also to see how much mileage
you can get out of the words you know !

AISWER KEY
A.i. het; 2. gisteren; 3. op; 4. waren; 5. meer; 6. thee; 7. dan; 8. hadden
B. L dertig; 2. achtentwintig; 3. honderdzevenendertig; 4. duizend
achtennegentig; 5. twintigduizend; 6. vier miljard; 7. twaalfdui-
zend driehonderdvijfenveertig; 8. drieëndertigduizend driehon-
derddri eéndertig
C.1. half drie 's nachts; 2. één over half tien 's morgens; 3. kwart voor
elf 's morgens; 4. twaalf uur 's middags; 5. vijf voor zes 's middags;
6. kwart over negen 's avonds; 7. tien voor half twaalf 's avonds;
8. twaalf uur 's nachts

D. 1. Klokslag twaalf uur hadden wij/we drieënzestig deelnemers in de

kerk. 2. Dat was het zevende congres na achttien april. 3. Wij wil-
len om vijf voor half elf 's avonds terugkeren. 4. Hij had een nieuw

109
 nvee rtig. eene nzev entig .
telef oonn umm er: acht entw intig , drieë
op vade rs ééne nvee rtigs te
5. Er ware n veel lekk ere kren tenb ollen
te verja arda g/op de éénen-
verja arda g/op vade r z'n ééne nvee rtigs
t onm idde llijk num mer
veer tigst e verja arda g van vader. 6. U moe
bellen~ 7. Met wie maak t ze
zestien, viere nneg entig , drieë ntwi ntig
el? 8. Eerg ister en ware n
op maa ndag een afsp raak in de boek wink
ntig kind eren in het nieu we
er dried uize nd zeve nhon derd vijfe ntwi
stadi on.

110
LESSO N

8 Kopen en verkopen
Buying and selling

In this lesson you'll learn useful vocabulary for shopping and for
talking about clothes. You 'll also learn how to make polite requests,
and you'll be introduced toa lot of important new grammar, includ-
ing words like this and that, and so-called prefixed verbs. Dutch
has a lot of verbs like this, and they can be tricky for people learn-
ing the language. But first, we'll begin as always with a vocabulary
warm-up.

BA. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

bakker (de; bakkers) baker, baker's {shop)
drogist (de; drogisten) drugstore
groenteboer (de; -boeren) greengrocer, greengrocer's shop
ijzerhandel; (de; -handels) hardware store
kapsalon (de; -salons) hairdresser's
kledingzaak (de; -zaken) clothing store
kruidenier (de; kruideniers) grocer, grocery store
slager (de; sla.gers) butcher; butcher's (shop)
speelgoedwinkel (de; -winkels) toy store
supermarkt (de; -markten) supermarket
verkoper (de; verkopers) shop assistant, clerk
winkel (de; winkels) shop, store

111
 BB. DIALOGUE
Listen in as Brigitte attempts to buy a new skirt. Unfortunately,
things don't go very well for her.
Herman: Zou ik u ergens mee kunnen helpen of kijkt
u liever zelf rond?
Brigitte: Ik ben op zoek naar een rok voor bij deze
trui.
Herman: We hebben net deze enige rokken
binnengekregen! Wat vindt u van de
prachtige kleurencombinatie? Kikkergroen
is het nu helemaal! Slechts tien euro.
Brigitte: Eh ja ... Is dat een rok? Ik dacht dat dat een
riem was!
Herman: Mevrouw heeft liever een iets langere rok?
Brigitte: Ja, tot op de knie of zo. En heeft u iets dat
minder opvallend is?
Herman: Deze beeldige blouse komt uit Rome. Hij
past uitstekend bij dit colbert. En als u deze
broek eronder draagt, bent u weer helemaal
hip.
Brigitte: Dat is mooi, maar heeft u misschien ook een
rok voor mij?
Herman: Natuurlijk mevrouw. Maar zou u ook even
naar dit truitje willen kijken? Het lijkt me
echt iets voor u. En volgens mij is de maat
ook goed. Welke maat heeft u?
Brigitte: Ik heb meestal maat 42 of medium. Dit
truitje is veel te groot. Het is minstens een
50 of XXL. Dat is meer iets voor de dame
achter de kassa.
Herman: Kijkt u wel uit met wat u zegt. U moet straks
wel bij haar afrekenen.
Brigitte: Ja, maar ik heb nog niets om af te rekenen!
Ik zou graag een rok uitzoeken.
Herman: Uiteraard mevrouw. Maar u hebt onze hele
rokkencollectie reeds gezien.
Brigitte: Bedoelt u die afschuwelijke rok?

112
 Herman: Ja, die rok bedoel ik. In ons andere filiaal
hebben we meer rokken. En u mag
natuurlijk altijd nog ruilen.
Brigitte: Hoe kom ik bij het andere filiaal? Is dat
de kledingzaak naast de speelgoedwin kel,
schuin tegenover het warenhuis?
Herman: Nee, die tussen de bakker en de slager, recht
tegenover de supermarkt.
Brigitte: En staat daar een kundige verkoper?
Herman: Ja. Mijn broer en zijn vrouw werken daar. U
kunt alles aan hen vragen.
Brigitte: Oh. Ik heb misschien thuis nog wel een rok
liggen ...

Herman: May I help you with something, or do you

prefer to look around yourself?
Brigitte: J'm looking fora skirt to go with this sweater.
Herman: We just got in these lovely skirts! What do you
think about the marvelous combination of
colors? Frog-green is the latest thing! Just ten
euros.
Brigitte: Eh yeah . .. Is that a skirt? I thought it was a
belt!
Herman: You prefer (Zit., ma'am prefers) a slightly Jonger
skirt?
Brigitte: Yes, down to the knee or something like that.
And do you have something that is less showy?
Herman: There's this gorgeous blouse from Rome. It goes
wonderfully with this jacket. And when you
wear these pants undemeath, you'll be really
trendy.
Brigitte: That's nice, but incidentally, do you have a skirt
forme?
Herman: Of course ma'am. But would you also take a
t look at this sweater? It really seems to me to be
something for you. And [rom what I can teil the
size is good too. Which size do you take?

113
 Brigitte: I 11suallv take size 42 or medium . This sweuter
is much too large. lts at least si ze 50. or XXL.
Tha(s better fór the lady hehind the reyistPr.
Hemum: Be carejid of what yoifre saying. }óu ïl huve to
settle up with her soon.
Brigitte: Yes. but I still have nothing to pay f ór! Id like
to pick out a skirt.
Herman: Of course, ma 'am , but you 've seen our entire
collection of skirts already.
Brigitte: You mean that awful skirt?
Herman: Yes, that's the skirt I mean. We have more
skirts in our other branch. And you may always
exchange of course.
Brigitte: How can I getto the other branch? Is it the
clothing store next to the toy shop, diagonally
across from the department store?
Herman: No, the one between the baker 's and
the butcher's, straight across from the
supermarket.
Brigitte: And there's a capable shop assistant ?
Herman: Yes, my brother and his wife work there. You
can ask them anything.
Brigitte: Oh. Maybe J've got a skirt lying around at
home ...

ac. VOCABULARY
afrekenen to settle up, to pay f or
afschuwelijk horrible, awful
beeldig gorgeous
beha (de; beha's) bra
binnenkrijgen to get, to obtain
blouse (de; blouses) blouse
broek (de; broeken) pants, trousers*
colbert (het; colberts) jacket

*See not.e at end of vocabulary list.

114
 collectie (de; collecties) collectio11
dame (de; dames) lady
dragen to wear, to carry
enig love/y
eronder undemeath
filiaal (het; filialen) branch
geheel entire, whole
helemaal totally, entirely
hip hip, trendy
heer (de; heren) gentleman
hoed (de; hoeden) hat
iets langer slightly langer
jas (de; jassen) coat
kassa (de; kassa's) cash register
kleurencombinatie (de; color combination
-combinaties)
knie (de; knieën) knee
kort short
korte broek (de;-broeken) shorts*
kous (de; kousen) stocking
kundig capable, skilled, experienced
laars (de; laarzen) boot
lang ~ong

maat (de; maten) size

mode (de; modes) fashion

net just
onderbroek (de; -broeken) underpants*
opvallend ·showy
*In Dutch, words like pants, trousers, jeans, glasses, etc. are singular. For example, you
would say een broek (sg.) to refer to one pair of pants, and broeken (pl.) to refer to
multiple pairs of pants. Also note that in English, units of currency and measure are
plural with numbers greater than one, as in three dollars or two meters. But in Dutch,
the singularis usedin these cases: drie euro/dollar/pond/meter (three euros/dollars/
pounds/meters). A phrase such as drie euro's would mean three one-Euro coins.
115
 overhemd (het; -hemden) shirt
pet (de; petten) C(lp

prachtig mun1p /ous . yreut

recht tegenover struiqht ucross

reeds olrewlv (//11/)
riem (de; riemen) helt
rok (de; rokken) skirt
ruilen to e.,clwnge
schoen(de;schoenen) sluw
schuin tegenover diayorwUv ucross

slechts on!-;.'. iust. merel.v

sok (de; sokken) sod
spijkerbroek (de; -broeken) jeans

straks 50011

topje (het; topjes) tank top

trui (de; truien) sweatf'r, sweutshirt. iers1·v

T-shirt (het; T-shirts) T-shirt

uitkijken to watch (out Jur}, to fllincl tu /)('
carejid
uitstekend excellent
uitzoeken to se!PCt , to pick out

8D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some phrases that will carne in handy whcn you 'n·
shopping.
Waar kan ik een ... kopen? Where can I buy a ... ?
Verkoopt u ... ? Do you sell ... ?
Wie is er dan aan de beurt? Who's next?
Kan ik u ergens mee van Can I help you with something?
dienst zijn?
Anders nog iets, mevrouw/ Anything else, ma'am/sir?
meneer?
116
 Wordt u al geholpen? Are you being helped?
Nu ben ik aan de beurt! J'm next in line!
Welke maat heeft u? Which size do you take ?
Kan ik deze passen? Can I try this (one) on?
Daar zijn de paskamers. The fitting rooms are over there.
Wat voor een stof is dit? What Jabric is this ?
Het is katoen/wol/leer/suède/ !t's cotton/wool/feather/suede/linen.
linnen.
Hebt u iets kleiners/groters? Do you have something smaller/
larger?
Hoeveel kost dit? How much does this cost?
Komt daar nog belasting bij? Is there any tax?
Dat is erg duur/goedkoop. That's very expensive/ inexpensive.
Accepteert u creditcards? Do you take creditcards?
Wij accepteren contant geld, We accept cash, traveler's checks,
reischeques en creditcards. and credit cards.
Kunt u dit naar de VS Can you ship this to the U.S.?
verschepen?

IE. CULTURE NOTE 1

European and American clothing sizes differ, so it's always a good

idea to know what size you take in Europe.
Bames (ladies)
jassen, jurken, pakken (coats, dresses, suits)
Europa 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50
Amerika 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

truien, blouses (sweaters, blouses)

Europa 40 42 44 46 48 50
Amerika 32 34 36 38 40 42

kousen (stockings)
Europa 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
Amerika 8 B'h 9 9'h 10 101/z 11

schoenen (shoes)
Europa 35 36 37 371h 38 381h 39 40 41 42
Amerika 5 6 61/z 7 71h 8 81h 9 91/2 10
117
 Hert•n (91'11tleme11)

jassen, pakken (coats. suits)

Europa 44 46 48 ')O ')2 '14 ')Ü )8 60

Amerika 34 36 {8 40 42 44 4ü 48 50

overhemden (shirts)
Europa 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44
Amerika 14 141/2 15 15 1/2 16 16 1/2 17 17 1/2 18

schoenen (shoes)
Europa 37112 38 381/2 39 39 1/2 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
Amerika 6 6 1/2 7 71/2 8 81/2 9 91/2 10 101/2 11 12

sokken (soeks)
Europa 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
Amerika 91/z 10 101/z 11 11 1/2 12 12 1/2 13

ondergoed (underwear)
Europa 3 4 5 6 7 8
Amerika xs s M L XL XXL

BF. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: Demonstratives and other determiners
Words like the, a, or this, which are used before nouns, are called de-
terminers. You already know that de and het mean the, and that een
means a or an. Now let's look at some other common determiners,
some of which change depending on whether the noun that follows
is a de-word or a het-word. We'll start with demonstratives, which
correspond to this, that, these, and those. Notice that the plurals
(deze, these and die, those) do not change according to the gender
of the noun, hut the singulars (dit/deze, this and dat/die, thot) do.
HET-WORDS: DE-WORDS:
dit boek (this book) deze man (this man)

deze boeken (these books) deze mannen (these men)

dat boek (that book) die man (that man}
die boeken (those books) die mannen (those men)

Here are a few other common determiners. Notice that the torms
used with singular het-words do not end in -e1 but the forms uscd
with plural het-words and both singular and plural de-words do.
118
 You learned possessives in Lesson 2, so as you know, most do not
change according to gender. The one exception is ons/onze (our).
Ons is used with singular het-words, and onze is used in all other
cases.
i HET-WORDS: DE-WORDS:
i welk kind (which child) welke moeder (which mother)
r-elk kleinkind (every grandchild) elke grootmoeder (every
grandmother)
: ieder huis (every house) iedere winkel (every shop)
ons vakantiehuis (our vacation onze badkamer (our bathroom)
house)

welke kinderen (which children) welke moeders (which mothers)

onze huizen (our houses) onze kamers (our rooms)

Note that such a is the singular zo'n, and such is the plural zulke.
rzo'-~ ;;;-.:>t-Ï<i~d-(~~ch
! child)
a beautifu/ zulke lieve kinderen (such nice
children)

Deze jas is mooi, maar die sweater is lelijk.

This jacket is beautiful, but that sweater is ugly.
Elk overhemd in deze winkel is duur.
Every shirt in this store is expensive.
Ons huis is op het platteland en onze winkel is in de stad.
Our house is in the country, and our store is in the city.
Wàke riem koop je?
Which belt are you buying?
Ze hebben zo'n mooie flat.
They have such a beautiful apartment.
Waar kan ik zulke schoenen vinden?
Where can 1 find such shoes?
As you might guess, proper names of people are always de-words:
die Jan (that Jan), onze Anneke (our Anneke).

Grammar point 2: Prefix verbs

Dutch, like English, has a lot of verbs that are composed of a main
verb along with a prefix. In English, there are verbs like outnum-
119
 ber, overrule, underpay, and update. Dutch has similar examples:
onderwerpen (to subject), voorkomen (to prevent), doorkruisen (to
traverse). Notice that the stress (the underlined syllable) in these
infinitives is on the verb itself, rather than on the prefix. The reason
why this is important is because it means that the prefix is always
attached to the verb. (Of course in actual written Dutch, this syllable
isn't underlined! It's clone here to illustrate the point.)
Zij doorkruisen het hele land.
They travel all over the country.
Zo voorkom je ongelukken.
That's how (/it., so) you prevent accidents.
Hij overlaadt haar met cadeautjes.
He overloads her with presents.
There aren't many of these "inseparable" prefix verbs in Dutch.
We'll carne back to them in Lesson 11 hut first it's important to
1

take a look at the more common type of prefix verbs, the ones
whose prefixes separate from the verb. These separable prefixes
are also sometimes referred to as "particles." English has something
similar, with so-called "phrasal" verbs: I can't make this out. tll take
things "!:!:.P._ with your superior. He looked the word up in the diction-
ary. Let's look at some examples in Dutch with QE_bellen (to call up),
goedkeuren (to approve), oversteken (to cross over), aankomen (to
arrive), voorkomen (to happen), rondkijken (to look around). This
time, we'll underline the particle, which is stressed.
Morgen bel ik haar op.
Tomorrow J'll call her~
De senaat keurt het besluit goed.
The senate approves the decision.
Hij steekt de straat over.
He is crossing the street.
De trein komt om zes uur aan.
The train arrives at six o'clo'"Cïë:
Zo'n vergissing komt vaker voor.
Such an error happens more frequently.
Kijkt u liever zelf rond?
Do you prefer to look around yourself?

As you can see, the stressed particle in Dutch comes at the end of
the sentence, separated from the verb. That's why these verbs are

120
 called "separable" prefix verbs. The major cornplication in Dutch is
that the particle can also be attached to the verb itself. This happens
in infinitives (~bellen, oversteken , aankomen ), past participles
(~gebeld, overgestok en, aangekom en) and present participle (~
bellend, oversteken d, aankomen d). We'II learn more about past
and present participles later, but for now take a look at the follow-
ing examples, which include the modals that you Iearned in Lesson
5. As you know, when you use a modal, the main verb comes at the
end of the sentence, in its infinitive form . So this is one example of
when a separable prefix verb will be "whole."
Kunt u voor mij de dokter opbellen?
Can you call the doctor for me?
Hier moeten wij de straat oversteken.
Here we have to cross the street.
Wanneer wil je vertrekken ?
When do you want to leave?

Keep in mind that even if English and Dutch have similar types of
verbs, it isn't necessarily the case that a Dutch prefix verb is always
translated as an English phrasal verb, or vice versa. And speak-
ing of translation , you can sometimes figure out the meaning of
a prefix verb by adding together the sum of its parts, for example
aankomen (to arrive) is composed of aan (at, on, to) and komen
(to come), which taken together can logically be understoo d as to
arrive. But very often Dutch prefix verbs are just as idiomatic as
English phrasal verbs. (What is it about make and out that mean
"to perceive the meaning of," or even more idiomatically, "to kiss"?)
So it's best to simply memorize them. You'll find that you'll have
plenty of opportuni ty to practice; these verbs are very common in
Dutch!
But just irt case you'd like a summary of some of the prefixes you'll
come across, here is a long list of prefixes, their (approxim ate)
meanings, and example verbs. Don't try to memorize this list; sim-
ply get a sense of how Dutch uses prefixes along with basic verbs
to build new meanings. Notice that a lot of the prefixes are preposi-
tions, hut not all of them. Those prefixes that are marked with an
asterisk may he either separable or inseparabl e. This will depend
on where the stress falls. All of the verbs in this list, though, are
separable prefix verbs.

121
 aan• (at, on, to) aanspreken (to speak to, to address)
achter• (behind, after) achterlaten (to /eave behind)

af (off, down, complete) afbetalen (to pay off)

bij (near, onto) bijvullen (to fi/I up, to refue/, to top

off)

binnen (inside) binnenblijven (to stay in)

boven (up, above) bovenliggen (to be on top)

buiten (outside) buitenkomen (to come outside)

dicht (c/osed) dichtdoen (to close)

dood (dead) dooddrukken (to crush to death)

door• (through, further) doorbreken (to burst, to break)

fijn (fine) fijnmaken (to pu/verize, to crush

fine)

goed (good) goedkeuren (to opprove)

heen (away) heengaan (to go away)

in (in, into) indelen (to c/assify)

klaar (ready) klaarzetten (to make ready)

krom ( crooked) kromtrekken (to worp}

langs (a/ong) langsgaan (to visit)

leeg (empty) leegeten (to clean one's plate)

mee (with, along) meekomen (to come along, to

accompany)

f mis• (wrong) misgaan (to go wrong)

~- (~.fter) nabootsen (to copy, to imitate)

~r(down) neerleggen (to lay or put down)

~~ (";~~~d; down) omkiepen (to tip over)

~- (under, down) ondergaan (to go down, to sink)

~,on) opdrijven (to drive or force up)

~(open) openleggen (to reveal, to lay open)

~,..(over, again) overkoken (to boil over)

/ recht (straight) rechtbuigen (to straighten)

t~-·

! rond (round) rondgaan (to go around, to

ei reu late)
122
 samen (together) samenwerken (to cooperate)
tegen (against) tegenvallen (to be a
disappointment)
terug (back) terugkeren (to turn back, to return)
thuis (home, at home) thuisblijven (to stay home)
toe (towards, c/osed) toevoegen (to add to, to attach)
uit (out) uitdrogen (to dry out, to dessicate)
verder (further) verdergaan (to go further, to
continue)

vol• (full) vollopen (to fi/I, to become fi/led)

voor• (/or) voorleggen (to submit, to place
before)

voort (forward) voortzetten (to continue, to carry on)

weer• (again) weergeven (to render)

weg (away) weglopen (to run away)

You'll also come across compound prefixes, for example: aaneen (to-
gether), achteraan (at the back), achterna (behind, after), achterom
(round the back), achterop (behind), achterover (backwards), ach-
teruit (back), bijeen (together), omhoog (up), omlaag (down), om-
ver (over, down), onderuit (over, down), uiteen (apart), voorbij (past,
by), voorop (in front), voorover (headfirst), and vooruit (further,
forward, before). There are other prefixes of course; this list is just a
summary of some of the more common ones.
In a Dutch dictionary, verbs are listed in their infinitive form. To
indicate whether a prefix verb is separable or inseparable, you'll
have tö look for where the stress falls. If it falls on the prefix, then
it's a separable prefix verb. This may also be indicated by giving
the separable form after the main entry, as in: aanspreken (spreek
aan). Sometimes, the same verb is separable in one case, hut insepa-
rable in another, with different meanings. For example, voorkomen
(komt voor) (to come to the front, to appear in court, to happen), hut
voorkomen (to prevent, to avert).

Grammer point J: Pollte requests

In Dutch, just as in English, there are both direct and more polite
ways of asking questions. For example, you could ask a friend or
someone you know well a question like the following.
123
 Ga je met me mee?
Are you goi119 with m e?
Komen jullie vanavond?
Wil/ you come tonight?

But in more polite situations, you would address sorneone as u in-

stead of je or jullie, and you would soften your requests, perhaps
with a modal like willen, kunnen, or mogen.
Kunt u dat voor me spellen?
Can you spel/ that for me?
Wilt u allen opstaan?
Would you all (please) stand up ?
Mag ik de truiencollectie even zien?
May I see the collection of sweatshirts?
Mogen we buiten spelen?
May we play outside?
The past tense of willen (wou in the singular, and wilden in the
plural) expresses the sarne thing as would like in English. It is usu-
ally used with graag.
Ik wou graag een bruinbrood.
I would like a (loaf of) whole grain bread.

We wilden graag naar huis.

We would like to go home.
The past tense of zullen (zou in the singular, zouden in the plural)
is also very commonly used in polite requests. It can be translated
as the conditional (would or could) in English.
Ik zou graag bruinbrood eten.
J'd really like to eat whole grain bread.
Zou je met me mee kunnen gaan?
Would/Could you go with me?

Notice that since zullen is a modal, the main verb is sent to the end
of the sentence. But sometimes, two verbs can be at the end. In this
case, a second modal will come first, and then the main verb.
Zouden we buiten mogen spelen?
Could we play outside?
Zou ik de truiencollectie even mogen zien?
Could I see the collection of sweaters?
Zou u dat voor me kunnen spellen?
Would you be able to spell that f or me?
124
 Zouden jullie mij willen helpen?
Could you help me?

Of course, it's always good to add a name or say meneer or me-

vrouw, and of course to end with alstublieft (please, fml .) or als-
jeblieft (please, infml.).

BG. READING
Read the following short passage, written by Brigitte from our
dialogue.
Laatst was ik in een kledingzaak. De verkoper vroeg: "Zou ik u er-
gens mee kunnen helpen of kijkt u liever zelf rond?" Ik zei dat ik
op zoek was naar een rok. Hij had maar één rok, een superkorte.
Dat was niets voor mij. Hij bood me wat anders aan, een blouse,
een broek, een trui. Ik had daar geen zin in. Bovendien was het
niet mijn maat. Het paste de vrouw achter de kassa beter. In het
andere filiaal waren wel meer rokken, maar daar stond ook de
broer van die verkoper. Ik ben maar snel weggegaan.
Recently I was in a clothing store. The shop assistant asked, "May I
help you with something, or do you prefer to look around yourself?" I
said that I was looking fora skirt. He only had one skirt, a really short
one. That was not for me. He offered me something else, a blouse,
a pair of pants, a sweater. I wasn't interested in (any of) that. And
what's more, it wasn't my size. It fit the woman behind the regis-
ter better. There were more skirts in the other branch, but that shop
assistant's brother was also there. So I left quickly.

•
BH •. C,ULTURE NOTE :z
By now you know the difference in meaning between the familiar
jij/je and the more forma! or polite u. But you probably don't know
the history behind these pronouns, and how their development is
parallel in ways to the development of you in English. In earlier
forms of Dutch and English, the second person singular pronouns
du and thou existed. In a very close relative, German, du still exists
today. But in the Middle Ages, Dutch du and English thou faded
away, and were replaced by two forms that were originally much
more polite: the plural forms jij (or gij in southern parts of the Dutch
speaking territories) and you. This happened roughly between the
years 1200 and 1400, when people followed French courtly ro-
125
 mances, in which knights and ladies addressed one ;rnotlwr with
the plural French pronoun vous instead of tlw sing11lar tu. So Dutdi
and English speakers did the same thing. using the plural lorrn s
jij/gij and you. But the parallel between languages stopped there. In
modern French, tu and vous still exist, hut in English you became
the only form, used as a singular or a plural. and both formally and
informally. In Dutch, however, people started using another plural
form jelieden or jelui, which literally rneant you people. Nowadays,
of course, this has been altered a bit, and the plural form is jullie.
Both jij/gij and jullie became informal, so there was a need for a
new polite form, especially in written language. The Dutch found it
in the phrase Uwe Edelheid. This is a third person honorific form
used to address someone, similar to the English Your Honor or Your
Majesty or Your Lordship, as in "Did Your Lordship sleep welf?" Later,
Uwe Edelheid was abbreviated to UE, and then simply U. Since
this was originally a third person form, you may h ear older peopl e
say U is, U wil, U kan, U zal, and U heeft. But today people mostly
treat u as a second person: u bent, u wilt, u kunt, u zult, u hebt.

EXERCISES
Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogu e. You
may not need to use every word in the li st, and it is possibl e th at
you need to use the same word twice.

zou, op, afrekenen, uit, deze, meer, u, rondkijken, hadden,

graag, dank
Herman: Kan ik u helpen of wilt u zelf i '?

Brigitte: Nee, ik had 2 een nieuwe broek.

Herman : Welke kleur wilt 3 het liefst? Paars?
Brigitte: 4 _ _ _ u voor mij een groene of een blauwe
kunnen vinden?
Herman: Ja, ik zoek voor u een mooie broek 5 _ _ _.
Brigitte: Ja, maar 6 broek is te groot voor mij.
Herman: Ik pak een kleinere broek. U kunt daar bij de
kassa 7 .

Brigitte: Ja, dank u, maar ik 8 ook nog een

blouse willen. ---

126
 B. Choose the correct determiner in each of the following sentences.
1 • Welk/welke jas heb jij nu weer?
2. Ze gaan ieder/iedere week naar de speelgoedwinkel.
3. Zou je zo'n/zulke auto niet beter wassen ?
4. Dit/deze filiaal is niet schoon.
5. Waar is ons/onze nieuwe huis?
6. We gaan woensdag om kwart over elf naar dat/die stadje.

C. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

i. Would you give mea new pencil ? (fml.)
2. He approves of the red hat and the green jacket.
3. Today she calls every shop in the city.
4. Can 1 use the bath room?
5. They have to wait for the bus.
6. Would you settle up with the shop assistant? (fml.)
7. When does a new year start?
8. At the stroke of two in the morning you'll be at home again. (pl.)

''·,tflDEPEN DENT CHALLENG E

S(!<: how far you can get doing some online shopping in Dutch.
lmagirw that you need to buy a few articles of clothing. Visit
an online clothing store, for example Hema (www.hema.nl) or
perhap'> C&A (www.c-en-a.nl). C&A, by the way, opened its first
shop in 1861 in the Dutch town of Sneek. The founders were
the G''. rrrlan brothers flemens and ~ugust Brenninkmeijer.
The firn1 is now quite international. Explore the site, and of
cours'· t1~ note of any new vocabulary you find. See if you can
understand the descriptions of the clothes for sale, and keep an
ey'~ out for your sizes.

127
 ANSWER KEY
e ; 7· alre kerw n ;
A.i. rond kijk en; 2. graa g; 3. u; 4. zou; 5. uit ; 6. dez
8. zou
dat
B. 1. welke;iedere; 3. zo'n; 4. dit; 5. ons ; 6.
2.
rode
will en gev en? 2. Hij keu rt het
C.i. Zou u mij een nieu w potl ood daa g belt zp elke ·/
ert goed. 3. Van
ove rhem d en het gro ene colb Zij
ik de bad kam er geb ruik en? 5.
iedere win kel in de stad op. 4. Kan k-
Zou u bij de verk ope r will en afre
moe ten op de bus wac hten . 6. beg int
bij de verk ope r ?) 7. Wa nne er
ene n? (Zou u will en afre ken en zijn
e uur in de mor gen /'s mor gen s
een nieu w jaar ? 8. Klokslag twe
jullie wee r thuis.

128
 LESSON

9 In het restaurant
In the restaurant

Welcome to Lesson 9. This lesson will focus on food and restau-

rants, so you'll learn a lot of important and useful vocabulary that
will work up your appetite. That's good, because you'll also tackle
a new verb tense in this lesson. You'll learn how to talk about the
past, including some verb irregularities that you'll need to know.
Finally, you'll learn all about diminutives, which are very common
in Dutch. But first, a vocabulary warm-up with some expressions
of quantity.

9A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

in z'n eentje alone, on its/one's own
een hoop a lot
meer dan genoeg more than enough
veel teveel much toa much
een stllk. of tien about ten (lit., a piece of ten)
een vracht aan a load of
Het ziet er zwart van de !t's swarming with people.
mensen.

98. DIALOGUE
Today is M.r. Boon's birthday, and he's decided to treat himself toa
nice meal.
Serveerster: Goedenavond, meneer, heeft u gereserveerd?
Meneer Boon: Nee, maar het is.mijn verjaardag en ik
dacht bij mezelf: ik heb wel een avondje uit
verdiend.
129
 Serveerster: Gefeliciteerd meneer! Met hoeveel mensen
bent u?
Meneer Boon: Ik ben in m'n eentje, hebt u dat niet gezien?
Serveerster: Neemt u mij niet kwalijk. Loopt u maar met
me mee. Dan geef ik u een mooi tafeltje bij
de keuken.
Meneer Boon: Mag ik misschien bij het raam zitten?
Serveerster: Helaas, die tafel is gereserveerd. Kan ik uw
jas aannemen?
Meneer Boon: Dank u.
Serveerster: Wilt u alvast wat drinken?
Meneer Boon: Een glaasje droge witte huiswijn graag.
Serveerster: Alstublieft. Hier heeft u de menukaart.
Meneer Boon: Tjonge, de voorgerechten zien er goed
uit. Maar dat is misschien te veel met
hoofdgerecht en nagerecht samen.
Serveerster: U kunt ook het dagmenu nemen. Vooraf
krijgt u een groentesoepje. Het hoofdgerecht
is lamsbout of een scholletje, beide met sla
en gebakken aardappeltjes. Als toetje is er
warme appeltaart met slagroom of een ijsje.
Meneer Boon: .Dat dagmenu lijkt me meer dan genoeg. Dan
wil ik graag groentesoep, de lamsbout en het
appeltaartje.
Serveerster: Uitstekend meneer. Wilt u nog wat drinken?
Meneer Boon: Een karafje rode wijn alstublieft.
Serveerster: Uitstekend meneer. Dan is hier al uw
voorgerechtje.
Meneer Boon: Mevrouw! Ik heb geen mes gekregen.
Serveerster: Excuses meneer. Dat heb ik vergeten. Hier
hebt u een mes. Eet smakelijk.
Meneer Boon: Mevrouw! De karaf is leeg. Mag ik een
nieuwe?
Serveerster: Alstublieft. Is verder alles naar wens?
Meneer Boon: Er zit een slakje in de sla naast het boutje.
Serveerster: Stil meneer, anders wil iedereen een slakje!
Grapje! Er gaat wel een hoop mis vanavond.
130
 Mijn excuses. Deze karaf heeft u van het
huis gekregen.
Meneer Boon: Dank u. Hik.
Serveerster : Kan ik u de appeltaart brengen?
Meneer Boon: Ja graag, en ook een kopje koffie.
Serveerste r: Alstublieft meneer, uw dessert.
Meneer Boon: Heerlijk, maar ik heb er toch maar één
besteld?
Serveerste r: Eh ... nog een cognacje bij de koffie?
Meneer Boon: Ja lekker! En daarna de rekening. Ik ben
geloof ik een beetje aangescho ten.
Serveerste r: Zal ik een taxi voor u bellen? Misschien is
het één karaf te veel geweest. Nog een fijne
avond verder.

Waitress: Good evening sir, do you have a reservation?

Mr. Boon: No, but it's my birthday and 1 thought to
myself: 1 deserve an evening out.
Waitress: Congratulations, sir! How many of you are
here?
Mr. Boon: J'm on my own, haven't you seen?
.Waitress: Excuse me. Just come (lit., walk) with me. J'll
give you a nice table near the kitchen.
Mr. Boon: May 1 sit near the window, maybe?
Waitress: Unfortunately that table has been reserved.
May 1 take your coat?
Mr. Boon: Thank you.
Waitress: Would you like to drink something in the
meantime?
Mr. Boon: A glass of dry' white house wine, please.
Waitress: Here you are, the menu.
Mr. Boon: Wow, the first courses/appetizers look good.
But maybe that's toa much together with a
main course and a dessert.
Waitress: You can also have the menu of the day. First off
you'll get vegetable soup. The main dish is a leg
131
 of lamb or jlounder, bath with salad andfriPd
pntatoes. As a dessert there 's warm apple pie
with whipped cream or an ice-cream cone.
Mr. Boon : That menu of the day seems more than enough
to me. So J'll take the vegetable soup, the leg of
lamb, and the apple pie.
Waitress: Very welf, sir. Do you want anything more to
drink?
Mr. Boon: A carafe of red wine, please.
Waitress: Very welf, sir. And here is your first course
al ready.
Mr. Boon: Ma 'am ! 1 didn 't get a knife.
Waitress: 1 beg your pardon, sir. 1 forgot. Here's a knife
for you. Enjoy your mea[.
Mr. Boon: Ma'am, the carafe is empty. May 1 get a new
one?
Waitress : Here you are. Is everything to your liking so far ?
Mr. Boon : There 's a snail in the salad, next to the leg.
Waitress: Quiet sir, or everybody wil! want a snail! fust
kidding ! There 's a lot going wrong tonight. My
apologies. This carafe is on the house.
Mr. Boon: Thank you. Hi ccup!
Waitress : May 1 bring the apple pie for you?
Mr. Boon: Yes please, and a cup of coffee toa.
Waitress: Here sir, your dessert.
Mr. Boon : Delicious, but 1 ordered only one, 1 thought?
Waitress: Eh . .. a glass of cognac with the coffee ?
Mr. Boon: Yes, beautiful! And then the bil!. J'm a bit tipsy.
I think.

Waitress: Should I call a taxi for you? Maybe it was one

carafe toa many. Have a nice evening.

9C. VOCABULARY
aangeschoten(-; meer tipsy
.aangeschoten, meest
ltMlgeschoten)
132
 aannemen to take, to accept
alstublieft here you are, please
alvast in the meantime
anders otherwise
appeltaart (de; -taarten) apple pie
bakken to bake, to fry
beide bath
dagmenu (het; -menu's) menu of the day
droog (droge; droger, droogst) dry
een hoop a lot
eruitzien to appear, to look
excuses! my apologies !
fooi (de; fooien) tip
geloven to believe
glas (het; glazen) glass
grap (de; grappen) joke
groentesoep (de; -soepen) vegetable soup
heerlijk (heerlijke; heerlijker, delicious
heerlijkst)
helaas unfortunately
hoofdgerecht (het; -gerechten) main course
huiswijn (de; -wijnen) house wine
ijsje (het; ijsjes) ice cream (cone)
in zijn eentje on one's own
jenever (de; jenevers) Dutch gin
karaf (de; karaffen) caraJe
krijgen to get, to obtain
lamsbout (de; -bouten) leg of lamb
leeg (lege; leger, leegst) empty
lepel (de; lepels) spoon
lijken to seem
menukaart (de; -kaarten) menu
133
 mes (het; messen) knife
misgaan to go wrong
nagerecht (het; -gerechten) dessert course
ober (de; obers) waiter
raam (het; ramen) window
rekening(de;rekenin gen) bill, check, account
reserveren to reserve
restaurant (het; restaurants) restaurant
samen together
schol (de; schollen) flounder, plaice
serveerster (de; serveersters) waitress
sla (de;-) salad
slagroom (de; -) whipped cream, whipping cream

slak (de; slakken) snai/, slug

stil (stille; stiller, stilst) quiet
taxi (de; taxi's) taxi

tjonge! wow!jboy!
toetje (het; toetjes) dessert
verdienen to earn
vergeten to forget
vork (de; vorken) f ork
vooraf beforehand, first
voorgerecht (het; -gerechten) first course/ appetizer
warm warm
wijn (de; wijnen) wine

tl. KEY PHRASES

Here are some phrases that will come in handy in a restaurant.
Hebt u een tafeltje voor vier Do you have a table for f our
personen? people?
()ver een half uur is er een There wil/ be a table available in
. ;~tjevrij. half an hour.
134
Hebt u gereserveerd? Do you have a reservation?
Wilt u de menukaart? Do you want the menu?
Wilt u alvast iets drinken? Do you want something to drink in
the meantime?
Hebt u ook vegetarische Do you also have vegetarian dishes?
schotels?
Hebt u een keuze kunnen Have you decided?
maken?
Ik wil graag kip/varkensvlees/ J'll have the chicken/pork/f.amb.
lamsvlees.
Ik heb mijn biefstuk graag I'd like my steak rare/medium/well
rood/medium/doorbakken. done.
Ik had graag vis/kreeft/ J'd like fish/f.obster/shrimp.
garnalen.
Ik neem aardappels/worteltjes/ I'll take potatoes/carrots/green
sperziebonen. beans.
Ik zou graag soep en salade J'd like soup and a salad.
willen.
Kan ik een ander servet Could 1 have another napkin?
krijgen?
Zou ik nog wat water kunnen Could 1 have some more water,
krijgen, alstublieft? please?
Zou u mij het zout/de peper Would you please pass me the
kunnen doorgeven? salt/pepper?
We zouden wat brood en boter We'd like some bread and butter.
willen IJ.ebben.
Ik zou wel een kopje thee/ J'd like a cup of tea/coffee.
koffie willen.
met suiker/honing/citroen/ with sugarjhoney/lemon/milk
melk
Eet smakelijk 1 Have a nice meal!
Is alles naar wens? Is everything to your liking?
De keuken is al gesloten. The kitchen is closed already.
Mag ik de rekening? May I get the bill?
Ober, kanik afrekenen? Waiter, may 1 settle up?

135
 gE. CULTURE NOTE 1

The Netherland s has a wid<' variety CJf n:<..,t;111r;rnh, ;rnd 1ri fidrt1r 11
lar, Dutch cities offer a range of rest;rnrar1t choiu:'> lrorri iHri1ir1d tfi,:
world. In smaller towns the choices may ~w rnon: limitr:d , h1111 :·/ ,·r:
small village has at least one snack bar whcre th<:y '><:Il fri,·rJ Li · .t
food. Typical Dutch fa re might be patatje met (o har;()! f rie<, v;11f1
mayonnais e), kroket (a kind of crunchy meol mil) or kaa'>'>nufflf:
(cheese soufflé), which has nothing in common with ÜH: h1:n d1 va
riety. The second most popular variety of restaurant is prohabl y thr·
Chinees-In disch Restauran t or just Chinees. This is at lf:a'>t a tah:
out place, but often with a sit-down restaurant where yfJu can f:éit
Chinese and Indonesian food à la Dutch. Recently, many of thf-'.~r:
places ha~e been transforme d into a wok-resta urant, WrH:re you
can choose raw ingredient s from a buffet. They will he prepé:!rtd
in the wok in a matter of minutes. Apart from Dutch, Indonesian
and Chinese food, you'll find restaurant s that offer French, Belgian ,
"1talian, Greek, Moroccan, Turkish, Surinames e, Mexican , Thai , and
Vietnames e cuisine, among others.
Going out for dinner in the Netherland s takes longer than in the U.S.
Diners may spend two hours on a three-cour se meaL This is not due
to lack of service, but rather because eating together is considered a
social occasion. People will talk before, during, and especially after
the meal. The food will be brought for everyone at the same time ,
and the dishes will be taken away after everyone is finished , or even
a bit later. This is considered polite. Guests are not rushed out the
door, hut rather asked if they would like to have another drink. l t is
normal for people to linger at their table after they've finished eat-
ing, and the rekening (bil!) won't be presented automatica lly. but
has to be requested. Tipping isn't compulsor y, but it is appreciate d.
A fooi (tip) of 10 to i 5% is considered good.

9F. GRAMMA R
6r•mmar point 1: The present perfect
In Lesson 7 you learned the simple past tense of hebben (had/had-
den) and zijn (was/ware n). All Dutch verbs have simple past ten se
forms, which we'll comeback to in Lesson i2. In Dutch the past is
usually expressed with the present perfect tense, and not with the
simple past tense. The present perfect in Dutch looks a lot like the
present perfect in English; it uses a conjugate d form of hebben as
an auxiliary, and then a past participle, just like have spoken, hns
136
 gone, and so on. But a lot of verbs use zijn instead of hebben as an
auxiliary. We'll cover those in the next lesson.
To form the past participle of regular Dutch verbs, take the -en off
of the infinitive to get the verb stem, add ge- to the beginning of the
stem, and then either -t or -d to the end, depending on the ending
of the verb stem. If a verb stem ends in a voiceless consonant (-t, -k,
-f, -s, -ch, or -p), -t is added. (You can remember these consonants
if you keep the Dutch word 't kofschip, a kind of ship, in mind.)
So, for example, from werken (to work), the past participle is ge-
werk-t (worked) . The whole conjugation is as follows . Notice that
the Dutch present perfect can be translated as the present perfect
in English, or (more commonly) the simple past tense.
I have worked, I worked

you (have) worked

' u hebt gewerkt you (have) worked

; hij, zij/ze, het/'t heeft gewerkt he, she, it (hos) worked

.i
i wij/we hebben gewerkt we (have) worked

1-j~Ule hebben gewerkt you (have) worked

r~~~;~-~~-~~e~ ~ewerkt they (have) worked

Some other verbs that form their past participle like werken-
gewerkt are: zetten-gezet (to put), hopen-gehoopt (to hope) ,
boffen-geboft (to be lucky), poetsen-gepoetst (to brush); po-
chen-gepocht (to baast). If the verb sterns ends in any other con-
sonant or a vowel, -d is added instead of -t. But in pronunciation,
this sounds just like -t.
i ik heb gezegd I (have) said

r-~u~:~::~::·~---~-: - - you (have) said

you (have) said

E'!_• zij/ze, het/'t ~~eft.gezegd " he, she, it (hos) said

~~!~'.we hebben ge_z_.e._1."."d". """"."""."." ....". we (have) said

i Jullie hebben gezegd you (have) said

) -·-··- . _"·· --·~--~·"- ".~. -···--·-. --~·· ·-· - · '
i zij/ze hebben gezegd they (have) said

Other examples are willen-gewild (to want), proeven-geproefd

(to task),Jcun.nen-gekund (to can), breien-gebreid, (to knit),
leggen~g~legd, (to lay); stoeien-gestoeid, (to play around).
137
 Don't forget about your spelling mies regarding vowel lengt lt . h>r
example, leggen (to lay) loses one of it s g's in the past parti c iph ·
(gelegd), because there's no need fora doubl e g to show that ei s <i
short vowel before -gd. On the other hand, with a verb like lenen
(to [end, to borrow), you need to double the e before -d in geleend,
because a single e would be pronounced short instead of long.
If a verb infinitive starts with ge-, be-, er-, her-, ont-, or ver-, don 't
add ge- to form the past participle. So, for example, bestellen (to
order) becomes besteld (ordered) , bedoelen (to mean) becomes be-
doeld (meant), etc.
The word order with the present perfect is very similar to the word
order with modals. The conjugated verb (in thi s case the auxili ary
hebben) is in the second position, and the other verb (in this case
the past participle) is at the end. In yes-no questions, the conjugated
auxiliary comes first. Niet usually comes before the past participle,
unless it's negating a particular phrase.
De ober heeft zijn schoenen niet gepoetst.
The waiter didn 't polish his shoes.
We hebben niet in Amsterdam gewerkt.
We didn't work in Amsterdam. (But somewhere else.)
Waarom heb je dat tegen haar gezegd?
Why did you say that to her?
Hebt u groentesoep besteld?
Did you order vegetable soup?
Dat hebben ze niet zo bedoeld.
They didn't mean it that way.
Notice that in all of the examples above, the Dutch present per-
fect is translated as the simple past in English. Depending on the
context, and words like al (already) , nog (still) , ooit (ever). nooit
(never), and so on, the present perfect may be the more idiomatic
translation.
Wij hebben dat al eerder geproefd.
Weve already tasted that earlier.
Heb je dat ooit gezegd?
Have you ever said that?
Dat heb ik in dit restaurant nooit besteld.
J've never ordered that in this restaurant.

138
 Grammer point :z: lrregular past participles
English has a lot of very common verbs with irregular past par-
ticiples (speak-spoken, take-taken, lie-lain, put-put, and so
on). Dutch is no different. Most of these participles begin with the
prefix ge-, end with the suffix -en, and undergo a vowel change in
between. There are quite a few verbs with irregular past participles,
and there's no need for you to try to memorize them all now. There
are some patterns of vowel changes that we'll go over right now,
hut if you'd like a more complete list, you can look at the appendix
listing irregular verbs. Most of the verbs listed below use hebben as
an auxiliary in the past tense, but blijven, beginnen, komen, gaan,
vallen and worden all use zijn. We'll return to that in Lesson io.
There are quite a lot of verbs with the vowel change ij > ee. Re-
member of course that the sound ee is spelled e at the end of an
open syllable. And don't forget that if a verb starts with ge-, be-, er-,
her-, ont-, or ver-, the prefix ge- isn't added, so the past participle of
ontbijten is ontbeten.
rbtijven-gebleven to stay-stayed
f·--·-· .
1 kijken-gekeken to look-looked
~- ~·--

i krijgen-gekregen to get-gotten
1-·--
1-~ntbijten.-ontbeten to have breakfast-had breakfast
to seem-seemed

t;
I sdtQnen-ges·c····h··. enen
schrijven-geschreven
- - - - · · ·····--········-·····
to write-written

Ze heeft een cadeautje gekregen.

She got a little present.
Hoe laat hebben jullie ontbeten?
What time did (all of} you eat breakfast?

The vowel changes ie > oo and ui > oo are also rather frequent.
bieden-geboden to ofjer-ofjered
kiezen-gekozen to choose-chosen
vliegen-gevlogen to fiy-fiown
buigen-ge.l>ogen to bow-bowed
ruiken-proken to sme/1-smelled
sluiten ... psloten to close-closed

139
 Heb je al gekozen?
Have you chosen yet?
Wie heeft de deur gesloten?
Who closed the door?
Another change is i > o.
to begin-begun
beginnen-begonnen
to bind-bound
binden-gebonden
to drink-drunk
drinken-gedronken
to find-found
vinden-gevonden

Ze hebben geen wijn gedronken.

They didn 't drink any wine.
We hebben een gezellig restaurantje in De Pijp gevonden.
We found a cozy little restaurant in De Pijp.

There is also the change e > o.

. helpen-geholpen to help-he/ped

vechten-gevochten to fight-fought

verzenden-verzonden to send-sent

zwemmen-gezwommen to swim-swum

We hebben lekker in de Noordzee gezwommen.

We went fora nice swim in the North Sea.
Ik heb de kaart nog niet verzonden.
1 haven't sent the postcard yet.

As well as the change ee > oo.

nemen-genomen to take-taken
spreken-gesproken to speak-spoken
breken-gebroken to break-broken
to steal-stolen

Wanneer heb je met hem gesproken?

When did you speak with him?

Deze film heeft geen records gebroken.

This film didn 't break any records.

140
 A few common verbs change i > ee.
Hgen-gelegen to lie-lain
zitten-gezeten to sit-sat

We hebben op het strand gelegen.

We lay on the beach.
Maria heeft naast mij gezeten.
Maria sat next to me.

And some past participles keep the same vowel as the infinitive.
r-~~p;~:...-~lapen to sleep-stept
1-;llen-gevallen to fall-fallen
1 ··- ·-·--·-·- -·- . . .. -

P-~~~
to let-let
to carry-carried

~--~
...,.n-p1even
~ to eat-eaten
to give-given
n-gefezen to read-read
vergeten-vergeten to forget-forgotten

~~;.:·~~~~~-- -
to come-come

lopen•gelopen to walk-walked

worden-geworden to become-become

. roepen-geroepen to call-called

: houden-gehouden to hold-held

Ik heb nog niet geslapen, maar ik ben niet moe.

I haven't slept yet, hut I'm not tired.
Ik heb mijn jas vergeten.
I've f orgotten my coat.
We hebben snel in een snackbar gegeten.
We ate quickly in a snack bar.
Wie heeft je de menukaart gegeven?
Who gave you the menu?

141
 Notice that gegeten adds an extra g. Another common verb th<lt
undergoes a consonant change is:
vriezen-gevroren to freeze-frozen

Some past participles have the suffix -n instead of -en.

doen-gedaan to do-done

gaan-gegaan to go-gone

staan-gestaan to stand-stood

zien-gezien to see-seen

Heeft u onze wijnkaart al gezien?

Have you already seen our wine list?
Wat heb je gedaan?
What did you do?
And some take the suffix -t or -d. Notice that zijn has a completely
different past participle.
brengen-gebracht to bring-brought

denken-gedacht to think-thought

kopen-gekocht to buy-bought

zoeken-gezocht to seek-sought

hebben-gehad to have-had

zijn-geweest to be-been

Dat heb ik nooit gekocht!

f ve never bought that !
Hans heeft een nieuwe broek gekocht.
Hsns bought a new pair of pants.

· ••r point J: Diminutives

~' ~ . . ·nutives are forms of nouns that introduce a sense of small-
t~;~, a bit like the English ending -iej-y as in doggie or blankie.
:tf;~;~ uses diminutives a lot, and they're not at all limited to "baby"
~?~ like in English. We'll come back to the meaning and use of
~nutîves in a moment, but first let's focus on their form. Dimin-
T"•tives in Dutch can be made from many words, especially nouns,
142
 by adding the suffixes -je, -tje, -pje, -etje or -kje. In all cases, the
gender of a diminutive is het.
The suffix -je is added to words ending in -p, -b, -t, -d, -f, -s, -x, -k,
-g and-ch.
soup
· het mes-het mesje knife
loof
de vork-het vorkje fork
de taart-het taartje pie

The suffix -tje is added to words ending in a vowel,· or words ending

in a vowel followed by -n, -1 or -r.
r;;;1:t;;ï;11j; egg
!--·-----~------···--··---·--". ·-·. .-
! de tante-het tantetje ount
[·d; tepel-het l;p;ltje spoon
--··· -------
ober-het obertje woiter
--- ~----··· - ··- ~ .. .- ..-." --·· -··
wijn-het wijntje wine
- -- - -- --- ----···-······-· ·
· de broer-het broertje brother
'------------------------------
The suffix -pje is added to words ending with -em, -rm, -lm, or a
long vowel followed by -m.
het raam-hetfilam.pje window

• de bezem-het t>eJempje broom

i de helm-het helmpje he/met

[-::··--· -- . . .. . ------------- -·-··· --------
! ~~worm-het wormpje -----------~~~-~

The suffix -etje is added to words ending with a short vowel fol-
lowed by -n, -1, -r, -m, -ng.

de rekening-het rekeningetje bil/

de leerling-het leerlingetje student

de pen-het pennetje pen
de schol-het scholletje flounder, plaice

143
 ThP suffix -kje is fo111Hl 011 word s t•nding with ing loll11 w 111 g"
stressed syll al>lt>. (B111 1101 wo rd-.. <·11di11g in ling.) 111 1l1i -, < " "' '· llH · g
of -ing is ch angt'd tok, alld jt' is addt ·d .
de haring-het harinkje herring

de koning-het koninkje king

de pudding-het puddinkje pudding

Some dirninuti vcs hav<' il vow(' I d1 a n ge.

het blad-het blaadje leaf, sheet of paper, magazin e

het pad-het paadje path

het schip-het scheepje ship

het glas-het glaasje g/a ss

het vat-het vaatje barrel

Now let's look at th e rneanin g of tlw '-> <' fu11n " r Il<' 1 11< >~ 1 >f1.ii;"',11 tlrn
ward meaning of a dirnirllll iv(' i-., I<) i 11di< ;il< · '-> 111.illi 1n '•. 'Ic 1 1r r11 11 lwt
brood (laaf ofbread) , yo11 g<·t het broodjt> (rn//l . ;111 d ~ r <J11 1 df' le1wl
(spoon), you get het lepeltje> ( \11111// s 11u1111. 11 · u ~ p1HJ11 )
Another common use of di111 i1111t1\( '" i:-. !11 .., 11 gg1"·'1 --111111 · k: rld qf
emotional attitude, for exan1plt · lm·1· 111 lc11ld11t•..,, 11nijn llh]<,, 111\
[dearjlittlej sister, whethn slw 1s yrn1ll g l'I o r 1101 1 c11 d 1--d .1111 « lat
boertje, that redneck, that provi11<rnl 1. " ' irnll\ (mijn a11tuotie . 11 1\
"little" car, when it's really a big< ar l
A third use of diminutives is to chang<· " 110 11 r11 u1 1t 111 1ti. 1-- - 1111 t 11 i
into a count noun, meaning that ym1 'n, k1v i11g d r t· rt.1111 .1 1111l t111t 1)1
something. Examples of such pairs inclurl<' bier hit•rtit' tl1 1•er "
glass of beer), hout-- houtje (wood-- u piec e n/ 11 ·cJu1/ 1. IJ" ij~jt· ; ir 1
cream-a serving or portion of icP crewn) .
Dtm.inutives may also alter the 111ea11ing of d 11<H11i. 1 \,111qil1 · - 111
clude : spion-spionnetje (spy--husylwdy) . tPl«:>foon tt>ldoontj ('
(telephone-telephon e mil) , eten - etentje (food 111111 /c'r f 11 u /\ 'i
Word~ other than nouns can hav(_, diminutivt> 101111". '\ 0 111 1" , c1 11
be formed by adding diminutive endings to n· rt<1i11 .i di1·· \ 1\ • ' '
verbs, numbers, prepositions, and even pronm11b. l 1(1 11 1 .ulw 1

tîves you have: klein-kleintje (small-- snwll p ersn11 1 , , 11u 1i1 /

blond---blondje (blond--- blond woman), zuur -. zuurt jt> \ .\ u11, \ 11! u
candy),groen -- groentje (green -rookie) , lief--- liefje \dt'ur ~11'tï '!
144
heart). From verbs: zitten-zitje (to sit-a set of table and chairs),
spelen-speeltje (to play-a toy), moeten-moetje (to have to-a
shotgun wedding). From numbers: tien-tientje (ten-a ten euro
note), vijftig-vijftigje (fifty-afifty euro note), één-in m'n ééntje
(one-on my own). From prepositions: om-ommetje (around-a
walk), toe-toetje (to, as an extra-dessert), uit-uitje (out-an
outing). You can even add diminutive endings to certain pronouns.
From iets (something) you get the adverb ietsje (slightly).

96. READING
Read the following review of a restaurant, which is something that
you might find in a Dutch newspaper. See if you understand what
is written .and try to figure out the meaning of the parts you don't
understand. ·
Het is donker binnen in restaurant Taj Mahal. Ik eet à la carte. Als
voorgerecht neem ik drie flensjes, gevuld met kip in currysaus,
met rundvlees en wortels, en met Indiase groentes. De kok heeft
de vulling een verrassende rijkdom van smaken gegeven. Hij
heeft niet met de Indiase keuken geprutst. Als hoofdgerecht is er
een behoorlijke portie gebakken zeewolf in currysaus. Een hoog-
tepunt. De vis is mals en de saus is subtiel van smaak. De witte
huiswijn smaakt er geweldig bij. Alle gerechten krijgen een uit-
gebreide Indiase garnituur in leuke blauwe schaaltjes. Ik heb als
toetje een kleine portie rijstpudding met amandelen en rozijnen
genomen. ·4J.s ik mijn hand opsteek om de rekening te vragen,
ligt die er b'i»nen een minuut! Als ik naar de deur loop, rent een
ober voor me Uit om die te openen. Ik kan de Taj Mahal aanbev-
elen bij iedereen die van een eerlijke en oorspronkelijke Indiase
keuken houdt.
It is dark inside the Taj Mahal restaurant. I eat à la carte. As an appe-
tizer I have three crêpes,filled with chicken in curry sauce, with beef
and carrots, and with Indian vegetables. The cook gave the stuffing a
surprising richness offlavors. He didn't play around with Indian cui-
sine. As a main dish there is quite a portion offried wolffish in curry
sauce. A highpoint. The fish is tender and the sauce has a subtle
flavar. .~ white house wine tast~s wonderful with it. All the courses
get a sumptuous Indian gamish in nice little blue dishes. For dessert
l ordered a smàU portion ofrice pudding with almonds and raisins.
When I raise my hand to ask for the bill, it is there within a minute!
When I walked (walk) to the door, a waiter ran (runs) in front of me
145
 to open it. f can recommend the Taj Mahal to nnyonP who love, ru1
honest and original Indian cuisine.

gH. CULTURE NOTE 2

The Netherlands has its fair share of holidays and other celebra-
tions, and like anywhere else, food often plays a centra! role. At
Kerstmis or kerst (Christmas), which by the way involves a tree and
a manger, but not presents, families get together to share a meal.
For breakfast there is a kerststol, a sweet loaf with raisins , currants,
nuts and almond paste. A few days later, at Nieuwjaar (New Year 's ),
people enjoy oliebollen (a kind of donuts with raisins). Next comes
Pasen (Easter), when the paashaas (Easter bunny) brings lots of ei-
eren (eggs). In the eastern parts of the country, young people light
big bonfires in the open air. On Koninginnedag (Queen's Day), ev-
erybody has the day off to take part in the vrijmarkt ('free market"),
which is like a national yard sale on a tax-free day. People sell all
sorts of items to one another, including a good amount of old junk.
Of course a good amount of food and drink is sold as well! But for
Dutch children, there are really two highpoints each year, his or her
verjaardag (birthday), and Sinterklaas ("Santa Claus"). We'll talk
about Sinterklaas later. Birthdays are a feast for every child. When
the jarige (birthday child) gets up in the morning, the living room is
decorated with slingers (streamers) and even ballonnen (balloons) .
Then come the cadeaus (presents). When children go to school on
their birthdays, they're expected to bring in a load of candies and
give them out to their classmates, who will sing the Dutch birth-
day song, which starts with the line Lang zal hij/zij leven (may
he/she live long) and ends with the cheer hiep-hiep-hiep-hoera.
At home there will be a verjaardagsfeest (birthday party). Family
and friends will eat a verjaardagstaart (birthday cake) and drink
limonade (orangeade). The choice of family dinner is of course up
to the birthday boy or girl, so it's hard to say what's typical. But the
day-probably ends in a similar way for most children: Falling asleep
surrounded by their presents.

EXERCISES
Çhoose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
. •Y not need to use every word in the list.
146
 eet, kunne n, heerlij ke, zouden , lamsbo ut, graag, biertje
,
gerese rveerd
Menee r Boon: Goeden avond, i we hier wat kunnen
eten?
Servee rster: Ja meneer , ik heb voor u een tafel bij het raam
2
---
Menee r Boon: Dank u. Wij willen eerst wat drinken . Hebt
u
voor ons een 3 _ _ _?
Servee rster: Ja meneer . Wilt het dagme nu of 4 _ _ _ u à
la carte?
Menee r Boon: We nemen het dagme nu. Ik zie een 5 _ _
_
stampp ot op de kaart staan.

B. Give the past partici ple of each of the following verbs.

1.kom en
2. zitten
3.proe ven
4.moe ten
5. leggen
6.doen
7. maken
8. wachte n
9. drinke n
io. kiezen
IL krijgen
12. nemen
IJ eten
i4. denke n

C. Rewrite the following senten ces in the presen t perfec

t tense.
1. Ik drink een glas melk.
2. We wacht en niet lang.

147
 3. Altijd zegt u de waarheid.
4. Ze werken niet in Rotterdam.
5. Wil dat kind geen cadeautjes?
6. Ik schrijf een e-mail aan mijn zus.
7. Hij vindt een heel gezellig restaurant.
8. Ik doe een beetje boter in de pan.

D. Give the diminutive of each of the following.

L schip
2.pen
3. leerling
+tante
5.vork
6. helm

E. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

i. Today we ate a tasty soup with a lot of carrots.
2. He wants to drink a glass of red wine.
3. They ordered a laad of potatoes.
4. That little girl likes rice pudding with eggs.
5. Didn't you (pl.) get a dessert?

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

See how far you can push your knowledge of Dutch food vo-
cabulary by checking out a recipe on one of these sites: www
.recepten.nl, www.gratisrecept.nl, or www.jannekes.nl.
Find a recipe that seems like something you could tackle, and
read through it. You'll most likely need to look up a few new
words, but that's a great way to expand your vocabulary in con-
text. Write down the new words you find in your Language
Journal. And, if the recipe seems interesting enough, maybe
you can add a dish to your dinner rotation !
148
 ANSWER KEY
A. t. zouden; 2. gereserveerd; 3. biertje; 4- eet ; 5. heerlijke
B. t. gekomen; 2. gezeten; 3. geproefd; 4. gemoeten; 5. gelegd ;
6. gedaan; 7. gemaakt; 8. gewacht; 9. gedronken; 10. gekozen;
u. gekregen; 12. genomen; 13. gegeten ; 14. gedacht
c.i. Ik heb een glas melk gedronken. 2 . We hebben niet lang gewacht.
3. Altijd hebt u de waarheid gezegd. 4. Ze hebben niet in Rotterdam
gewerkt. 5. Heeft dat kind geen cadeautjes gewild? 6. Ik heb een
e-mail aan mijn zus geschreven. 7. Hij heeft een heel gezellig res-
taurant gevonden. 8. Ik heb een beetje boter in de pan gedaan.
D.i. scheepje; 2. pennetje; 3. leerlingetje; 4. tantetje; 5. vorkje;
6. helmpje
E.i. Vandaag hebben wij/we een lekkere soep met veel worteltjes
gegeten. 2. Hij wil een glas rode wijn drinken/Hij wil een rood
wijntje drinken. 3. Zij/ze hebben een vracht aardappelen besteld.
4. Dat kleine meisje vindt rijstpudding met eieren lekker/Dat mei-
sje houdt van rijstpudding met eieren. 5. Hebben jullie geen toetje
gekregen?

149
150
 LESSO N

10 0 dokter!
Oh, doctor!

It's not likely that this lesson will give you a headache, hut just in
case it does, we'll focus on talking about the human body, health,
and visiting the doctor. So you'll be learning a lot of new and use-
ful vocabulary, as well as some key grammar. We'll return to our
discussion of the present perfect tense, focusing this time on verbs
that take zijn instead of hebben as an auxiliary. We'll also talk about
using modals like kunnen, willen, and moeten in the present per-
fect, and we'll take a look at reflexive verbs, which sound as though
they might be related toa doctor's visit. But first, let's warm up with
some vocabulary related to the body.

10A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

gezicht; (het; gezichten) face
mond (de; monden) mouth
tand (de; tanden) tooth
oor (het; oren) ear
voet (de; voeten) foot
huid (de; huiden) skin
haar(dejhet;haren) hair
arm (de; arm_en) arm
been (het; benen) leg
borst (de; borsten) chest, breast
buik (de; bttjpp.) belly
enkel (de; enke1·s} ankle
hand(de;handen) hand
151
 hoofd (het; hoofde n) head
keel (de; kelen) throat
nek (de; nekken ) neck
schoud er (de; schoud ers) shoulder
vinger (de; vinger s) finger
wang (de; wange n) cheek

108. DIALOGUE
Mr. Jansen is experi encing pain all over, althou gh he 's a
bit con·
fused about its source. Listen in as his doctor does her best
to help
him.
Dokter Bernar d: Menee r Jansen !
Menee r Jansen : Dag dokter . Fijn dat u nog even tijd voor
me
heeft.
Dokter Bernar d: Geen dank. Wat scheel t eraan?
Menee r Jansen : Ik heb overal pijn. Ik prik mezelf hier in
mijn arm en dat doet pijn. Ook mijn wang,
mijn nek, mijn buik, mijn benen en enkels
doen pijn.
Dokter Bernar d: Duw die vinger eens op uw hoofd of borst.
Menee r Jansen : Au! Ja, dat doet ook pijn.
Dokter Bernar d: Mag ik even uw hand zien? Ik zie het al.
Uw vinger is gebrok en. U moet hem in het
zieken huis laten spalke n.
Menee r Jansen : Ik ben nog nooit in het zieken huis gewees
t.
Mijn vrouw is wel eens van de ladder
gevallen. Haar schoud er was toen uit de
kom. Zij is naar het zieken huis gegaan .
Maar ik heb toen thuis moete n blijven , met
een griepje op bed. Toen is de buurm an, je
weet wel, die met reuma , meege gaan. En
toen mijn dochte r ...
Dokter Bernar d: Eh ... menee r ...
Menee r Jansen : Zij heeft hoge koorts gekreg en.'s Nachts
is mijn vrouw met haar naar de eerste
hulp gerede n. Toen is geblek en dat ze
longon tstekin g had en is ze met antibio tica
152
 weer naar huis gekomen. Ik ben me toen
wel rot geschrokken. Normaal krijg je
niet zomaar een kuur. Moet ik me nog
uitkleden?
Dokter Bernard: Nee meneer. Ik zie uw vinger zo ook wel.
Durft u soms niet naar het ziekenhuis
te gaan? De verwijsbrief ligt klaar bij de
assistente.
Meneer Jansen: Krijg ik geen pijnstillers? Die heb ik altijd al
willen hebben bij keelpijn.
Dokter Bernard: Dan zal ik even in uw keel kijken. Ik zie het
al. Uw keel is een beetje geïrriteerd. U moet
een paar daagjes rust nemen. Dan zult u zich
snel beter voelen.
Meneer Jansen: Dank u wel, mevrouw de dokter.

Doctor Bernard: Mr. Jansen!

Mr. Jansen: Hello, Doctor. Glad you have some time for me.
Doctor Bernard: No problem. What's the matter?
Mr. Jansen: I hurt all over. I stick/pinch myself here in my
arm and that hurts. My cheek, my neck, my
belly, my legs, and ank/es hurt, toa.
Doctor Bernard: Press that finger onto your head or chest.
Mr. Jansen: Ow! That hurts, too.
Doctor Bernard: May I see your hand fora moment? I see it
already. Your finger is braken. You have to have
it put in a splint at the hospita/.
Mr. Jansen: J've never been in the hospita!. My wife fel/ off
a ladder once. Her shoulder was dislocated
then. She went to the hospita/. But I had to
stay at home, in bed with a minor flu. That
time our neighbor, you know him, the one with
rheumatism, went to the hospita! with her. And
when my daughter ...
Doctor Bernard: Ahem ... Sir ...
Mr. jOTUJm,: She had a high fever. At night my wife drove
wtth her to the emergency room. Then it turned
out that she had pneumonia, and she carne
home again with antibiotics. I was scared
153
 stijf then. i\'omwlly vou don ·t get trentPd (fit .,
a cure 'treatment J just like that . Do 1 have to
undress?
Doctor Bernard: No, Sir. J can see vour finger fine this way. Are
you perhaps a bit scared to go to the hospita/?
The referral letter is (!it., lies) ready with the
assistant.
Mr. Jansen : Don 't J get any painkillers ? J've always wanted
to have them when J had (/it., by, with) a sore
throat.
Doctor Bernard: Then Il/ take a look at your throat. 1 can see it.
Your throat is a little irritated. )au have to rest
fora few days. fou 11 fee[ much better soon.

Mr. Jansen: Thank you, Doctor.

10C. VOCABULARY
antibiotica (de) antibiotics (pl.)

assistent (de; assistenten) assistant (m.}

assistente (de; assistentes) assistant (j.)

blijken (gebleken) to appear, to seem
breken(gebroken) to break
buurman (de;-mannen) neighbor (m.)
. dag (de; dagen) day
drukken (gedrukt) to press, to push
durven (gedurfd) to dare
duwen (geduwd) to push
eerste hulp emergency room
geïrriteerd (geïrriteerde; irritated
geïrriteerder, meest geïrriteerd)
griep (de; -) flu
hand (de; handen) hand
hoog (hoge; hoger, hoogst) high
huisarts (de; -artsen) family doctor
keelpijn (de;-) sore throat
154
 koorts (de; koortsen) f ever
kuur (de; kuren) cure, treatment
ladder (de; ladders) ladder
laten (gelaten) to let
longontsteking (de; pneumonia
-ontstekingen)
meegaan (meegegaan) to go with
muisarm (de; -armen) repetitive stress injury from using a
computer mouse
nooit never
pijn (de; pijnen) pa in
pijn doen to hurt
pijnstiller (de; -stillers) painkiller
reuma (de;-) rheumatism
rust (de;-) rest
schelen (gescheeld) to be the matter
spalken (gespalkt) to put in a splint
uit de kom dislocated
uitkleden (uitgekleed) to undress
vallen (gevallen) to fall
verwijsbrief (de; -brieven) referral letter
zich rot schrikken to be scared stijf
ziekenhuis (het; -huizen) hospita[

zomaar just like that

10D. KEY PHRASES

Here are som.:e phrases that will be useful when talking about health
issues.
Ik voel me niet lekker. I don't fee[ very well.
Ik heb hier pijn. J'm sore here.
Ik voel me duizelig. I fee[ dizzy.
Ik ben misselijk. I feel nauseated.
155
 Ik zit veel te hoesten en te J'm coughing and sneezing a lot.
niezen.
Mijn neus is verstopt. My nose is congested.

Bent u ergens allergisch voor? Do you have any allergies?

Ik ben allergisch voor J'm allergie to penicillin.

penicilline.
U hebt hoge koorts. You have a high Jever.

Zegt u eens A. Say ah, please.

U hebt een ontsteking aan You 've got swelling/ inflammation
uw been. on your /eg.
Ik ben nog nooit geopereerd. J've never had surgery.

Alleen voor uitwendig gebruik. Por extemal use only.

Schudden voor het gebruik. Shake before use.

We hebben een ziekenwagen We need an ambulance.
nodig.
De dokter heeft vandaag Today the doctor has no
geen spreekuur. consultation hours.

10E. CULTURE NOTE 1

Health insurance is compulsory for everyone in the Netherlands,
and this keeps medical costs low. But as a foreigner you might have
to pay cash or show some acceptable proof of insurance. In either
case, you should have your identification documents with you, pref-
erably a passport.
When people are sick, they first go to the huisarts (family doc-
tor), who is a general practitioner. Appointments are made with
the assistant(e) (assistant) for the same or following day. The
assistant(e) may take care of small matters, like testing the blood
sugar level or minor medical procedures. The huisarts then meets
with patients, and may then send them home for rest, prescribe
medicine, or perhaps refer them on to a hospital. For the most com-
mon illnesses patients are sent home for rest and won't get (pre-
scription) painkillers or antibiotics.
Prescription medicines are available at the apotheek (pharmacy)
hut over-the-counter medicine such as common painkillers and
156
 cough syrup can be purchased at a drogist (drugstore) or somp
times at large supermarkets.
Normally appointments for a consultation or treatment at a hospi-
ta! are made at a polikliniek (outpatient clinic). But if you find your-
self in need, a huisarts will be able to help you through the system.
For real emergencies there is always the Eerste Hulp (Emergency
Room). If you are ever in need of an ambulance, call 112, which
is the equivalent of 911, providing assistance from the police, fire
department, or EMS.

tof. GRAMMAR
Gr•mmar point 1: The present perfect with zijn
As you learned in the last lesson, for many verbs, the present per-
fect is formed with a conjugated form of hebben and a past par-
ticiple. Hebben is used with most transitive verbs, or verbs that
take a direct object, such as begrijpen (to understand), denken (to
think), hebben (to have), horen (to hear), krijgen (to get), maken (to
do/make), sluiten (to close), verliezen (to loose), vertellen (to teil),
willen (to want), zeggen (to say), zien (to see), and so on. Hebben
is also used with intransitive verbs, or verbs that don't take a direct
object, that express a resting or unchanging state, such as hangen
(to hang/to be hanging), leven (to live), liggen (to /ie/to be lying),
schijnen (to shine, to seem), slapen (to sleep/to be sleeping), staan
(to stand/to be standing), zitten (to sit/to be sitting), and others.
Hij heeft dat al va'ak tegen je gezegd.
He's aften said that to you.
Jullie hebben mij goed gehoord.
You heard me well.
Waarom heb je het niet gemaakt?
Why didn 't you make/repair it?
Ik heb vannacht niet geslapen.
I didn't sleep last night.
We hebben daar lang gezeten.
We were sitting there a long time.
De auto heeft gïsteren buiten gestaan.
The car was flit., stood) outside yesterday.
But hebben ~ not the only auxiliary used in the present perfect.
Zijn is also usedc, with intransitive verbs that express some kind of
157
 change'. of -,tale, _"ud1 ;1c, gebeur en - -- gebf~urd (l() hr1ppPT1 hrip[Jen
er1 1
gaan- gegaa n (to <JO 9(JrW) . komen - gekom en ((() <()rrte
r rmw,
vallen -geval len (f(J full Julien), worde n - gewor den ( f()
r;et r;r1/
ten. to herom e !Jr>mrrw) . Jt ic, al c,o 11-,1'.d wit h blijve n-geb leven
!t r1
stny- --stayed ) and zijn -- -gewee st (tu IH' hf'ef1) , fJ('. rhap'>
'ilr <ir1 ~E·I·,
since these dori't i11dical1· a d1 ;mgi· at all. Finall y. tlwn'
. <Hl'. friur
special tran-,itiw: wrb-, tliat tak1· zijn in the fHf''>f'. Tll P~~rf,'
. rt : begin -
nen-b egonn en (to lwqin lwqun), kwijtr aken-k w11tg eraakt
1 lr1
/ose - lost), nadere n --gena derd ( /() r1pprorich - appmf
l( hed1 and
tegenk omen - tegeng ekome n (to meer -m et).
Dat is al vaker gebeur d.
That has happen t'rl mor(' thun ome.
Zij zijn naar Amerik a gegaan .
They went to America.
We zijn thuis gebleven.
We stayed home.
Je bent van de ladder gevalle n.
You feil from the ladder.
Wat is er van hem geword en?
Whatever became of hirn (
Ik ben een eigen zaak begonn en.
J started my (/it., an) own business.

A few verbs may take either auxilié.1ry in ttw pn~ '->ent perfect
, h111
with different meanings. With hebbe n th e rneani ng is träm
itiv<',
and with zijn the meani ng is intransi tive and expresses somc
kind
of change of state. Examples are draaie n-ged raaid (to turn
fsume
thingj/ to turn), genez en-ge nezen (to cure/ to recover) , smelte
n-
gesmo lten (to melt /somet hingj/ to melt) , trouw en-ge trouw
d
(to marry /someo nej/to get married) , veran deren -veran derd
(tu
change /somet hingj/t o change) verme erdere n-verm eerde
rd (to
enlarg e/to grow).
De prieste r heeft Jan en Marie getrou wd.
The priest married fan and Marie.
Jan en Marie zijn gistere n getrou wd.
fan and Marie got married yesterday.
Dat heeft zijn menin g verand erd.
That changed his opinion.
Zijn menin g is niet zomaa r verand erd.
His opinion didn't changed just like that.

158
 for verbs of movement , like fietsen (to cycle). lopen (wn/k). and
even springen (jump), you wil! also see both hebben and zijn as
auxiliaries. Here, hebben is used when the focus is on the action.
and zijn is used when the focus is on the "goal" of the rnovenwnt -
similar to the change-of-state reading explained above. Compare
hebben and zijn in the exa mples below.
Ik heb drie uur gelopen.
/ walked for three hours.
Ik ben naar Amsterdam gelopen.
/ walked to Amsterdam.
Wij hebben gesprongen.
Wejumped.
Wij zijn in het water gesprongen.
We jumped into the water.
Zijn is also used as an auxiliary with pass ives, hut weïl comeback
to that later.

Grammar point :z: Using modals in the present perfect

In Lesson 5 you learned the modal verbs hoeven, kunnen, moeten,
mogen, willen, and zullen. In the present perfect, these rnodals all
take the auxiliary hebben, with the exception of zullen, which has
no participle. Let's look at the others first. If you use a modal on its
own, without any other verb, simply conjugate hebben, and put the
past participle of the modal at the end, as with other verbs. Noti ce
that a second (main) verb is often understood in Dutch.
Dat had niet gehoeven.
That wasn't necessary.
Wij hebben het gekund.
We could (do) it.
Dit heeft altijd gemogen.
This was always allowed.
Ik heb het zo niet gewild.
l didn't want it (to be) this way.

Don't forget that modals are aften followed by one or more verbs in
the infinitive, which come at the end of the clause or sentence.
Jullie hoeven dat niet te doen.
You don't have to do that.

159
 We kunnen de fiets repareren.
We can repair the bike.
Moet je op tijd komen?
Do you have to arrive on time?
Dit mag hij altijd doen.
He's always allowed to do THIS.
Ik wil de dokter bellen.
I want to call the doctor.
In the present perfect, things work very similarly with these modals.
Hebben is conjugated, and the other verbs come at the end of the
sentence or clause. But instead of past participia! forms, both the
modal and the main verb are in their infinitive forms. The most
typical word order is subject + hebben + rest of sentence + modal
infinitive +main infinitive.
We hebben de fiets kunnen repareren.
We could/were able to repair the bike.
Heb je op tijd kunnen komen?
Were you able to arrive on time?
Dit heeft hij altijd mogen doen.
He always was allowed to do THIS.
Now let's look at zullen. Zullen in its present form is a lot like En-
glish wil/. It's used to indicate a future plan or intention. But keep in
mind that this suggests a strong intention; the most neutra! way to
express the future in Dutch is simply to use the present tense.
Ze zullen haar morgen bezoeken.
They wilt visit her tomorrow.
Ze bezoeken haar morgen.
They're visiting her tomorrow.

As already introduced in Lesson 8, the simple past forms of zullen

are zou in the singular, and zouden in the plural. The past tense
of zullen has a few different uses in Dutch, hut the most common
meanings can be translated as would or should.
Ik zou geen pijnstillers nemen.
1 wouldn't take any painkillers.
Ze zouden naar het ziekenhuis moeten gaan.
They should go to the hospita/.

160
 A few verbs other than modals can be followed by infinitives, such
as gaan, blijven, komen, doen, and laten (to let) . We'll carne back
to them later.

&rammar point 3: Reflexive verbs

A reflexive verb is a verb whose object is the same as the subject.
In other words, a subject does something to or for him or herself.
Pronouns that follow reflexive verbs are reflexive pronouns, and in
English they end in -self or -selves. Let's look at Dutch reflexive pro-
nouns now. The forms in parentheses are used to show emphasis
or contrast.
rsuBJECT REFLEXIVE
! PRONOUNS PRONOUNS
L-------
"'
;r----·--- ----· .- me (mezelf) myself

--=~=-- ;:~
je üezelf) yourself

u {uzelf)/zich yourself
/Jij (zichzelf)
! hij, zij/ze, het/'t he, she, it zich {zichzelf) himlher/itself
.·- - --·- -·-·- ·--- --·------·-·
i WiJIW'e we ons {onszelf) ourse/ves

Ë=- === =;~;;- je üezelf) yourselves

1 djlze _t~~!.. _
___ zich {zichzelf) themselves
Notice that the reflexive pronouns have the same form in the singular and plural,
except tor the first person (me and ons).

The place of these pronouns in the sentence is the same as that of

objects. The reflexive comes after the subject and the conjugated
verb.
Je moest je schamen!
You ought to be ashamed!
Hij heeft zich ernstig misdragen.
He misbehaved badly.
Ik kan me niets meer van het ongeluk herinneren.
I can't remember anything from the accident any more.
Hebben jullie je/jezelf vandaag al gewassen?
Have you washed yourselves yet today?
Ze hebben zich een bult gelachen.
They were laughing hysterically. (lit., They laughed themselves a bump.)
161
 We verheugen ons op uw bezoek.
We 're looking forward to your vis it.
There are two types of reflexive verbs in Dutch, the first of which
are always used with a reflexive pronoun in a particular meaning.
Some examples are: zich bemoeien met (to interfere with), zich
ergeren (to get angry), zich gedragen (to behave), zich generen (to
be embarassed), zich haasten (to hurry), zich herinneren (to remem -
ber), zich herstellen (to recover), zich misdragen (to misbehave) ,
zich overgeven (to surrender), zich schamen (to be ashamed), zich
verbazen (to be amazed), zich vergissen (to be wrong), zich ver-
heugen op (to look forward to), zich verslapen (to oversleep) , zich
voorstellen (to imagine). Sometimes an intensifier or other phrase
is needed with zich: zich rot schrikken (to be scared stijf), zich een
bult lachen (to laugh hysterically), zich ziek voelen (to fee! il!) .
The second type of reflexive verb is a regular transitive verb, which
may or may not be used reflexively. This is similar to the English
pair to dress someone else and to dress oneself. Here the emphatic
forms with -zelf can be used to stress that the action is reflexive.
Some examples are: zich aankleden (to get dressed), zich bewe-
gen (to move), zichzelf pijn doen (to hurt oneselfJ , zichzelf prikken
(to prick himself), zich(zelf) scheren (to shave oneselfJ, zich(zelf)
snijden (to cut oneself), zich uitkleden (to get undressed) , zichzelf
yerdedigen (to defend oneselfJ, zich verkleden (to change clothes) ,
zich vervelen (to be bored), zich voorstellen (to introduce oneselj),
zich wassen (to wash oneself) , zichzelf zien (to see oneselfJ.
Ik word wakker en ik was mezelf.
I wake up and wash myself.
Hij heeft niet het brood, maar zichzelf gesneden!
He didn't cut the bread, but (rather) himself!
Ik geneer me als ik het antwoord niet weet.
I get embarrassed if I don't know the answer.
Eerst kleedt ze zichzelf aan, en dan kleedt ze het kind aan.
First she dresses herself, and then she dresses the child.

106. READING
Read the following story by Doctor Bernard. See if you understand
what she is saying and try to figure out the meaning of the parts
you don't understand.
162
 vandaag heb ik meneer Jansen op het spreekuur gehad. Dat is
rne ook een rare. Hij heeft zijn vinger gebroken, maar hij had
het zelf niet gemerkt. Ik heb hem naar het ziekenhuis moeten
sturen. Daar zullen ze de vinger wel hebben gespalkt. Hij is nog
nooit in een ziekenhuis geweest. Zijn vrouw is daar wel geweest.
Zij bad zich flink bezeerd aan haar schouder. Volgens mij durft
meneer Jansen niet naar het ziekenhuis te gaan. Hij wilde zich-
zelf liever pijnstillers voor zijn keel geven, maar ik heb hem rust
voorgeschreven .
Today I had Mr. Jansen during consultatio11 hours ; he really is a
strange one. He broke his finger, hut he did11 't 11otice it himself I had
to send him to the hospita/. There they'fl most likely put the fi11ger in
a splint. He's never been in a hospita/ before. His w1fe /on the other
hand/ has been there. She had seriously injured her shoulder. Irz my
opinion Mr. Jansen is afraid (/it., doesn 't dare) to go to the hospita/.
Heä rather give himself painkillers for his throat, but I prescribed
rest for him.

10H. CULTURE llOTE 2

The biggest celebration of the year, especially for children, is Sinter-
klaas (Saint Nicholas) on the eve of December 6 11i. Sinterklaas is a
bishop who, traditionally, gives presents and candies to all goo<l lit-
tle boys and girls. (Of course, all little boys and girls are good!) But
unlike Santa Claus, Sinterklaas chooses as a home a warmer climate,
Spain to be precise, and he takes a steamboat to the Netherlands a
few weeks before December 6th. During these weeks, chil<lren put a
shoe beside the fireplace, or, more recently, next to the centra] heal-
ing unit. They leave something in their shoe for Sinterklaas' white
horse, which he rides on over the rooftops. But they don't forget
Sinterklaas himself, of course, who gets small gifts like drawings,
and of course a wish list. Sinterklaas comes with his servants in
the night to fill all the shoes with a small present or candy. Around
the 61h of December, every family holds a pakjesavond (present eve-
ning). On this evening the bishop himself brings presents, and older
people give presents to one another. Many presents include a witty
poem that teases the recipient, of course in good humor. There is
also a tradition of a surprise (surprise gift) for one person. This
generally holds some kind of joking significance for either the gift-
giver or the recipient, perhaps for example an alarm doek made of
colored paper for someone who has trouble being on time.
163
 The likely historie figure of Saint Nicholas was a bishop in Myra
111
(now Demre), Turkey, who <lied on December 6 in the year 342. He
wore the traditional bishop's robes of red and white, which prob-
ably inspired the American tradition of Santa Claus. Unlike Santa,
though, instead of elves Sinterklaas has human helpers, called
Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters). They are merry and hardworking
men who climb down the chimneys to fill the shoes. The tradition
arose in different times, and more recently a discussion has started
as to whether these "helpers," who are indeed black, are farmer
slaves, and what sort of ethical example this poses for children.
Today, therefore, one can see Pieten of every possible color. Other
accounts of Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Pieten have it that the first
Piet was a devil who was defeated by Saint Nicholas, or that the
Pieten are black because of the soot they encounter in all of those
chimneys. Many children of course focus instead on the gifts that
are brought to them.
Another tradition associated with the season is pepernoten, small
cookies with spices like cinnamon, which children throw in remem-
brance of the coins that Saint Nicholas gave to poor women who
wanted to marry hut lacked the financial means. Another story is
that the cookies represent the gifts tossed down the chimney by the
helper of the Germanic god Wotan, who rode through the air on his
white horse. Also part of the festivities are chocoladeletters (choco-
late letters). All the letters of the alphabet are available, and people
get the letters of the first name. Other holiday sweets include borst-
plaat (similar to fudge), taai taai (gingerbread) and marsepein
(marzipan) in the shapes of animals and various objects.
Although Santa Claus is beginning to take hold in the Netherlands,
Sinterklaas is still hugely celebrated with the songs and traditions
that go with it. There is even a special mail service, by which letters
addressed to Sinterklaas are read, and replies are written and sent
back to children.

EXERCISES
Choose words from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
may not need to use every word in the list.
moet, gekund, mezelf, heb, zich, gedaan, kunnen, wil

164
 l\1tiént : Dokter, ik heb 1 bezeerd. Kunt u zien
wat er niet got'lfi~- ;;-
Dol-..ter : Nee. dat kan ik niet zomaar zien. Welke
klachten hebt u 2 merken?
Patiént: Ik :~ ----- al een tijd niet me<:>r zo goed
kunnen lopen.
Dokter : U hebt 4 _____ niet vergist, zie ik : uw been is
gebroken .
Patiënt: 0 daarom heeft het been zo veel pijn 5 _ _ _ .
Dokter: Ja, maar nu 6 u het been in het
ziekenhuis laten spalken.
B. Use the correct auxiliary in the following present perfect
sentences.
1. Dat _ _ _ je goed gedaan.
2. Hij _ _ _ later dokter geworden.
3. Die jongens te laat thuis gekomen.
+Zij tot half één op bed gelegen.
5. Waarom _ _ _ jij je zo vergist?
6. Zoiets ik nooit willen zeggen.

C. Change present tense into the present perfect and the present
perfect into the present tense.
i . H1j heeft het al eerder willen zeggen.
2. Ga jij naar de dokter?
3. U hebt zich vergist.
4. Jan fietst in één uur naar Amsterdam .
5. Jullie kurmen het maar niet vergeten.
6. U hebt zich niet hoeven scheren.

D. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

1. The old man feil in the street.
i. Auot Julia could remember her telephone number.

165
 3. You (pl.) have to behave in the school.
4. Which language do you (fml.) want to speak?
5. Harry wants to be a doctor.
6. You were able to (use mogen) see that.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Challenge yourself by taking your Dutch further and learning

a bit about health and health insurance in the Netherlands.
Check out the following sites, and see how much you can fol-
low. Try to find a simple page or a very short article, and try to
get the gist of what it says. First go to www.gezondheidsple in
.nl, which is an online guide for health and wellness. Then
go to www.informatieziekt ekosten.nl to find information on
Dutch health insurance. From there you can link to an insur-
ance company like www.agisweb.nl, www.univé.nl, and others.
Of course you won't be able to understand everything, hut see
if you can figure out where to find out about the costs of dif-
ferent plans for individuals and families. Keep a record of any
important new words that you find in your Language Journal,
and don't be afraid to use a dictionary or online reference to
help expand your vocabulary.

ANSWER KEY
A.I. mezelf; 2. kunnen; 3. heb; 4. zich; 5. gedaan; 6. moet

B.I. heb; 2. is; 3. zijn;+ heeft/hebben; 5. heb; 6. heb

C.I. Hij wil het al eerder zeggen. 2. Ben jij naar de dokter gegaan?
3· U vergist zich. 4. Jan is in één uur naar Amsterdam gefietst.
5· Jullie hebben het maar niet kunnen vergeten. 6. U hoeft zich niet
te scheren.

D.I. De oude man is op straat gevallen. 2. Tante Julla heeft zich haar
telefoonnummer kunnen herinneren. 3. Jullie moeten je in school
gedragen. 4. Welke taal wilt u spreken? 5. Harry wil dokter worden .
6. U hebt dat mogen zien.

166
LESSO N

11 Computers en internet
Computers and the internet

Welcome to Lesson 11, which is about computers and the internet.

In this lesson you'll learn a lot of useful words that will be familiar
to you, since many computer related terms are borrowed from En-
glish. You'll also take your Dutch further by learning some impor-
tant new grammar, including the present perfect tense with prefix
verbs. You'll also learn about Dutch word order in subordinate or
dependent clauses. But let's start with some hardware!

11A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

beeldscherm (het; -schermen) display, monitor
computer (de; computers) computer
desktop (de; desktops) desktop
flatscreen (de; -screens) flat screen
geheugen (het; geheugens) memory
modem (de/het; modems) modem
laptop (de; laptops) laptop
muis (de; muizen) mouse
printer (d~; printers) printer .
scanner (de; scanners) scanner
toetsenbord. (het; -borden) keyboard

111. DIAL08UI
Listen in as Mrs. Wit buys a new computer from a very helpful
shop assistant.
167
 Verkoper: Dag mevrouw. Kan ik u helpen?
Mevrouw Wit: Ja graag. Ik zoek een computer voor mijn
eigen bedrijf.
Verkoper: En wat eist u van een computer?
Mevrouw Wit: Het hoeft geen laptop te zijn. Bovendien
wil ik dat hij flink wat geheugen heeft. Ook
wil ik een goede tekstverwerker en een snel
fotoprogramma aanschaffen.

Verkoper: En wilt u ook internetten?

Mevrouw Wit: Ja! Ik verkoop meubels via het internet.
Het hebben van een snelle computer is erg
belangrijk. Oh ja, en een goed ergonomisch
toetsenbord zou fijn zijn.

Verkoper: Ik heb hier enkele computers.

Deze heeft een groot geheugen, een
hoge verwerkingssnelheid voor de
grafische software en een draadloze
netwerkverbinding. U heeft uitgelegd
dat u veel met foto's werkt. Ik heb een
mooie aanbieding, waarbij u het grafische
programma voor de helft van de prijs krijgt.
Mevrouw Wit: Dat heb ik vroeger ook al eens aangeschaft;
een prima programma. Maar hoe is het
beeldscherm bij deze computer?
Verkoper: Voor een kleine meerprijs kunt u een
flatscreen kopen. Een draadloze muis
is standaard. Bovendien kunt u snel uw
bestanden uploaden, tenminste als u een
snelle internetverbinding hebt.
Mevrouw Wit: Ja, dat was me wel tegengevallen toen ik
begon. Ik heb nu een heel goede verbinding.
Ik kan downloaden en surfen tegelijk. En de
bestanden die ik download, zijn behoorlijk
groot.
Verkoper: U begrijpt tenminste waar ik het over heb.
I~ h~b hier net een oude dame gehad, aan
~e 1k. alles heb uitgelegd. Vraagt ze of
1k mmzenvallen heb, omdat ik toch ook
muizen verkoop! Nu vraag ik je ...

168
 Shop assistant : Hello ma'am. Can J help you?
Mrs. Wit : Yes please. tm looking Jor a computer for my
own business.
Shop assistant: And what are you looking for in a computer
(lit., what do you demand of a computer)?
Mrs. Wit: lt doesn 't have to be a laptop. And (fit., besides)
1 want it to have enough memory. 1 also want
to purchase a good word processor and a Jast
photo program.
Shop assistant: And would you like to use the internet?
Mrs. Wit: Yes! 1 sell furniture over the internet. Having
a Jast computer is very important. Oh yes, and
an ergonomically designed keyboard would be
good.
Shop assistant: I have some computers over here. This one
has a lot of memory, Jast processing speed
for graphics software and a wireless network
connection. You explained that you work a lot
with photos. 1 have a special offer, that you get
the graphics programs for half price.
Mrs. Wit: I purchased this one before, an excellent
program. But how is the monitor that comes
with this computer?
Shop assistant: Fora small extra amount you can get a flat
screen. A wireless mouse is included. Besides,
uploading your files will be Jast, at least when
you have a good internet connection.
Mrs. Wit: Yes, that's what disappointed me in the
beginning. But now I have a very good
connection. I can download and surf the
internet at the same time. And the files I
download are pretty big.
Shop assistant: You at least understand what J'm talking about.
1 just had an old lady [come in] who 1 explained
everything to. Then she asks me whether I have
mousetraps because I sell mice ! 1 teil ya . . . (Zit.,
now 1 ask you ... )

169
 11C. VOCABULARY
aanbieding (de; -biedingen) special offer
aanschaffen (heeft aangeschaft) to purdwse
afdrukken (heeft afgedrukt) to print
bedrijf (het; bedrijven) company
begrijpen (heeft begrepen) to understand
behoorlijk pretty, Jairly. rat her
belangrijk (-rijke; -rijker, -rijkst) important
bestand (het; bestanden) file
chatten (heeft gechat) to chat
downloaden (heeft gedownload) to download
draadloos (-loze) wireless
ci~n ~n

eisen (heeft geëist) to demand

e-mailen (heeft geë-maild) to e-mail
ergonomisch (ergonomische; ergonomie
ergonomischer, meest
ergonomisch)
fotoprogramma (het; photo program
-programma's)
googelen (heeft gegoogeld) to Google
grafisch (grafische;-) graphic
hardware (de;-) hardware
helft (de; helften) half
helpen (heeft geholpen) · to help
internet (het;-) internet
internetten (heeft geïnternet) to use the internet
internetverbinding (de; internet connection
-verbindingen)
kopiëren (heeft gekopieerd) to copy
meerprijs (de; -prijzen) extra charge, additional cost
msn'en (heeft ge-msn'd) to use MSN
muizenval (de; -vallen) mousetrap
170
 netwerkver binding (de; network connection
-verbindingen)
prijs (de; prijzen) price

prima excellent
printen (heeft geprint) to print
programm a
(het; programma 's) program

scannen (heeft gescand) to scan

sms'en (heeft ge-sms't) to text message

snel Jast
software (de; -) software

standaard standard

surfen (heeft gesurft) to surf

tegelijk at the same time

tegenvallen (is tegengevallen) to disappoint

tekstverwe rker (de; word processor

-verwerkers)
tenminste at least

uitleggen (heeft uitgelegd) to explain

uploaden (heeft geüpload) to upload

verbinding (de; verbinding en) connection

verwerking ssnelheid (de; processing speed

-snelheden)
via via, over
vragen (heeft gevraagd) to ask
vroeger before
waarbij with which

yahoo ! ,gebruik.en to use Yahoo !

11D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases for computers and the internet.
Ik gebruik op het werk een I use a desktop at work, and a
desktop en thuis een laptop. laptop at home.
171
 Hoe groot is de harde schijf? How big is the hard drive?
De processorsnelheid is The processor speed is 1600 GHz.
zestienhonderd gigahertz.
Zou u mij een goed Could you recommend a good
antivirusprogramma kunnen antivirus program to me?
aanraden?
Met deze laserprinter drukt u With this laser printer you (can)
vijftig zwart-witafdrukken per print fifty black and white copies
minuut af. per minute.
Hoeveel kost zo'n inktpatroon? How much does such a printer
cartridge cost?
De muismat krijgt u bij You get the mouse pad as a gift
aanschaf van deze muis cadeau. when you make a purchase.

U wilt het hele moederbord You want to replace the entire

vervangen? motherboard?
Waar kan ik mijn mail Where can I check my e-mail?
checken?
Wat is uw e-mailadres? What's your e-mail address?
Ik heb mijn foto's nog niet 1 haven't uploaded my photos yet.
geüpload.
We hebben net nieuwe We just downloaded new music.
muziek gedownload.
Zij zitten altijd met elkaar They're always text messaging each
te sms'en. other.
De website van dit bedrijf is This company's website is very
erg gebruiksvriendelijk. userfriendly.
Deze site heeft schitterende This site has great bulletin boards
prikborden en chatrooms. and chat rooms.

11E. CULTURE NOTE 1

Just as in English, a lot of texting abbreviations have developed in

Dutch. Here's an example of a string of text messages, which may
not meet the standards of Dutch teachers, hut which certainly gets
the job clone efficiently.

172
 f HLL Hallo. Hel/o.
Hl Hoi. Hi.
i LN6 Lang niet gesproken. Long time no speak.
i H6T1 Hoe gaat het? How are you?
1
i MMG Met mij goed. l'm fine.
/ WDJTGNWRDG! Wat doe je What are you doing
i
! tegenwoordig? nowadays?
1--1WRKNITSCTR Ik werk in de IT-sector. l'm working in the IT
1
1 sector.
llÖL&KÎ-- Is dat leuk? /s that good/pleasant?
1.-.--·-- ··-- .. ...
i GlW Gaat wel. /t's okay.
~ ------ ·· ···
1 a.aKCLLGS? Leuke collega's? Nice co/leagues?

riWGNUrf~GJM?
1
Ja. We gaan uit. Ga Yeah. We're going out.
1 - je mee? Are you coming with us?

t W8.HLn Wacht. Hoe laat? Wait. What time?

~-----·- -~- - ----··----- .
i 8BM. Om acht uur bij mij. At 8 pm at my place.

r1•MTI>AUT? --- Niet met de auto? Not by car?

t::m•-:-_ Nee, ik wil geen BOB

zijn.
No, / don't want to be
the BOB*.

*BOB is short for bewust onbeschonken bestuurder (deliberately sober driver), in other
words the designated driver.

11 F. CiRAM MAR .
Grammar point 1: Present perfect tense
of separable prefix verbs
In Lesson 8 you learned that separable prefixes, or the stressed
particles in verbs like aankomen (to arrive) or uitgaan (to go out) ,
move to the end of the sentence when the verb is conjugated in the
present tense. In the present perfect tense, the prefix and the verb
are joined again, hut they're separated by the ge- that you see in
past participles. So, for example, the past participle of aankomen
is aangekomen, and the past participle of uitgaan is uitgegaan.
These participles are used with a conjugated form of either hebben
or zijn, depending of course on the verb. Here are some examples,
comparing the present tense with the present perfect.
173
 Morgen bel ik haar op.
/'Il call her tomorrow.
Gisteren heb ik haar opgebeld.
I called her yesterday.
De senaat keurt het besluit goed.
The senate approves the decision.
De senaat heeft het besluit goedgekeurd.
The senate approved the decision.
Hij steekt de straat over.
He is crossing the street.
Hij is de straat overgestoken.
He crossed the street.
De trein komt om zes uur aan.
The train arrives at six o'clock.
De trein is om zes uur aangekomen.
The train arrived at six o'clock.
Zo'n vergissing komt vaker voor.
Such a mistake happens more aften.
Zo'n vergissing is vaker voorgekomen.
Such a mistake has happened more aften.
In Lesson 10 you learned how to use modals in the present perfect.
The modals come at the end of the sentence, usually before the
main verb, and both the modal and the main verb are in the infini-
tive form. If the main verb is a separable prefix verb, it too vvill be
in its infinitive form, hut in this case the prefix is written separately.
separated from the main verb by the modal infinitive.
Morgen wil ik haar opbellen.
1 want to call her up tomorrow.

Gisteren had ik haar op willen hellen.

1 had wanted to call her up yesterday.
De senaat moet het besluit goedkeuren.
The senate has to approve the decision.
De senaat heeft het besluit goed moeten keuren.
The senate had to approve the decision.
Hij mag een plaatje uitkiezen.
He is allowed to choose a picture.
Hij heeft een plaatje uit mogen kiezen.
He was allowed to choose a picture.
174
De trein kan om zes uur aankomen.
The train can arrive at six o'clock.
De trein had om zes uur aan kunnen kom en.
The train could have arrived at six 0 'clock.
·
Notice that in the above examples ' the auxil 1ary · d etermme . d by
is
the modal, not by the main verb. The modals w1"llen, moeten, mo-
·
all take hebben as the aux1·11·a ry, even 1·f t h e mam
. kunnen
gen and
verb 1s one that would normally use zijn, as in the last example
above with aankomen. In these examples , the m am · ver b s opb e1-
len, goedkeuren , uitkiezen and aankomen are not the ones that
determine which auxiliary to use.

Also notice the use of had in the second and last examples above.
This is the past perfect tense, formed much as in English: ik had
gesproken (I had spoken), we hadden gegeten (we had eaten). Don't
forget about verbs that take zijn as an auxiliary: ik was gekomen (J
had come), ze waren gegaan (they had gone).
By the way, a lot of recent borrowings in Dutch such as down-
loaden, uploaden or internetten may seem to be prefix verbs, hut
when they're borrowed into Dutch they're "frozen" and inseparable.
So, you would say: ik download( / download) and ik heb gedown-
load (1 downloaded).

Gr•mm•r point 2: lnseparabl e verbs in the present perfect

In Lesson 8 we touched on inseparable prefix verbs, or verbs in

which the verb rather than the prefix is stressed. Some of the ex-
amples you saw were onderwerpe n (to subject), voorkomen (to
prevent), and doorkruisen (to traverse). Some examples of particles
that can be inseparable (hut, remember, are not always) are: aan (on
to), achter (after), door (through), mis (wrong), om (round), onder
(under), over (over), voor (for), and weer (again) . The verbs remain
inseparable in the present perfect tense. The past participle of these
verbs is formed without ge-, and the prefix and verb are fixed to-
gether. Take a look at the following pairs of examples in the present
and present perfect tenses.
Zij doorkruisen het hele land.
They travel all over the country.
Zij hebben het hele land doorkruist.
They traveled all over the country.
175
 Zo voorkom je ongelukken.
That's how (lit., sa) you prevent accidents.
Zo heb je ongelukken voorkomen.
That's how (!it., sa) you prevented accidents.
Hij overlaadt haar met cadeaus.
He showers her with presents.
Hij heeft haar met cadeaus overladen.
He showered her with presents.
A few other verb prefixes are always inseparable, don't. have main
stress, and don't take ge- in their past participia! form, e1ther. These
prefixes are: be-, er-, ge-, her-, ont- and ver-.
Dat geloof ik onvoorwaardelijk.
I believe THAT unconditionally.
Dat heb ik onvoorwaardelijk geloofd.
I believed THAT unconditionally.
Zoiets overkomt hem maar één keer.
Such a thing happens to him only once.
Zoiets is hem maar één keer overkomen.
Such a thing happened to him only once.
Daarin vergist u zich vreselijk.
That's where you're terribly wrong.
Daarin hebt u zich vreselijk vergist.
That's where you were terribly wrong.
Ze herkent hem niet meer.
She doesn't recognize him anymore.
Ze heeft hem niet meer herkend.
She didn't recognize him anymore.

With modals in the present perfect, both the modal and the insepa-
rable prefix verb will be in the infinitive form, at the end of the
sentence in the familiar word order.
Zo kun je ongelukken voorkomen.
That's how (Zit., so) you can prevent accidents.
Zo heb je ongelukken kunnen voorkomen.
That's how (Zit., so) you could prevent accidents.
Dat wil ik onvoorwaardelijk geloven.
I want to believe THAT unconditionally.
Dat heb ik onvoorwaardelijk willen geloven.
/ wanted to believe THAT unconditionally.
176
 &r•mm•r point J: Word order in dependent clauses
You learned about Dutch word order in Lesson 6. Remember that
the genera! mie is that in simple statements the conjugated verb
is always in the second position. This often looks just like English
word order, with the subject first, then the verb, and then the rest.
But if you start a Dutch sentence with an adverb, question word, or
other phrase, the verb comes next, and then the subject.
Ik ga met de trein naar Groningen.
J'm going to Groningen by train.
Morgen ga ik met de trein naar Groningen.
J'm going to Groningen by train tomorrow.
Hoe ga je naar Groningen?
How are you going to Groningen?

Two exceptions to this "verb-second" rule are yes-no questions and

imperatives.
Ga je met de trein naar Groningen?
Are you going to Groningen by train?
Ga met de trein naar Groningen!
Go to Groningen by train!

Now Iet's talk about another exception to the verb-second rule. Ade-
pendent. clause is like a rnini-sentence within a larger sentence. In Eng-
lish, dependent clauses begin with conjunctions such as that, because,
if, whether, and so on. Some examples of dependent clauses are: I said
that J'm studying Dutch. I don't know whether they speak Dutch. J'm
studying Dutch because J'm moving to Amsterdam. Nothing changes
with the word order in English, hut in Dutch, most conjunctions send
the verb to the last place. Let's see some examples with the common
conjunction dat (that). Take a look at the following pairs of sentences.
The first sentence of each pair is simple, without a dependent clause,
and the second one is complex, with one. Notice in the complex sen-
tences that the conjugated verb comes at the end of the clause.
U werkt veel met foto's.
You work a lot with pictures.
U heeft uitgelegd dat u veel met foto's werkt.
You explained that you work a lot with pictures.
Hij leert Nederlands.
He is studying Dutch.
Hij zegt dat hij Nederlands leert.
He says that he's studying Dutch.
177
 If the main verh is a separahlc• prefix vNh, tlw pr<'ftx n·j<>iw, th1·
verb at the end, and thc~ y'r<' writh~n as one word .
De man steekt de weg over.
The man crosses the mud.
Zij ziet dat de man de weg oversteekt.
She sees that the man crosses the road.
Ze gaan vanavond uit.
They 're going out tonight.
Ze zeggen dat ze vanavond uitgaan.
They say that they're going out tonight.
If there's a modal in the dependent clause, both th e modal an d thr·
main verb will come at the end. The modal will come fir st, in il':i
conjugated form, and then the main verb will follow, in its infini
tive form.
U heeft uitgelegd dat u veel met foto's mag wer~en. .
You explained that you are allowed to work a lot wzth pzctures.
Ze zeggen dat ze vanavond moeten vertrekken.
They say that they have to leave tonight.
If the dependent clause includes both a modal and a separable pre-
fix verb, the order at the end of the clause will be prefix + conju-
gated modal + main infinitival verb.
Zij ziet dat de man de weg over wil steken.
She sees that the man wants to cross the road.
Ze zeggen dat ze vanavond uit willen gaan.
They say that they want to go out tonight.

And you can probably imagine that things can get even more com-
plicated in the present perfect tense! The word order without a
separable prefix can be either auxiliary + past participle or past
participle + auxiliary. Both orders are correct, but it's safest to put
the conjugated auxiliary last.
U heeft uitgelegd dat u veel met foto's hebt gewerkt/gewerkt hebt.
You explained that you worked a lot with pictures.
Hij zegt dat hij Nederlands heeft geleerd/geleerd heeft.
He said that he studied Dutch.

If the verb in the dependent clause has a separable prefix, the choice
of word order will determine whether the prefix is attached to the
past participle or not. In this case it's definitely easier on the learner
of Dutch to put the conjugated auxiliary last.
178
 Zij ziet dat de man de weg over is gestoken/overgestoken is.
She sees that the man crossed the raad.
Ze zeggen dat ze gisteren uit zijn gegaan/uitgegaan zijn.
They say that they went out yesterday.

And finally, just so you can see how complicated things can get, it's
also possible of course to use a modal in the present perfect tense
in the dependent clause. Without a prefix, the word order will be
conjugated auxiliary + modal (infinitive) + main verb (infinitive).
With a separable prefix, the order is the same, except the prefix
comes first.
U heeft uitgelegd dat u veel met foto's hebt mogen werken.
You explained that you could work a lot with photos.
Zij ziet dat de man de weg over heeft willen steken.
She sees that the man wanted to cross the raad.
Dat is not the only conjunction that sends the verb to the end of
the dependent clause. Other common on es are: als (when, ij), alsof
(as ij), doordat (owing to), hoe (how), hoewel (although), nadat (af-
ter), of (whether, ij), omdat (because), opdat (in order that) , terwijl
(as, white), sinds (since), tenzij (unless) , toen (when [in past tenses]),
voor(dat) (before), wanneer (when [in present tenses]), zodat (so
that), and zodra (as soon as).
Ze gaat naar huis omdat ze morgen moet werken.
She's going home because she has to work tomorrow.
Ik weet niet of ze met ons meekomen.
I don't know if/whether they're coming with us.
Ik w:il eten voordat we de film gaan zien.
I want to eat before we go see the film.
We kunnen naar huis gaan als je moe bent.
We can go home if you're tired.
But a few other common conjunctions, which you've already seen,
do not trigger different word order, because they don't start a de-
pendent clause, hut rather a second main sentence. In these cases,
after the conjunction you'll see the subject first, and then the con-
jugated verb in the second position. They are dus (so, therefore) en
(and), maar (but), of (or), and want (because)*.

*You may have noticed that both want and omdat mean because. These two words
are pretty much interchangeable. However, omdat starts a dependent clause, while
want starts a second main sentence, so the position of the inflected verb varies de-
pending on which one you use.
179
 Ze gaat naar huis, want ze moet morgen werken.
She 's going home, bernuse she has to work tomormw.
Ik wil een nieuwe computer kopen, maar ik heb geen geld.
I want to buy a new computer, but I don 't have wiy money.

116. READING
Read the following short piece about a salesperson in a cornpul<'r
store. See how much you can understand from context.
Vorige zaterdag is het druk geweest in de winkel. Er waren veel
kopers, maar nog veel meer kijkers. Ik heb nog een oude bekende
van de middelbare school ontmoet: Jannie Wit. Ze was voor haar
eigen bedrijf op zoek naar een nieuwe computer. Ik heb haar
graag geholpen. Ze is vertrokken met een mooie computer met
flink wat geheugen, een tekstverwerker en een fotoprogramma.
Ze heeft het grafische programma voor de helft van de prijs
gekregen. Dat had ze vroeger ook al eens kunnen aanschaffen en
toen had ze het al een prima programma gevonden.
Last Saturday it was very busy in the shop. There were numy shop-
pers, but even more browsers (lit., lookers). I met an old acquaintunce
from high school: Jannie Wit. She was lookingfor a new computerfor
her own company. I liked to help her. She left with a nice computer
with quite a lot of memory, a word processor and a photo program.
She got the graphics program for half price. She had already pur-
chased that one once before, and at that time she found it /to hef w1
excellent program.

11H. CULTURE NOTE 2

The Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (Kingdom of the Netherlands) is a
constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. The head
of state is currently Queen Beatrix, although the power of the mon-
arch is limited by the Dutch Constitution. The executive power is
in the hands of the regering (government), which is usually a coali-
tion cabinet due to the multi-party system of the Netherlands. There
are between twelve and fifteen ministries, with a minister heading
each one, and a number of staatssecretarissen (Assistant Secretar·
ies). The ministers are nominated by the politica} parties that wil!
make up the government, and because of the coalition nature of
government, Dutch polities are usually the polities of consensus
180
 building and compromise. The head of government is the minister-
president or ~remier (Pri.~e Minister), who is aften the head of the
fargest party m that coaht1on. The cabinet answers to the Staten-
Generaal, the bicameral parliament, which has Iegislative power.
Queen Beatrix has been head of state of the Kingdom of the Neth-
erlands since i980. The crown always passes to the oldest child,
son or daughter, and Queen Beatrix will be succeeded by her oldest
child, Prince Willem-Alexander. Other members of the royal family
assist the queen with her duties. The queen confers weekly with the
Prime Minister, and on a regular basis with the other ministers as
well. She co-signs laws and Royal Decrees, and after the elections of
a new parliament she appoints the person who is charged with the
formation of a new government. Finally, she is the forma! president
of the Raad van State, the government's main important advisory
body and highest court of justice.
The Staten-Generaal includes the Tweede Kamer (Second Cham-
ber/Lower House, similar to the House of Representatives) and the
Eerste Kamer (First Chamber/Upper House, similar to the Senate).
The Tweede Kamer has i50 members who are elected directly by
the people. Every Dutch citizen eighteen years and older has the
right to vote. The Eerste Kamer has 75 members, who are elected
by the members of the provincial parliaments, whose members in
turn are directly elected by the people. Members of both Kamers
are elected fora period of four years. The Tweede Kamer counts
about ten political parties, and its members pass legislation, hold
hearings with the ministers and staatssecretarissen and examine
the government. The Parliament itself can also introduce bills. The
Eerste Kamer has less legislative power than the Tweede Kamer;
it can only reject laws that do not pass constitutional muster.

EXERCISES
A. Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
may not need to use every word in the list.

zou, gedacht,_ heeft, kopen, neem, rondkijkt, hadden,

inpakken
Verkoper: Ik zie dat u liever even I ?
Klant: Ja, maar ik weet ook dat ik een nieuwe
scanner wil 2 _ __
Verkoper: Welk merk 3 _ _ _ uw interesse?
181
 Klant: Ik had aan dat merk 4 __ __ _ ·
Verkoper : Ja, dat is een goede keuze. Zal ik hem voor u
5 _ __ ? .
Klant: Nee, ik 6 _ _ _ hem zo wel mee.

B. Change each of the following sentences into the present perfect.

i. Welke printer kies jij uit?

2. Ze bezoeken de nieuwe computerwinkel.
3. Hij moet dat weten.
4. Hij belooft me dat plechtig.
5. Zij willen zo snel mogelijk naar het station fietsen.
6. Wij denken dat ze op tijd willen komen.

C. Rewrite each of the following sentences, beginning with "Ik zeg

dat ..."
i. Ik ga naar huis.
2. De mannen kunnen de tekstverwerker krijgen.
3. Jullie hebben erg vroeg ontbeten.
4. Mijn zus kijkt uit naar de vakantie.
5. Hij is thuis gebleven.
6. Wij zullen hen daar ontmoeten.

D. Translate the following sentences into Dutch. In a few cases a

clue or a literal translation is given to help you.
i. He says that he wants to bike to Amersfoort.
2. This printer will cost you (infml.) so much money that you 'll want
to sell it very quickly. (clue:" ... zult willen verkopen.")
3. Where did they meet him for the first time?
+ You (infml.) should be ashamed! (lit., you have to shame yourself.)
5. They say they have to wait for the bus.
6. Can you (infml.) keep him from taking my coat? (lit., can you pre-
vent that he'll take my coat?)
182
 INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Expand your knowledge of computer terms in Dutch by check-

ing out these websites: www.laatste-computer.nl, www.com
puteridee.nl, and www.dynabyte.nl. You can also take a look
at a consumer site such as www.kieskeurig.nl. Explore the site
that you choose, and see how much of the vocabulary you can
understand. Another great place to challenge yourself is the
Dutch version of wikipedia. Choose a computer-related term,
and search for a relevant article. Don't worry if you can't un-
derstand every word, but see if you can get the gist. Of course,
write down the new vocabulary that you discover in your Lan-
guage Joumal.

AISWER KEY
A.1. rondkijkt; 2. kopen; 3. heeft;+ gedacht; 5. inpakken; 6. neem
B. 1. Welke printer heb jij uitgekozen? 2 . Ze hebben de nieuwe com-
puterwinkel bezocht. 3. Hij heeft dat moeten weten. 4. Hij heeft me
dat plechtig beloofd. 5. Zij hebben zo snel mogelijk naar het station
willen fietsen. 6. Wij hebben gedacht dat ze op tijd hebben willen
komen.
C. i . Ik zeg dat ik naar huis ga. 2. Ik zeg dat de mannen de tekst-
verwerker kunnen krijgen. 3. Ik zeg dat jullie erg vroeg hebben
ontbeten/ontbeten hebben. 4. Ik zeg dat mijn zus naar de vakantie
uitkijkt/ uitkijkt naar de vakantie. 5. Ik zeg dat hij thuis gebleven
is/is thuisgebleven. 6. Ik zeg dat wij hen daar zullen ontmoeten.
D.1. Hij zegt dat hij naar Amersfoort wil fietsen/fietsen wil. 2. Deze
printer zal je zoveel geld kosten, dat je hem heel snel zult willen
verkopen. 3. Waar hebben ze hem voor het eerst ontmoet? 4. Je
moet je schamen. 5. Ze zeggen dat ze op de bus moeten wachten.
6. Kun je voorkomen dat hij mijn jas meeneemt?

183
184
 LESSO N

12 Op het postkantoor
At the post office

In Lesson 12 we'll focus on running errands, so you'll learn a lot

of practical vocabulary for talking about your everyday lifo. You'll
also learn a lot of important new grammar in this lesson, including
several different ways of expressing the future, as well as another
way of expressing the past. Finally, you'll learn some very useful
constructions with prepositions and words like er (there) and waar
(where). You'll see that these are similar to something we have in
English, hut they're much more common in Dutch. But first, avo-
cabulary warm-up.

12A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

formulier (het; formulieren) form
geld (het;-) money
geldautomaat (de; -automaten) ATM
luchtpost (de; -) airmail
pakket (het; pakketten) package, parcel
pinnen (pinde, heeft gepind) to use an ATM card (with PIN)
pinpas (de; -passen) bank/ATM card
postzegel (de; -zegels) stamp
prioritysticker (de; -stickers) priority sticker

tll. DIALOGUE
Mr. Van den Boom is taking care of a few things he has to do at the
post office. Listen in as Annet, the postal clerk, helps him out.
185
 Meneer Van den Boom : Dag menou," ik wil graag Postzegels kopen
\ or;r brieven naar het buitenland. Dit pakket
wil ik ook graag versturen én ik wil geld
opnemen \'.'a n n~ijn rekening. 0 ja. deze brief
moet weg met \ oorrang.

Annet: Oké. We beginnen met het pakket. Wat is

het adres?
Meneer Van den Boom: Het adres staat er al op. Het pakket mag met
de gewone Post mee , het hoeft ~iet _extra
snel. Het zal daar vast ,.,-el op tqd z11n.

Annet: ;\aar Italië zal dat wel lukken. :\annaal doet

het er niet zo lang over. U kunt het \oor de
zekerheid met luchtpost versturen.

Meneer Van den Boom: Nee, alleen voor deze brief heb ik het geld
ervoor over.
Annet: Dan ga ik er een mooie prioritysticker op
plakken. Dan komt die brief vliegen svlug op
zijn bestemming. En wat wilde u nog meer?
Meneer Van den Boom: Ik wil nog postzegels hebben . Vier voor naar
Amerika en zeven voor naar Europa . Hebt u
nog postzegels met leuke plaatjes?
Annet: We verkopen postzegels niet meer per
stuk, dat kostte ons naar verhouding te
veel. Ze gaan nu per vijf of tien. We hebben
wel leuke plaatjes. Wat dacht u van deze
rookworst of deze met kazen? Je hebt
natuurlijk altijd de koningin.
Meneer Van den Boom: Nee, die met de koningin vind ik saai~ Dan
liever één met die sprankelende prinses
Máxima. Hebt u die niet op een zegel?
Annet: Nee, maar wel haar jongste dochter, een
plaatje. Hoe heette ze ook alweer?
Meneer Van den Boom: Dat weet ik ook niet meer, iets met een A.
Goed, doe mij maar die met dat kind erop:
vijf voor Amerika en tien voor Europa. En
zou ik nog wat geld op kunnen nemen?
Annet: Natuurlijk. Hebt u het formulier ingevuld'?
Meneer Van den Boom: Ach nee, helemaal vergeten. Ik zal wel even
l~ngs de geldautomaat gaan. Hiertegenover
zit nog een bank. Daar ga ik wel pinnen.

186
 Annet: Natuurlijk, maar u kunt hier ook met de
pinpas betalen.
Meneer Van den Boom: Dat ga ik nu eerst doen. Het zou wat zijn om
dat te vergeten.

Mr. Van den Boom: Hella ma'am. I'd like to buy some stamps for
letters going abroad. J'd also like to send this
package, and J'd like to withdraw money from
my account. Oh, yes, this letter needs to be sent
by priority mail.
Annet: All right. We'll start with the package. What's
the address?
Mr. Van den Boom: The address is already on it. The package can
go by regular mail, it doesn't have to get there
especially quickly. Jt'll definitely get there on
time.
Annet: That shouldn't be a problem to Jtaly. Normally
it doesn't take very long. You can send it by
airmail just to be sure.
Mr. Van den Boom: No, I am only willing to spend the money for
this letter.
Annet: Then J'm going to put a nice priority sticker on
it. The letter will reach its destination quick as
lightning. What else did you need?
Mr. Van den Boom: I want to buy some stamps. Four to America
and seven to Europe. Do you have any stamps
with nice pictures on them?
Annet: We don't sell stamps separately any more, it
cost us toa much proportionately. They're sold
in fives or tens. But we do have nice pictures.
What do you think of this smoked sausage
or this one with cheeses? There's always the
queen, of course.
Mr. Van den Boom: No, I find the ones with the queen boring! One
with that radiant Princess Máxima would be
better. Don't you have her (Zit., that one) on a
stamp?
Annet: No, but we do have one with her youngest
daqghter. Very pretty. What was her name
again?
187
 Mr. Van den Boom: I can't remember it either, something with an
A. Well, give me those with the child on them;
five for America and ten for Europe. And coulrl
I withdraw some money?
Annet: Of course. Did you fill out the form?
Mr. Van den Boom : Oh no, /f've) completely forgotten. f'll go by the
ATM. There 's a bank across the street. J'll get
cash there.
Annet: Of course, hut you can also pay here with your
bank card.
Mr. Van den Boom : J'll do that first now. lt would be something to
forget that.

12C. VOCABULARY
adres (het; adressen) address
ansichtkaart (de; -kaarten) postcard

bank (de; banken) bank

(bank)biljet (het; -biljetten) bank notejbill

bestemming (de; destination

bestemmingen)
brief (de; brieven) letter
buitenland (het;-) abroad
dollar (de; dollars) dollar
euro (de; euro's) euro
gewoon (gewone; gewoner, common
meest gewoon)
helemaal completely
heten (heette, heeft geheten) to be called
hypotheek (de; hypotheken) mortgage
invullen (vulde in, heeft to fill out
ingevuld)
lening (de; leningen) loan
lokettist (de; lokettisten) clerk
lopende rekening (de; checking account
rekeningen)
188
tukken (lukte, is gelukt) to succeed
naar verhouding comparatively, proportionately
opnemen (nam op, heeft to withdraw (money)
opgenomen)
overhebben + voor to be prepared to, to have enough
f or
per stuk apiece, in singles, separately
plaatje (het; plaatjes) picture
plakken (plakte, heeft geplakt) to stick
porto (de/het; porto's/porti) postage
rente (de; rentes) interest
rookworst (de; -worsten) smoked sausage
saai (saaie; saaier, saaist) boring
spaarrekening (de; -rekeningen) savings account
sprankelend (sprankelende; radiant, sparkling
sprankelender, meest
sprankelend)
vergeten (vergat, heeft vergeten) to forget
versturen (verstuurde, heeft to send (off)
verstuurd)
vliegensvlug as quick as lightning
voor de zekerheid to be sure
voorrang (de;-) priority

120. KEY PHRASES

Here are some phrases that will come in handy while running
errands.
Accepteert u creditcards? Do you accept credit cards?

U kunt hier alleen pinnen of You can only use a bank card or
contant betalen. pay cash here.
Kunt u mij vertellen wear de Can you teil me where the nearest
dichtstbijzijnde gelda,ut-.aat ATMis?
is?
189
 Ik wil graag honderd dollar J'd Like to exchange 1 oo dollars
wisselen voor euro's. for euros.
Wat is de wisselkoers? What's the exchange rater

Hebt u voor mij kleine Do you have small bills for me uf

bankbiljetten, van twintig, tien twenty, ten, and five Euros?
en vijf euro?
Goedemiddag, ik wil graag een Good afternoon, J'd like to open ri

bankrekening openen. bank account.

Ik wil mijn rekening opheffen. J want to close my account

Kan ik deze cheque hier May J cash this check here ?

verzilveren?
Ik zou deze cheque op mijn J'd like to deposit this check in my
spaarrekening willen storten. savings account.
Ik heb mijn creditcard verloren J Lost my credit card and
en wil aangifte doen bij de want to notify the police.
politie.
Mag ik uw identiteitsbewijs May I see your ID?
even zien?
Ik zou deze ansichtkaarten td like to mail these postcards to
naar de VS willen sturen. the US.

12E. CULTURE NOTE 1

You'll find one or more banks and post offices in every Dutch town
and city. This isn't the case in very small villages, though, where in-
stead a mobile bank may come once a week. Dutch post offices are
not only used for the mail. People can open accounts there, too, and
make withdrawals or deposits, just as in a bank. Everyone in the
Netherlands has at least one rekening (account), either a bankrek-
ening at the bank or a girorekening at the post office. Salaries are
typically directly deposited into these accounts. People can pay just
about everywhere with their giropas or bankpas, both of which
are also called a pinpas (bank/PIN card). Creditcards, on the other
hand, are not accepted in some smaller shops and restaurants. But
just as with a cash card, people can use their credit card to with-
draw money from a geldautomaat (ATM). And of course there 's
cash, too. In the year 2002 the Dutch guilder was replaced by the
euro as legal currency. The symbol of the euro is €, and there are
denominations of €500, €200, €100, €50 €20, €10, and €5. The
1

large bills of €500 and €200 are not accepted by most stores, and
190
 since they're not very common, many cashiers are suspicious of
counterfeits. There are coins of 1, 2, 5 , 10, 20 and 50 cents, and also
of 1 and 2 euros. The l - and 2 -cent coins are not accepted anymore
and amounts are rounded off to 5 cents. Remember that the comm~
is used in written Dutch in place of the period. If something casts,
for example, 5 euros and 50 cents, the price is written €s,50. If
something costs 5 euros the price is written € 5,-. The euro is the
currency of many European countries, each of which produce their
own bills and coins, which are legal tender in all euro countries. For
that reason you'll find a lot of euros from other countries in circula-
tion in the Netherlands. To learn more about the euro and to see
images, go to http://eceuropa.eu/euro or www.ecb.intfhome.

12F. GRAMMAR

Gr•mmar point 1: Simple past tense of regular verbs

You already know that you can express the past in Dutch by using
the present perfect tense, formed with hebben or zijn as an auxiliary
plus the past participle of the main verb. This is the most typical way
of talking about the past, especially in spoken Dutch. But Dutch also
has a simple past tense, and in fact you've already learned the simple
past forms of hebben (had in the singular and hadden in the plural)
and zijn (was in the singular and waren in the plural).
A lot of Dutch verbs have irregular simple past forms, where the
vowel in the verb undergoes a change. You may see them referred
to as "strong" verbs, and they're similar to English verbs such as
take-took, eat-ate, see-saw, speak-spoke, and so on. Gener-
ally speaking, the verbs that have irregular past participles, many
of which you learned in Lesson 9, also have irregular simple past
forms . We'll comeback to those verbs in Lesson i3, and there's also
an appendix of strong and irregular verbs at the end of this course.
For now we 'll focus on verbs with regular simple past forms, also
referred to as "weak" verbs.
The simple past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding -te(n)
or -de(n) to the verb stem. The -n is added in the plural farms, and
the choice of -t or -d depends on the final sound of the stem. This is
exactly the same as the difference between -t or -d in a regular past
participle, whi ch you learned in Lesson 9. Verb sterns ending in a
voiceless consonant (-t, -k, -p, -f, -s, or -ch, as in 't kofschip) take the
singular -te and the plural -ten. Verb sterns ending in a voiced conso-
nant or a vowel take the singular -de and the plural -den. For example,
191
 werken (to work). whose past participle is gewerkt, has the simple
past forms werkte and werkten, and bellen (to call). whose past par-
ticiple is gebeld, has the simple past forms belde and belden.
ik werkte (stem + -te) I worked/was working

jij/je werkte (stem+ -te) you (infml.) worked/

were working

u werkte (stem +-te) you (!ml.) workedlwere

working

hij, zij/ze, het/'t (stem + -te) he, she, it worked!was

werkte working

wij/we werkten (stem + -ten) we workedlwere

working

jullie werkten (stem + -ten) you {infml. pl.) worked/

were working

zij/ze werkten (stem + -ten) they workedlwere

working

ik belde (stem + -de) I ca//edlwas ca//ing

jij/je belde (stem + -de) you {infml.) calledlwere

calling

u belde (stem + -de) you (!ml.) ca//edlwere

calling

! hij, zij/ze, het/'t belde (stem + -de) he, she, it cal/ed/was

calling

wij/we belden (stem + -den) we calledlwere calling

) jullie belden (stem + -den) you (infml. pl.) calledl

1 were cal/ing
~--- - - - ---
; zij/ze belden {stem + -den) they cal/edlwere calling

Just like verbs conjugated in the simple present tense, verbs con-
jugated in the simple past come in the second position in main
clauses, except in yes-no questions, where they're first. In depen-
dent clauses, they come at the end.
Hij betaalde met een tientje.
He paid with a ten euro note.
Hoorden jullie dat goed?
Did you hear that welf?
192
 Ik wilde niet dat zij met <lie zware ta5 sleepte.
I didn 't want lwr to draq that hem'v hwr

Both the presr•nt perfect lik heb gewerktl and tht· .;1rnplt· P""t iik
werkte) are u <; ually translat(•d a' a :--irnplt· p. 1,t t/ wudcdi 111 Ln
glish. But there artJ diflt•r(• JI<t·" in tlit> ''av th1•\ n· u:--t·d lil !J11t< h.
When you're relating facb in the pa'-t. \ntl WllUld l\pi< .illv lwg 111
with the present perf!'ct . fllr exampl e : Ik ben naar een ronn•rt ge
weest.(/ went toa concPrt.). :\fter vou\(· i11trod11ced the l<H t .111d
have set the stage. so to sp<"ak. wn1 wnuld < ontirna· to dt""ni!H · tlw
situation in the simple past. For examplt•: A: Ik ben naar et>n con
eert geweest. Dat was erg mooi. Janine Jansen trad daar op. Ze
speelde de "Vier Jaargetijden" van Vivaldi. Uwent to 11 cuncl'rt /t
was really nice. fanine /onsen was perfonnin(I. Slw pln\'t>d \ fruldi .-.
"Four Seasons.'). A listener may join in ''ith tlw ~peal--er ,111d. tor
instance, ask a question . B: Wat voor een jurk had ze aan'? ( i\/wt
kind of dress was she wearinq?) . Tht• :-.implt• p;1:--! tt ' lht ' would t <Hl
tinue to be used, A: Ze had die blauwe aan (\he hwl thnt lilue <!Tl('
on), until a new fact is introduced in tilt· pn"'tj11t perfect. A: ... die
ze ook gedragen heeft bij de première in Wenen. ( ... the n11t• thut
she also wore opening night in ViP11w1.). B: O ja, dat was een schit
terende première. (Oh yes, that was u splendid ope11i11.11.1. B: Dat
was het zeker. (Jt was indeed.).
One situation where the simple past is always used is alter tlw c <lil
junction toen (when). Note that toen always intrndun·-.. ,1 pa ... t wht•n
rather than a future or genera! when.
Toen ik in Amsterdam werkte, had ik het heel druk.
M?len J worked in Amsterdam, I was very b11sy.
Hij was niet thuis toen ze belden.
HP wasn't home when they called.
There are a few other situations where the simple past tense is
used. lt is used in storytelling, where again it corresponds to the
simple past in English. But it can also be used to express wishcs,
uncertaint:y or unreal situations such as child's play, it can be used
in polite requests, and it can imply that something that is said isn't
true. You may use a past tense to indicate that what you are saying
did not happen at all. Notice that in these cases, the Dutch simple
past .i.s not translated into English as a past tense.
Er was eens een koning ...
Once upon a time there was a king ... (storytelling)
Als ik toch eens rijk was ...
lfJ>JJly l were rich . .. (a wish)
193
 Jij was de koning.
You be the king. ·You re the king . (make-beli eve/ pretend)

Was u gisteren niet in de schouwbu rg? . .

iveren 't you at the theater yesterday? (expressin g uncertam ty)

Ik had graag een kilo kaas.

J'd like to have a kilogram of cheese. (polite request)
Ik zou graag een kilo kaas willen hebben.
1 should like to have a kilogram of cheese. (very polite reque st)

6ramma r point :z: Expressing the future

Just as in English, there are a few different ways of expres sing th e
future in Dutch. First, you can use the simple present ten se, usu-
ally along with a time expression such as morgen (tomorrow ) or
volgende week (next week). Or you can use a conjugated form of
zullen, which functions like English will. And third, you can use a
conjugated form of gaan (to go). With both zullen and gaan, th e
main verb comes at the end of the clause in its infinitival form , and
since both of these constructions convey a sense of the future , the
future time expression is optional.
Volgende week studeer ik.
J'm studying next week.
Volgende week zal ik studeren.
I will study next week.
Volgende week ga ik studeren.
/'m going to study next week.

There are however differences in what these future expressions

mean. The first option, with the simple present, is simply a neutra!
statement. The second option, with zullen, is a stronger statemen t,
implying some kind of promise, convictio n, or predictio n. The third
option, with gaan, implies a new start, such that the activity hasn 't
~egun yet. So gaan implies the beginnin g of somethin g. Another
importan t point to keep in mind about the future with gaan is that
you cannot use it with a modal verb.
Ze vertrekke n morgen.
They're leaving tomorrow ./fhey leave tomorrow.
Ze zullen morgen vertrekke n.
They will leave tomorrow.
Zul je op tijd komen?
Will you be/Do you promise to be on time?
194
 Dit zal hij altijd doen.
He'll always do that.jlt's predictable that he'll always do that.
Hij gaat volgend jaar studeren.
He's going to (begin to) study next year.
Ik ga nu studeren.
['m going to (start to) study now.

Notice that the example in which zullen conveys a prediction is

similar to one use of wil/ in English, in sentences like boys wil! be
boys. Also, don't forget that if you have a modal with zullen, zullen
will come at the end of the clause, usually before the main verb. If
the main verb is a separable prefix verb, then the prefix will come
first, then the modal and at the end the truncated main verb (see
also Grammar points 1 and 3 of Lesson 11).
Ze zullen morgen willen vertrekken.
They wil/ want to leave tomorrow.
Ze zullen morgen terug willen komen.
They wil/ want to come back tomorrow.

Grammar point 3: Er with prepositions

In English, you can sometimes combine there with prepositions in

examples such as therein or thereafter, basically meaning in it/that
or after it/that. Of course, this is a bit of an archaic construction
in English, hut its counterpart in Dutch is very much a part of the
modern language. In Dutch, you'll come across the construction
er+ preposition whenever the preposition is followed by the equiv-
alent of it, referring to non-humans, places, directions, or times. So,
erin rneans in it, eraan means on/at it, erover means about it or
over it, and so on.
Zij wil alleen' koffie met suiker erin.
· She only wants coffee with sugar in it.
Mijn ouders en ik hebben erover gesproken.
My parents and I spoke about it.
Hij heeft me ervoor bedankt.
He thanked me for it.
It's also possible to use daar (there) or hier (here) instead of er,
usually to add emphasis. In these cases, the best translation is the
preposition + this or that instead of it. Also notice that it's possible
to separate the particle hier and daar, or er for that matter, from
the preposition, as long as the preposition comes after the particle.
195
 Finallv. note that sorne preposition s have a different form in thesf~
construction s: met (with) berornes mee.
Hiermee heeft hij de tv betaald.
He pa id for th e n -with this.
Daar denk ik anders over.
I thin k differently about that.

In qu estions, er is replaced by waar. Think of Wh erefore art thou

Romeo?. whi ch of course asks why (Jor what [reason]) rath er than
where. Again , notice that waar can be separated from the preposi-
tion , and that van has changed to vandaan. In other exa mples it
may show up as vanaf.
Waar kom je vandaan?
Wh ere do you come from?
Waarover hebben jullie gesproken?
What did you speak about?
Waarop heb je je stem gebaseerd?
What did you base your vote on?

Prepositions may al so combine with overal (everywhere). ergen s

(somewhere), and nergens (nowhere). These constru ction s may lw
translated as preposition + everything/ all, pre position + somethinn.
and preposition + nothing, respectively. Noticc th a t in writ ing.
though, the preposition and the particle rernain as se paraf(' words.
Ze stemden overal tegen.
They voted against everythiny.
Hij zocht ergens naar.
He was looking for somethiny.
Ze konden nergens heen.
They couldn't go anywhere.

In the last sentence above, heen is ;rnotlH·r l'xarnplt• ol a pn'JHlst

tion which has taken a differe nt form . Naar (to) 111 ay show up <1 s
naartoe or heen. Met, van, and naar arC' tlH' 011ly pn·positioris tli;rt
change in this way.

nG. READING
Read the following short passage about sornt•ont· 's <'XIH'r i<·ll<t' i11
the post office. See if you can figure out the rneaning 1ro 111 rn11tt · \I.
and pay special attention to all of the exarnples witlt l'r ;riul tltlw1
particles with prepositions. They'll be a good diallt·ngP!
196
 Ik ben vanmiddag op het postkantoor geweest. Daar was het
een grote puinhoop. Eerst was er nergens een loketbediende te
vinden. Toen die opeens ergens achter vandaan opdook, stortten
alle klanten zich op hem. Daar was die man niet van gediend.
Hij rende gelijk weer weg. Hij wilde zo snel weg dat hij overal
over struikelde. Hier zie je maar weer dat haastige spoed zelden
goed is. Je zult maar een been breken! Er was ook een klant die
niet wist wat hij wilde. Hij vroeg postzegels met speciale plaatjes,
maar hij wilde geen zegels met rookworst erop. Daar hield hij
niet van. Hij zei alleen postzegels te zullen kopen waar prinses
Máxima op staat. Daar was er helaas geen één meer van. Toen
heeft hij er even over staan nadenken wat hij zou doen, en toen
heeft hij er vijf gekocht met prinses Ariane erop.
/was at the post office this aftemoon. It was a big mess there. First,
there wasn't a clerk to be found anywhere. When all of a sudden one
showed (fit., dove) up, Jrom somewhere in back, all the customers
jumped on him. The man did not like that very much. He ran away
again immediately. He wanted to get away so Jast, that he tripped
over everything. There you have it (lit., you see it here): more haste,
less speed! You'll break a leg! There was also a customer who didn 't
know what he wanted. He asked for stamps with special pictures.
But he didn't want any stamps with smoked sausage on them. He
didn't like that. He said he would only buy stamps with Princess
Máxima on them (fit., on which Princess Máxima stands). Unfortu-
nately there were no more of them. Then he stood a while thinking
about what to do, and then he bought five of them with a picture of
Princess Ariane.

12H. CULTURE NOTE :z

Waterland ·

The Netherlands covers about 42,200 km 2 , of which 34,500 km 2 is

land and 7,700 km 2 is water. That means that 18% of the territory
of the Netherlands is actually water. What's more, 40% of the land
is below sea level. Naturally, without an intricate system of dikes
and flood control, this land would be regularly under water. People
began to cultivate the wetlands even during the Middle Ages. Se-
curing their crops meant building dikes and pumping water away.
These were the first polders. Even lakes were pumped empty to
obtain good soil fur agrkulture. That work was accomplished by
windmills, for which Holland is famous. The world's first polder,
197
 reclaimed by building dikes around a body of water. '"'·as ovt'ISl't'll
by Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater in i61 z. 1t is called Bet'mster,
which is now a World Heritage Site. but it was hardly the last. Tlwrc
are in fact over three thousand polders in the Netherlands. ,rnd the
entire province of Flevoland is made up of polders. With such ge
ography, the Netherlands has had to deal with flooding through
out its history. After a massive tlood in i916, a major project was
begun to construct the Afsluitdijk (Barrier Dam), which separated
the Zuiderzee (South Sea) from the Waddenzee. The water tlwn be
carne a lake, named the IJsselmeer, and parts of it (including Flevo-
land) were made into polders. Another great deluge in i953 flooded
significant parts of the provinces of Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, and
Noord-Brabant. This flood disaster prompted the Delta Works. a se-
ries of storm surge barriers and dams. In i997 the last Delta Work,
the storm surge barrier in the Nieuwe Waterweg was put into com-
mission. But since the Nieuwe Waterweg is an important shipping
channel, the two mega gates are closed only in heavy storms. His-
tory and geography have made hydraulic engineering and tlood
control a vital necessity to the Dutch, and as a result people from
all over the world have sought their expertise. Following H urricane
Katrina, an American delegation was dispatched to the Delta Works
to find a solution for the similarly threatened lowlands of New Or-
leans and the Mississippi Delta.
Of course, water has brought more than threat and catastrophe to
the Dutch. The water from the many rivers is purified and used as
drinking water, which is among the best purified drinking water
in the world. The many lakes of the country are used for recre-
~tional sailing, and the rivers are waterways for cargo boats to de-
hver goods to the interior. lt is no surprise that the second largest
seaport of the world is in the Netherlands. Enormous quantities of
cargo are shipped through Rotterdam to the rest of Europe and the
rest of the world.

EXERCISES

Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
may not need to use every word in the list.

op, daarmee, kan, geldautomaat, zich, daar, kunnen, uit

Man: Mevrouw, ik wilde geld pinnen uit de
geldautomaat, maar er komt niets 1
---

198
 Vrouw : 0 nee ! Délt mag niet gebeuren. Ik stuur
rnetet•n de loketti st. Hij heeft 2
verstand van. -- -

Man : Dank u. 3 __ ___ ik dan op mijn geld

wachten"?

Vrouw : Natuurlijk kunt u er even 4 wachten .

Het probleem is zo voorbij. - --
Man : Wat haalt de loketti st nu uit de 5 _ __ ?
Vrouw: Ik denk dat het uw strippenkaart is. 6 _ _ _
zult u echt niet kunnen pinnen!

B. Complete each sentence with the simple past of the verb given in
parentheses. Each verb is regular.
i. Dat je goed! (horen)
2. Hij het hele programma. (downloaden)
3- Die meisjes de mooie plaatjes. (printen)
4. Hoe jij die heerlijke taart? (maken)
5. Waarom zij (pl.) niet thuis te komen ? (durven)
6. Meneer Boon ___ nog een karaf rode wijn. (bestellen)

C. Change the tense of each of the following sentences from the

present into the future, or from the future in to the present. Use
zullen, or delete it.
L Hij ziet het eerder.
2. Waar zullen we gaan eten?
J. Jullie mogen het niet vergeten.
4. Staat zij onder de lantaarnpaal?
5. Jan zal vandaag naar Den Haag rijden.

D. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

1. He believed that he still had some money in his account. (simple
past)
2. In that case you (pl.) will have to walk to the bus stop and read there
(lit., on it) what time the bus will arrive. (future with zullen)
199
 3. You (infml. sg.) have to teil me why you wanted (present perfect) to
leave today.
4. He studied Dutch language in Utrecht. (simple past)
5. They wanted beef as a main course and a glass of red wine with it.
(simple past)
6. You (fml.) talked to the clerk. What did you hear from him ? (pres-
ent perfect)

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Since banking is often apart of running errands, see how much

you can understand about Dutch banks by visiting a website
like www.triodos.nl, www.ing.nl, or www.postbank.nl. Try to
find out what you need to open an account or get a mortgage
in the Netherlands. Of course you won't be able to understand
everything, hut hunt around for a small piece of text and do
your best to get the gist. If you look up new vocabulary, be sure
to write it down in your Language Journal.

ANSWER KEY
A.i. uit; 2. daar; 3. kan; 4. op; 5. geldautomaat; 6. daarmee
B. L hoorde; 2. downloadde; 3. printten; 4. maakte; 5. durfden;
6. bestelde
C. 1. Hij zal het eerder zien. 2. Waar gaan we eten ? 3. Jullie zullen het
niet mogen vergeten.+ Zal zij onder de lantaarnpaal staan ? 5. Jan
rijdt vandaag naar Den Haag.
D.i. Hij geloofde dat hij nog wat geld op zijn rekening had. 2. Dan/In
dat geval zullen jullie naar de bushalte moeten lopen en da arop
lezen hoe laat de bus zal komen. 3. Jij moet mij zeggen waarom jij
vandaag hebt willen vertrekken. 4. Hij studeerde Nederlandse taal
in Utrecht. 5. Zij/Ze wilden rundvlees als hoofdgerecht en een glas
rode wijn erbij. 6. U hebt met de lokettist gepraat. Wat hebt u va n
hem gehoord?

200
 LESSO N

13 Op het werk
At work

Welcome to Lesson i 3, which is all about work and employment.

That means that you 'll learn a lot of useful vocabulary for talking
about your job and various professions. You'll also learn more about
expressing the past by focusing on irregular, or "strong," verbs in
the simple past tense. And since by now you 've learned a good deal
of Dutch, you'll be able to form more complex sentences with rela-
tive clauses, for example the job that I got is very interesting. Finally,
we'll take a closer look at how to use different pronouns. But first ,
we'll begin with a vocabulary warm-up.

13A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

baas(de;bazen) boss
cao (de; cao's) collective labor agreement
directeur (de; directeuren/ manager
directeurs)
directie (de; directies) management
ontslaan (ontsloeg, heeft to lay off/ to fire
ontslagen)
personeelschef (de; -chefs) personnel manager
vacature (de; vacatures) vacancy, job opening
werkgever (de; -gevers) employer
werknemer (de; -nemers) employee

201
 138. DIALOGUE
Today Bert is starting a new job. Listen in as Angeli.que welco_me~
him and shows him around. Since he 's new on the JOb, Angelique
decides to have a bit of fun.
Angelique: Welkom Bert. Daar rechts is de afdeling
waarbij jij komt te werken.
Bert: Dank je. Ik heb er zin in. Waarheen moet ik
lopen om mijn jas op te hangen?
Angelique: Daarheen, naast de deur is de kapstok.
Zullen we samen rondlopen?
Bert: Dat zou fijn zijn. Het is lastig om in een
gebouw dat je niet kent de weg te vinden.
Werk jij op dezelfde afdeling?
Angelique: Nee, ik ben secretaresse bij P&O: personeel
en organisatie.
Bert: Ja, dat begrijp ik. Waarvoor is het pasje dat
ik gekregen heb?
Angelique: Dat is om straks het hek uit te kunnen. Als
je lang doorwerkt, is het hek waardoor je
naar buiten moet al op slot.
Bert: Dan ben ik blij daarmee! Ik zal zuinig zijn
op dit pasje, dat is wel zeker!
Angelique: Hier zijn de lift en de trap die naar de
kantine voeren. De kantine is op de tweede
etage. Waarvoor heb je gestudeerd?
Bert: Ik ben informaticus. Ik wist niet zo goed,
wat ik wilde worden en computers vond ik
wel leuk.
Angelique: Dat was geluk, dat je een passende baan
vond. Ik was bezig om trapezewerkster te
worden, maar dat ging niet. In mijn vrije tijd
zwaai ik hier soms aan de lamp.
Bert: Wat leuk! Waarom wou jij trapezewerkster
worden?
Angelique: Ik wilde niet zo'n burgerlijk bestaan. En ik
moet zeggen dat P&O meer van het circus
wegheeft dan ik dacht.
Bert: Ach en netwerkbeheer, dat is net zoiets
als leeuwen temmen. Heb je w~l eens naar
mensen gekeken als het netwerk plat ligt?
202
Angelique: Of wat dacht je dat mensen deden als er
iets misgaat met het salaris? Alleen de kooi
ontbreekt dan. Ah, we zijn bij je collega's
aangekomen. Fijne dag vandaag!
Bert: Dank je, dat zal wel lukken.

Angelique: Welcome Bert. Over there on the right is the

department where you'll be working.
Bert: Thank you. J'm looking forward to it. Where do
I have to go to hang up my coat?
Angelique: The coat rack is over there, next to the door.
Should we take a walk around together?
Bert: That would be nice. !t's hard to find your way
around in a building you don't know. Do you
work in the same department?
Angelique: No J'm a secretary in HR, Human Resources.
Bert: Yes, I understand. What's the pass that I gat
for?
Angelique: !t's for getting out the gate. IJ you work late,
the gate that you have go through to get out
will be locked.
Bert: In that case J'm happy to have it (lit., with it) !
J'll take good care of this pass, that's for sure !
Angelique: Here are the elevators and the stairs that will
take you to the cafeteria. The cafeteria is on
the third f/.oor. What did you study?
Bert: I studied computer science. I didn't know
what I wanted to do (lit., become) and I liked
computers.
Angelique: You were lucky then, to find a suitable job.
I was working to become a trapeze artist,
but that didn't pan out. In my free time I
sometimes swing on the lamp here.
Eert: Nice J Why did you want to be a trapeze artist?
Angelique: l didn't want such an ordinary life. And I have
to say that HR is more similar to the circus
than l thought.

203
 Bert: Yes and network administration is just like
ta,:iing lions. Have you ever watched people
when the system is down ?
Angelique: Or what do you think people do when there 's
a problem with their salary? Only the cage is
missing. Ah, here we are at your colleague 's.
Enjoy your day!
Bert: Thanks, it'll go welf.

13C. VOCABULARY
afdeling (de; afdelingen) department

baan (de; banen) job

bestaan (het;-) existence, life

burgerlijk (burgerlijke; middle-class, bourgeois, civil,

burgerlijker, burgerlijkst) ordinary

circus (het; circussen) circus

doorwerken (werkte door, to keep on working
heeft doorgewerkt)
hek (het; hekken) gate, fence
informatica (de) computer science
kapstok (de; -stokken) hat stand, hat rack
kijken (keek, heeft gekeken) to watch, to look
kooi (de; kooien) cage
lastig (lastige; lastiger, lastigst) difficult
leeuw (de; leeuwen) /ion
lift (de; liften) elevator
misgaan (ging mis, is to go wrong
misgegaan)
naar buiten outside (direction to)
netwerk (het; -werken) network
netwerkbeheer (het) network administration
ophangen (hing op, heeft to hang up
opgehangen)
op slot locked

204
 op slot doen (deed op slot, heeft to loek
op slot gedaan)
passend (passende; passender, suitable, appropriate
passendst/meest passend)
p&O (personeel en organisatie) HR, human resources
(de)
platliggen (lag plat, lagen plat, to be down (not working)
heeft platgelegen)
rondlopen (liep rond, heeft/ to walk around, to take a walk
is rondgelopen) around
salaris (het; salarissen) salary
secretaresse (de; secretaresses/ secretary (f.)
secretaressen)
secretaris (de; secretarissen) secretary (m. or f)
temmen (temde, heeft getemd) to tame
zeker (zekere; zekerder, zekerst) certain
zuinig (zuinige; zuiniger, economical, thrifty
zuinigst)

130. KEY PHRASES

Here are some expressions that will be useful when speaking about
work.
Wat doe je voor de kost? What do you do fora living?
Ik ben verkoper/bediende/ I'm a salesperson/assistant/office
bureauchef. manager.
Ik ben dokte,r/advocaat/ /'ma doctorjl.awyer/nurse/teacher.
verpleegster/leraar.
Ik ben politieman/ /'ma policeman/policewoman/civil
politievrouw/ambten aar. servant.
Ik hen schrijver/artiest/ /'ma writer/artist/musician/actor.
musicus/acteur~
Ik hen werkloos. I'm unemployed.
Ik hen met pensioen. J'm retired.
Wat doet hij voor zijn beroep? What is his occupation?

205
 Hij verdient de kost met viool He earns a living by playing the
spelen. violin.
Laten we een afspraak maken. Let's set up an appointment.

Wilt u deze vergadering Do you want to take notes on this

notuleren? meeting?

Waar is de koffieautomaat? Where is the coffee machine?

Waar is het kopieerapparaat/ Where is the photocopier/fax

de fax? machine?

In mijn kantoor staan een In my office there's a desk, a

bureau, een computer, een computer, a telephone, and a filing
telefoon en een archiefkast. cabinet.

We moeten dit rapport vóór We have to read this report by

morgen lezen. tomorrow.

Zij heeft een sollicitatiegesprek. She has a job interview.

Mag ik haar cv bekijken? Can J see her resume/ CV?

iemand in dienst nemen to hire or bring someone on

personeel aannemen to hire employees

U bent ontslagen! You're fired!

13E. CULTURE NOTE 1

In the Netherlands all people are equal, but just like anywhere else
the work place is nota complete democracy. Employees are expected
to do their work on time, even if the boss frames things as a polite
and friendly request. So if a boss says: Zou je het verkooprapport
kunnen afmaken en het morgen vóór tien uur op mijn bureau
kunnen leggen? (Could you finish the sa/es report and have i t on my
desk by 10:00 tomorrow?), an employee will understand this as an
order. Of course, if this is absolutely impossible, the employee will
speak up, and the negotiations will start. In general, the atmosphere
of the Dutch workplace is relaxed. People address one another as jij
and they are on a first name basis. Often they form friendships in
the office. Qualities such as punctuality, diligence, and loyalty are
highly esteemed. People don't change jobs very aften, soit may be
the case that a person works forty or even fifty years in the same
place. In fact, it isn't easy to fire a regular employee; this aften re-
quires going before a judge, and a discharge will probably involve
some kind of monetary compensation for the employee.

206
 A spirit of negotiation is perhaps not so surprising, since the Dutch
have always had to negotiate in order to maintain a balance of
power, first between the provinces, and later between European
states. Nowadays this is referred to as the poldermodel (consen-
sus policy). You'll see the poldermodel at work everywhere in the
Netherlands. Each Dutch government is formed after negotiations
between two or more politica! parties. That has been necessary be-
cause there has never been, and probably will never be, a single
party with enough seats in Parliament to govern on its own. The
same spirit of negotiation is seen in Dutch employment. Employers
and employees, represented by their vakbonden (unions), negoti-
ate on terms of employment and secundaire arbeidsvoorwaarden
(fringe bene.fits), until they reach an agreement, called a cao, a col-
lectieve arbeidsovereenkomst (collective labor agreement). I t's
also possible for an employee to negotiate his or her own iao, or
individuele arbeidsovereenkomst (individual labor agreement).

13F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: Simple past of irregular verbs

You learned the simple past of regular or "weak" verbs in Lesson 12.
Now let's turn to irregular or "strong" verbs in the simple past.
These verbs are typically characterized by a vowel change in the
verb stem, much like English took, saw, or ate. There are no singular
endings added to the stem, hut the plurals end in -en. This often af-
fects spelling, to preserve the length of the vowel. There are some
regularities and patterns, hut the best policy is simply to practice
the farms until you've memorized them, because some are unpre-
dictable. But, you'Il notice that the patterns that you learned for
irregular past participles, in Lesson 9, show up again with simple
past farms. To remind you, the past participles are included in the
groups below. The four farms given are: infinitive-simple past
singular/simple past plural-past participle.
Remember that there are quite a lot verbs with the vowel change
ij> ee.

begrijpen-begreep/begrepen- to understand-understood-
begrepen understood

blijven-bleef/bleven-gebleven to stay-stayed-stayed

kijken-keek/keken-gekeken to /ook-looked-looked

207
 krijgen-kreeg/kregen-gekregen to get-got-gotten

ontbijten-ontbeet/ontbeten- to have breakfast-had breakfast-

ontbeten had breakfast

schijnen-scheen/schenen- to seemlshine-seemedlshone-
geschenen seemedlshone

schrijven-schreef/schreven- to write-wrote-written
geschreven

Two other common changes are ie > oo and ui > oo.

bieden-bood/boden-geboden to offer-offered-offered

kiezen-koos/kozen-gekozen to choose-chose-chosen

vliegen-vloog/vlogen-gevlogen to fly-f/ew-f/own

buigen-boog/bogen-gebogen to bow-bowed-bowed

ruiken-rook/roken-geroken to sme/1-smelled-smelled

sluiten-sloot/sloten-gesloten to close-closed-closed

There are also some common verbs with th e chan ge i > o.

beginnen-begon/begonnen- to begin-began-begun
begonnen
binden-bond/bonden-gebonden to bind-bound-bound
drinken-dronk/dronken-gedronken to drink-drank-drunk
vinden-vond/vonden-gevonden to find-found-found

Another change is e > o.

vechten-vocht/vochten-gevochten to fight-fought-fought
zenden-zond/zonden-gezonden to send-sent-sent
zwemmen-zwom/zwommen- swim-swam-swum
gezwommen

There's also a pattern of verbs that have ee in the infinitive, a/aa in

the simple past, and oo in the past participle.
: nemen-nam/namen-genomen to take-taak-taken
1·· ~p.;ken-sprak/spraken-gesproken to speak-spoke-spoken
t_ __ ""•. "·~- · - "" "

G
b.- ~~:!~-~. -braken-geb'.oken to break-broke-broken
ttelen-stallstalen-gestolen to stea/-stole-stolen
.,,. __--·---·-·" -. " . ···· ··~ ·. · ~- .-

208
Another similar pattern has ee or i in the infinitive, a/aa in the
simple past, and ee in the past participle.
· pven-gaf/gaven-gegeven to give-gave-given
eten-at/aten-gegeten to eat-ate-eaten
lezen-las/lazen-gelezen to read-read-read
vergeten-vergat/vergaten-vergeten to forget-forgot-forgotten
;·;;t;~-zat/zaten-gezeten to sit-sat-sat
j Ugge~-lag/lagen-gelegen
!__________ - -- to lie-lay-lain

And there are a few other changes that don't necessarily fit into a
pattern.
brengen-bracht/brachten-gebracht to bring-brought-brought
denken-dacht/dachten-gedacht to think-thought-thought
doen-deed/deden-gedaan to do-did-done
pan-ging/gingen-gegaan to go-went-gone
hangen-hing/hingen-gehangen to hang-hung-hung
l ---
1 helpen-hielp/hielpen-geholpen to help-helped-helped
l - -----·· ········ - --·-
' heten-heette/heetten-geheten to be co/led-was co/led-been
co/led
houden-hield/hielden-gehoude n to hold-held-held
komen-kwam/kwamen-gekomen to come-came-come
kopen-kocht/ kochten- gekocht to buy-bought-bought
laten-liet/lieten-gelaten to let-let-let
lopen-liep/liepen-gelopen to walk-walked-walked

roepen-riep/riepen-geroepen to ca/1-called-colled

slaan-sloeg/sloegen-geslagen to hit-hit-hit

slapen-sliep/sliepen-geslapen to sleep-slept-slept

staan-stond/stonden-gestaan to stand-stood-stood

sterven-stierf/stierven-gestorven to die-died-died
vallen-viel/vielen-gevallen to fall-fe/1-fal/en

vragen-vroeg/vroegen-gevraagd to ask-asked-asked

weten-wist/wisten-geweten to know-knew-known

209
 worden-w erd/werd en-gewo rden to become- became- become

zeggen-zei/zeiden-gezegd to say-said -said

zien-zag /zagen-g ezien to see-saw -seen

Here are examp le sentences w1.th so me of the above verbs .

in the past
l
. h d order Notice that m comp ex
tense Pay attent10n to t e wor · d sen-
tence~ that begin with a depende nt clause (toen .. ·.' ~oohr at ... d,
etc ) the main verb of the sentence (zei·d e n ' las ' etc .) is. m t e. secon
.
· .'. d h b. t ( ze etc.) are in the th1rd posltlon. ln
Posltlon ' an t e su 1ec s we,l ' d b
the dependent clauses themse ves, t houg h , the tense ver (zagen 1

slapen, etc.) is at the end.

Toen we hem zagen, zeiden we "dag."
When we saw him, we said "heila."
Voordat ze ging slapen, las ze nog een paar bladzijd en.
Before she went to sleep, she read a few pages.
Zij begrepe n meteen dat ze gevange n zaten.
They understood immedia tely that they were trapped.
Ik liet ze maar praten en liep weg.
I let them talk and walked away.
Toen hij dat kocht, deed zij hetzelfd e.
When he bought that, she did the same.

Grammar point 2: Relative clauses

In Lesson 11, you learned about depende nt clauses, which are like
mini-sentences inside a larger sentence . A relative clause is just a
special kind of depende nt clause that gives more informa tion about
a particul ar noun in a sentence . Relative clauses are usually intro-
duced by relative pronoun s, which in English are words like that,
who, which, and so on. So example s of relative clauses in English
are: The language that J'm studying is Dutch. The IJsselmeer, which
is a big fake, is enclosed by the Afsluitd ijk. In Dutch, if a relative
dause refers toa de-word, the relative pronou n is die, and if it re-
fers to a het-wor d, the relative pronou n is dat. Just like the depen-
dent clauses covered in Lesson 11, relative clauses have verb-last
word order.
De mensen die morgen willen werken, krijgen een bonus.
The people who want to work tomorrow will get a bonus.
Het meisje dat wij zagen, was niet Sofie.
The girl we saw wasn't Sofie.

210
 Jantje, die gisteren jarig was, heeft in de klas getrakteerd.
fantje, who had his birthday yesterday, brought treats to class.
De brief die ik gestuurd heb, is niet aangekomen.
The letter I sent didn't arrive.
Het paard dat was gevallen, moest naar de veearts.
The horse that Jelf had to go to the veterinarian.

Remember that proper names of people are always considered de-

words, even if they are diminutives. That's why the third example
above, with Jantje, uses die instead of dat. Also keep in mind that
in English, you can drop a relative pronoun like that or who, while
in Dutch, the use of die and dat is obligatory.
There's another type of relative clause, technically called a "free
relative," that doesn't refer back to anyone or anything specifically.
These often start with words like whoever, whatever, sjhe who, or
what in English. In Dutch, they begin with wie if they mean aper-
son, and wat in other cases.
Wie de schoen past, trekke hem aan.
IJ the shoe fits, wear it. (fit., Whoever the shoe fits, pulls it on.)
Ik geloof niet wat je zegt.
I don't believe what you're saying.

It's also possible to use a preposition with a relative pronoun, as in

with whom or before which. If the relative clause refers to a person,
use the preposition followed by wie. If the relative clause refers to
an animal or an inanimate object, use waar with the preposition
attached to it, much like the er constructions you learned in Lesson
i2. Note that many Dutch speakers use waar+ preposition to refer
to people, too.
De man van wie het huis was, vroeg veel huur.
The man who owned the house was asking a high rent.
Het meisje van wie ik hield, heette Trees.
The girl J loved was called Trees.
Zij wilde alleen koffie waarin suiker zat./Zij wilde alleen koffie
waar suiker in zat.
She only wanted coffee with sugar in it (Ut., in which there was/sat
sugar).
Dat was iets waarover ik anders dacht./Dat was iets waar ik anders
over dacht.
That was something about which I thought differently.

211
 As shown in the last example, waar can be separated trom t~w rm·p
osition. But as a student of Dutch, it's prohably eélsier to keep waar
and the preposition together.

Grammar point 3: More on pronouns

As you know, all Dutch nouns be long to one of two gram mat ic al w·n
ders, neuter (het-words) and non-neuter (de-words). Earlier in the
history of Dutch, there were actually three genders: masculine, ferni
nine, and neuter. The choice of the pronoun meaning it depended on
the gender of the noun-hij for masculine nouns, zij for feminine
nouns, and het for neuter nouns. These three pronouns still exist in
modern Dutch, but with only two grammatical genders, you rnay be
confused as to which pronoun to use to refer to different nouns. Ac
cording to the Dutch and Flemish governments, the three pronouns
are supposed to be used in writing, especially in schools and acad
emies and in civil service, to refer to nouns, as though nmrns still feil
into one of three genders. But in spoken Dutch, pronoun usage ba si
cally follows the rules summarized in the table below, dependent
upon the referent or antecedent of the pronoun.

REFERENT SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE

female person zij/ze (sg.) haar/d'r haar/d'r

male or hij hem/'m zijn/z'n

unknown person

group of people zij/ze (pl.) hen hun

other de-word hij hem/'m zijn/z'n, ervan

other het-word het/'t het/'t zijn/z'n, ervan

As you can see, with people the choice is between zij/ze (she) and
hij (he). If the gender of the person isn't known, hij is used. lf an an-
imal is clearly female, for example with the suffix -in or in the case
of a pet or domesticated animal or a wild anima! giving birth, zij/ze
will be used. For inanimate nouns, hij (it) is used for de-words, and
het (it) is used for het words.
Als dat meisje dokter wil worden, moet zij eerst haar examen halt:>n.
If that girl wants to be a doctor, she has to pass her examirrntion fmt
De kat brak zijn staart. Ik hielp hem.
The cat broke its tai/. I helped him.

212
 t
. goed. Het heeft een barst ·111 z11n voe .
Dat glas is .niet . ••

That glass 1sn t good. lt has a crack. in its huse.

De boot kwam eraan. Ik zag hem al.
The boat was coming. l saw it.

De politie liet de man vrij. Ze trokken hun aanklacht in.

The police released the man · Thev• witli<lr"\" 1 " ·. ·
< , 1 1r IT <ICCllSll / /011.

Notice in the fir~t example above that you always may refrr to a
female person with the pronouns zij/ze and haar, even wlwn the
word its~lf is a diminutive (het meisje) or a het-word (het kind). It
you don t know the natura! gender of het kind, you may use hij.
In the plural, there aren't so many distinctions rnad('. Basically it
comes down to whether the referents are people or not.
REFERENT SUBJECT OBJECT POSS

; persons zij/ze hen hun

other cases ze [not zij] ze hun/ervan

Die mensen gaan naar huis. Zij hebben hun werk gedaan.
Those people are going home. They did their work..
De stenen zijn zwaar. Wees voorzichtig als je ze draagt!
The stones are heavy. Be careful when you carry them!

'JG. READING
Read the following short passage, written by sorneone in HR ahout
Bert's first day on the job. See if you can pick out all of the irregular
verbs in the past tense.
Vandaag is er een nieuwe jongen gekomen. Hij heet Bert. Hij
heeft informatica gestudeerd. Toen hij binnenkwam , zei hij
vriendelijk en netjes gedag. Hij leek me wel een aardige knul.
Angelique nam hem mee naar zijn afdeling. Later vertelde ze
mij dat hij niet wist waarvoor het pasje van het hek was. Verder
had ze hem wijs gemaakt dat ze wel eens aan de lamp zwaaide!
Volgens haar geloofde hij het ook nog, maar ik denk dat zij daar
ongelijk in heeft. Later zag ik hem weer in de kantine. Het is een
vlotte jongen, die een goede babbel heeft. Hij zal zich wel weten
te redden hier.
Today a new young man came. His name is Bert. He studied com-
puter science. When he came in, he gave a friendly hi-how-are-you
213
 (lit., said friendly and neatly g'day). He seemed to me to be a nice
guy. Angelique took him with her to his department. Later she told
me that he didn 't know what the pass for the gate was for. Whut's
more, she made him believe that she sometimes swung on the lamp!
According to her he believed her, but 1 think she's mistaken. Later J
saw him again in the cafeteria. He's an easy-mannered young man,
who's a good talker. He 'll get along well here.

13H. CULTURE NOTE 2

Even though there 's no grammatica! distinction between m asculine
and feminine nouns in Dutch-they're both de-words, as opposed
to het-words-you can show gender on words like professions and
occupations in Dutch much like you can in English. In Dutch, you
can usually form the female version of a male noûn by adding a
suffix such as -e or -ster.
assistente (female assistant)
ploeggenote (female team mate)
fietsster (female cyclist)
vrijwilligster (female volunteer)

The suffixes -e and -ster are rather productive, meaning that you '11
see them used a lot to create new noun s. There are other, less
productive, feminine suffixes as well: -in, -es, -euse, and -ice for
example.
koning (king) koningin (queen)
vriend (male friend) vriendin (fema/e friend)
prins (prince) prinses (princess)
zanger (male singel) zangeres (female singer)
adviseur (male advisol} adviseuse (fema/e advisor)
chauffeur (male driver, chauffeuse (fema/e driver)
directeur (ma.Ie d/redol} directrice (fema/e director)
conducteur (male conductor) conductrice (female conductor)

· t 1·
Female nationalities are formed by add1' ng -e to th e proper dti 1ec
val form. Sometimes the male forms are Iess predictable than the
female forms.
214
 r·ft;d~~Î~nder {Dutchman) Nederlandse (Dutch woman)
f Á~;ri.~aan {American man) Amerikaanse (American woman)
f-Ê~gelsman (Englishman) Engelse (English woman)
,_big (Belgian man) Belgische (Be/gian woman)

In practice, the male version of a profession may refer to either

sex, so a conducteur may actually be a man or a woman. But if the
female form is used, it can only refer to a woman. And just as in
the US, there has been some debate in the Netherlands about the
names for certain professions that are gender biased. For example,
timmerman (carpenter) ends in man, and some women prefer
a word like timmervrou w or even just timmer. In some cases, a
new; gender-neutr al term has come about. So rather than saying
verpleegster (female nurse) and verpleger (male nurse), people
may use verpleegkun dige. Of course, you already know which pro-
nouns to use, even if the nouns are less certain: hij is for men, and
zij/ze is for women.

EXERCISES
Choose a word from the list below to complete the dialogue. You
may not need to use every word in the list.
vinden, waarvan, die, mocht, dat, vindt, zich, wie, het,
waarin
Ilse: Zo u bent de heer i een nieuwe baan
zocht?
Hans: Jawel mevrouw. Ik zag al iets 2 _ _ _ ik
dacht dat 3___ iets voor mij was.
Ilse: Zo meneer! En wat 4 ___ dat wel zijn? Wat
dacht u dat wel iets voor u was?
Hans: Ik bedoel die betrekking als webmaster.
Informatica is het vak 5 ___ ik gestudeerd
heb.
Ilse: Dat bedrijf stelt wel heel hoge eisen aan
een kandidaat met 6_·_ _ ze willen
samenwerke n. U moet in elk geval een
mastertitel hebben.
215
 Hans : Vanzelfsprekend 7 _ _ _ zij een mastertitel
noodzakelijk voor een baan als webmaster.

B. Fill in the blanks with the simple past form of the verb given in
parentheses.
1. jullie dat al eens eerder? (zien)
2. Hij ___ nog een glas. (drinken)
3. De mannen de koffie koud worden. (laten)
4. De jongens ___ nog lang over de wedstrijd. (praten)
5. Waarom hij nog zo laat op bed? (liggen)
6. Zij (sg.) ___ alleen dure jurken. (kopen)
7. Wij op een overwinning. (hopen)

C. Complete each sentence with the correct relative pronoun, using

the preposition in parentheses if there is one.
1. Dat is de man - - - (+met) zij getrouwd is.
2 . Wanneer zou de lamsbout ze hadden besteld, klaar zijn '?
---
3· Jullie konden het huis _ _ _ (+in) zij woonden, niet verkopen.
4. Pietje, ___ net vijf jaar is, kan al schrijven.
5. Jan zou het busje _ _ _ (+ met) hij naar Den Haag reed, re-
pareren.
6. Het netwerk, _ _ _ net gerepareerd was, lag alweer plat.

D. Fill in the right pronouns, using the underlined words as refer-

ents.
1. ~was ziek. _ _ _ kwam niet uit _ _ _ bed.
2. De oude dokter gaat _ _ _ praktijk sluiten.

3. Het boerinnetje had klompen aangetrokken.

4. De sleutel past niet in het slot. is te groot.
5. Die stenen moeten weg. Gooi maar in de kar!
6. Is het paard ziek? Ik zie niet meer in de wei.
216
 v. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.
1
. The doctors fought for his life.

2 . The driver parks her car in front of the building.

3. Do you (fml.) know the man with whom I'm married?

4. We wanted to buy a house, in which there were five bedrooms. (use
zitten)

5. That dog is fast. It's won a lot of races already.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Since we've been talking about the workplace in this lesson,

see if you can find. your way around employment opportunity
posting in Dutch. Check out www.werk.nl or www.JobTrack.nl.
Explore the site, and make a few selections to find a particular
posting. See how much of it you can understand, and of course
don't be afraid to look up new vocabulary and record it in your
journal. Fora real challenge, try to write a short cover letter as
if you were applying for the job. You can find some help on
sites like www.leren.nl or www.loopbaanadvies.nl. You'll find
that even writing a short letter gives you the opportunity to put
a lot of vocabulary and grammar to work !

ANSWER KEY
A.i. die; 2. waarvan; 3. het; 4. mocht; 5. dat; 6. wie; 7. vinden
B.I. zagen; 2. dronk; 3. lieten; 4. praatten; 5. lag; 6. kocht; 7. hoopten
C.i. met wie; 2. die; 3. waarin; 4. die; 5. waarmee; 6. dat
D.I. hij-zijn/z'n; 2. zijn/z'n; 3. haar/d'r; 4. hij; 5. ze; 6. het
E. 1. De dokters vochten voor zijn leven./De dokters hebben voor
zijn leven gevochten. 2. De chauffeur/chauffeuse parkeert haar
auto voor het gebouw. 3. Kent u de man met wie ik getrouwd ben?
4~ Wij/we wilden een huis kopen waarin vijf slaapkamers zaten/
waar vijf slaapkamers in zaten. 5. Die hond is snel. Hij heeft al veel
races gewonnen.

217
218
 LESSON

14 Vrije tijd
Leisure time

Lesson 14 focuses on leisure time, so you'll learn vocabulary that

will help you talk about entertainment, hobbies, and interests. But
it can't be all about kicking back, so you'll also learn some more
Dutch grammar. In this lesson we'll look at different uses of the
infinitive, including a lot of types of verba) expressions you're likely
to come across in Dutch. We'll also talk about indefinites, which are
.words like some and any. But we'll begin as always with a vocabu-
lary warm-up.

11tA. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

bioscoop (de; bioscopen) movies, cinema
concertzaal (de; -zalen) concert hall
dancing (de; dancings) dance hall
nachtclub (de; -clubs) night club
pretpark (het; -parken) amusement park, funfair
opera (de; opera's) opera house
schouwburg (de; -burgen) play house, theater
theater (het; theaters) theater

14B. DIALOGUE
Maarten and Marleen are discussing an evening out, hut unfortu-
nately they have different ideas about worthwhile entertainment.
Listen in as they try to make plans anyway.

219
 Maarten: Hé, wat zit je te doen? Zullen we vanavond
naar de film gaan?
Marleen: Nee, vanavond ga ik zwemmen. Dat weet je
toch?
Maarten: Ach, dat is waar ook. Maar er draait iets
leuks in de bioscoop. Ik stel voor om samen
te gaan en daarna te gaan stappen.
Marleen: Ik hoef niet elke week te stappen hoor.
Zullen we morgen gaan?
Maarten: Ja goed. Ik ben morgen vrij, want het
voetbal is afgelast. Ze zijn nieuw gras aan
het leggen. Zal ik vast kaartjes reserveren?
Marleen: Ja doe dat. Toen ik een tijdje geleden
naar een toneelstuk wilde gaan, was alles
uitverkocht. Het leek of iedereen naar die
voorstelling ging, zoveel mensen stonden
daar te wachten!
Maarten: Tja, met muziek is dat ook lastig. Ik baal
soms best wel dat je van tevoren moet
reserveren voor grote concerten. Zelfs voor
de klassieke muziek moet je in de rij staan.
Nee, dan liever een leuk festival.
Marleen: Nou, zeker! Deze zomer zijn er genoeg. Maar
ik ga net zo lief naar het strand. Elke dag
in zee en dan een mooi boek om te lezen.
Heerlijk!
Maarten: Ja, maar het is steeds zo'n eind fietsen. Ik
houd niet van fietsen en ik wil al helemaal
niet wandelen, al is het natuurgebied
nog zo mooi. Nee, ik doe liever een
computerspelletje.
Marleen: Jij weer met je computerspelletjes. Je moest
eens een hoek lezen of iets anders gaan
doen. Je speelde vroeger toch klarinet?
Maarten: Dat is lang geleden ... Maar we gaan
morgen naar de film? Dat is toch
afgesproken?

Marleen: Ja, dat is goed. Maar ik wil ook een keer

naar de schouwburg of zo. Het mag wel eens
wat meer cultuur hebben dan een film.
220
Maarten: Probeer je soms te zeggen dat ik niet
cultureel genoeg ben? Voetballen hoort ook
bij cultuur, hoor!
Marleen: Ja hoor. Een troepje mannen die achter een
bal lopen te rennen, dat is ook cultuur. We
kunnen ook eens iets anders doen: samen
met vrienden spelletjes doen. Dat lijkt me
ook best leuk.
Maarten: Als jij dat wilt, kunnen we best eens een
spelletje doen. Of een potje ... voetbal!

Maarten: Her, what are you doing naw? Should we go to

the movies tonight?
Marleen: No, tonight J'm going swimming. You know
that!
Maarten: Oh yeah, that's right. But there's a good movie
at the cinema. I suggest we go together and
then go out.
Marleen: I don't need to go out every week, you know.
Should we go tomorrow?
Maarten: Yeah, good. J'm free tomorrow, because soccer
has been cancelled. They're putting down
new grass. Should I go ahead and reserve the
tickets?
Marleen: Yes, do that. When I wanted to see a play
some time ago, everything had been sold out.
lt looked as if everybody was going to that
performance, so many people were in line.
Maarten: With music it is also tricky. f'm really fed up
that you always have to book your tickets in
advance for big concerts. Even for classica!
music you have to wait in line. No, I prefer a
nice festival.
Marleen: Por sure! There are plenty offestivals this
summer. But I like going to the beach just as
much. Every day in the sea, and then a nice
boo~ to read. Fantastic !

Maarten: Yes, but it's always so far by bike. I don't like

cycling and I don't like walking at all, even if
the nature reserve is so beautiful. No, I prefer
playing a computer game.
221
 Marleen: You and your computer yarnes. You '>fumlrl reruJ
a book or do som ethiny else. Didn't you uv~ /r;
play the clarine t ?
Maarten : That was a long time ago ... Rut we're fjoin9 /r)
the movies tomorrow? So it's settlerlr
Marleen : Yes, all right . But one day J'd like to yo to the
theater or something like that . ft could ha ve 0
bit more culture than the movies.
Maarten: Are you trying to say J'm not cultured enouqh?
Soccer is apart of culture, too!
Marleen: Oh yes. A bunch of men chasing a bal/, that 's
real cultural. But we could d o something else:
Play games with friends. That sounds like fun
to me.
Maarten: IJ you want to d o that, we could pla y a ga m e
sometime. Or a game of . . . soccer!

t11C. VOCABULARY
afgelasten (gelastte af, heeft to cancel
afgelast)
afspreken (sprak af, spraken af, to settle, to agree on
heeft afgesproken)
al even ij, although
alles everything
balen (baalde, heeft gebaald) to be Jed up
computerspelletje (het; computer game
-spelletjes)
cultuur (de; culturen) culture

eind (het; einden) distance, end

elk (elke) each, every
enige tijd geleden some time ago
festival (het; festivals) festival
fietsen (fietste, heeft/is gefietst) to cycle, to bike
film (de; films) movie,film
gras (het; grassen) grass

222
 11oren bij (hoorde bij, heeft to helorig to
geboord bij)
klarinet (de; klarinetten) clarinet
helemaal entirel~·

helemaal niet TIOl (lf al/

ieder (iedere) f'\'f'n'. each
iedereen P\'en•hodv
iets leuks SOn1Pthi11q 11ice. somethin[J/1111
kaartje (het; kaartjes) tidpt
klassiek (klassieke) classicn/
lang geleden long aqo
lijken (leek, heeft geleken) to look . to sePm

mensen (de) people

natuurgebied (het; -gebieden) nature rv-;erve
proberen (probeerde, heeft to try
geprobeerd)
reserveren (reserveerde, heeft to reserve, to hook
gereserveerd)
rij (de; rijen) line, row, queue
stappen (stapte, heeft gestapt) to go out (to dirmer, movies, /or
drinks, etc.)
steeds always
strand (het; stranden) beach
toneelstuk (het; -stukken) (stage) play
troep (de; troepen) bunch, crowd
uitverkocht (uitverkochte) sold out
van tevoren in advance
voetbal (het) soccer
voetbal (de; -ballen) soccer ball

v~tballen (voetbalde, heeft to play soccer

geyoetbald)
voorstellen (stelde voor, heeft to suggest, to propose
voorgesteld)
223
 voorstelling (de; -stellingen) performance
waar (ware) true
zoveel so much/ many
zwemmen (zwom, heeft/is to swim
gezwommen)

14D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases that you can use to talk about leisure
time, to make plans, and to voice an opinion.
Zeg Piet, wat zullen we gaan Say, Piet, what are we going to do?
doen?
Wat denk je van een film/een How about a movie/a play/a
toneelstuk/een concert? concert?
Laten we naar een restaurant Let's go to a restaurant, and then
gaan en daarna met een paar meet up with some friends for
vrienden wat gaan drinken. drinks.
We gaan naar een feest en We're going to a party, and then
daarna gaan we dansen. we're going dancing.
Ik ben doodmoe. Laten we J'm exhausted. Let's stay in and
thuis blijven en een film huren. rent a movie.
Wat doe je graag in je vrije tijd? What do you like to do in your free
time?
Ik vind lezen/fietsen/ 1 like reading/biking/working out/
trainen/koken/munten cooking/collecting coins.
verzamelen leuk.
Dat vind ik interessant/ 1find that interesting/annoying/
vervelend/saai. boring.
Ik heb er geen zin in om dat 1 don 't fee[ like doing that.
te doen.
Waar heb je zin in? What do you f eel like doing?
't Is toch niet waar, hè? That isn't true, is it?
Zeg dat wel! You can say so !
Daar hebt u natuurlijk gelijk in. Of course you're right about that.
Dank u voor die vriendelijke Thank you for those kind words.
woorden.
224
 Daar ben ik het helemaal mee 1 agree with that completely.
eens.
Dat lijkt me leuk.
That seems like Jun to me.

11tE. CULTURE NOTE 1

Every employed person in the Netherlands has the right to take

vakantie (holidays).. If a person works full ti"me
, or fi ve d ays a wee k,
he or she has the nght to a minimum of twenty paid holidays per
year. On top of that, em?loyers also pay vakantiegeld (vacation
pay) once a year, usually m May. This is a percentage of the salary,
which is accumulated by the employee over the course of the year.
It often amounts to 70% of the monthly salary. An employee may
use this extra pay toward a vacation, which he or she may request
at any time during the year. The employer must agree, except in
cases where an employee's absence would impose a burden on the
business. In such cases, the employer has to propose an alternative
vacation arrangement, and employer and employee must carne to
an agreement.
Most people take a minimum of two weeks vacation during the
summertime, when the entire family packs up and heads for a fa-
vorite destination, such as Turkey, Spain, or Greece. Others enjoy
camping in France, and in fact the Dutch are known throughout
Europe for their caravans (house trailers) and their campers (RVs,
campers). Still others decide to stay within the Netherlands. Many
of these domestic travelers, especially young people and new fami-
lies, flock to beaches from Zeeland in the south up to the Dutch
Wadden (Shallows) in the north. Other popular vacation spots are
the wooded areas in the central and eastern parts of the country, as
well as the hills in Limburg in the south. The IJsselmeer and the
lakes in the north are popular for sailing. Of course, not all peo-
ple can afford to take vacations away from their homes. For these
families local authorities and churches subsidize and organize all
kinds of activities for children and their families at playgrounds
and sports facilities. The Netherlands is also known fora number
of popular pretparken (amusement parks), ~hich are ~ treat ~or
children at any time. One of the best known is De Eftelmg, wh1ch
has won a lot of international prizes.

225
 14F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: The progressive
By now you knOV\' quite a frw uses nl tht' i_n tlnitin' in Dutch. Fnr
example, in Lt'SSOll 'i you learned th,1t inhrnt1\es drt' used aht>r
. . k unnen, w1·11 e1 i , 'ind mogen. And in Les-
modals, suc }1 as moeten,
son 12 you leanwd that intlnitin's are abo used with tuture verb s
like zullen and gaan. Nmv let 's look at progress1ves . ":hJCh also u::-.e
the infinitive. A progressive is the form of a verb that mchcates that
an action is ongoing. In English. progressin' torms usually use the
-ing form of a verb. for example 1 am reading v~. 1. read. or she was
writing vs. she wrote. In Dutch, tlwre area te\\' different ways of us-
ing an infinitive to express a progressive.
First, you can use the construct ion aan het + infiniti\·e zijn (to be
doing something), fen example aan het lezen zijn (to be rending l.
Instead of saying Jos leest een boek, you can explicitlv express th e
idea that this action is going on right nov1' by saving Jos is een boek
aan het lezen. Notice that the main verb moves to the end of th e
clause, as you've seen in a few different constructions. The conju-
gated form of zijn is in the second position. Here are a fe\\' oth er
examples. Notice that zijn can also be in the past tense.
Hij schreef een brief./Hij was een brief aan het schrijven.
He was writing a letter.
Jullie wandelen al uren./Jullie zijn al uren aan het wandelen.
You've already been walking for hours (fit" yo11 re walking for hours
afready).
De kinderen spelen voetbal./De kinderen zijn voetbal aan het spelen.
The children are playing soccer.

It's important to point out that the progressive in Dutch can al so be

expressed by a simple verb tense. For example, Jos leest een boek
can be translated either as Jos reads a book or /os is reading a book.
depending on context. The progressive forms that we 're looking
at now are used by Dutch speakers to explicitly emphasize that an
action is ongoing.

You'll also come across verbs other than zijn in aan het+ infinitive
constructions, and these verbs convey different nuances. The verbs
gaan, raken, and slaan convey a sense of beginning an action.
Houden conveys a sense of continuing an action, and brengen,
krijgen, maken, and zetten convey a sense of causing an action.

226
 De bemanning slaat aan het muiten.
The crew rises in m11tiny.iThe
·
crew heoin~·
.1 ·
.
to mutinv.
ze maakte mij aan het lachen.
She made me laugh .
Dat zette hem aan het denken.
That got him thinking .

Jt's also quite .co~1m o n in Dutch to charart Pri zP tht' tvpe ot -.t <lt <'
that someone .
1s 111 •wh
•
en
. ,
a progre,,i\·e
• •
-1e ·<>rl · -
c 11
f 11· s ·
I S lll1 0 C 111 g .• 0. 111
stead of a s1mple ZIJn, 1t s al so possihl e to ust> zitten te, liggen te ,
staan te, or lopen te with an infiniti\'t' . Tlwst' mm l'\'. rcspecti \'el v.
a s~nse of sitting, lying. standing, or walking while performing 1 a;
. act1on. Compare the following exarnples.
We zongen.
We sang.jlVe were singing.
We liepen te zingen.
We were walking and singing./ V•/e wa/k ed ulon_q sin<;iny
Ze praatten steeds.
They were talking all the time.
Ze zaten steeds te praten.
They were sitting and talking all the tim e./Thc>y sat there 111/J..in.</ uil th l'
time.
Jullie rookten een sigaret.
You were smoking a cigarette.
Jullie stonden een sigaret te roken.
Y~ stood there smoking a cigarette.

Ze zei ons dat hij rustig sliep.

She told us that he was sleeping quietly.
Ze zei ons dat hij rustig lag te slapen.
She told us that he was quietly lying asleep.
Remember that in a dependent clause, such as in the last two ex·
amples, the conjugated verb goes to the end, mostly before uncon
jugated verbs like the infinitive introduced by te.

Gr•mmmr point 2: More on lnfinitives

There are a few other verbs that a can be followed by an infinitive,
without aan het or te. They include blijven (to keep, to go on), laten
(to let, to allow), horen (to hear), zien (to see), komen (to come), and
227
 doen (to do). Notice that these constructions can be translated with
a number of different verb forrns in English.
Ze bleven zingen.
They went on singing.jfhey kept singing.
Laat me uitspreken!
let me finish my sentence !
We laten je niet met hem spreken.
We won 't allow you to speak to him.
Ik zag hem vallen.
l saw him fall.
Het kind hoorde de paarden hinniken.
The child heard the harses neigh.
Wij komen jullie helpen.
We come here to help you.
Die opmerking deed haar blozen.
That remark made her blush.
There are a lot of verbs that are followed by an infinitive that also
take the preposition te (to). Common examples are: beginnen (to
begin), beloven (to promise) , besluiten (to decide), blijken (to ap-
pear), denken (to think), dreigen (to threaten), durven (to dare),
geloven (to believe), hoeven (to have to), lijken (to look), menen (to
think), proberen (to try), schijnen (to seem), verbieden (to forbid),
vergeten (to forget), weigeren (to refuse), wensen (to wish), and
weten (to manage).
Het begint te regenen.
!t's beginning to rain.
Ik probeer Nederlands te leren.
J'm trying to leam Dutch.
Zij wist haar doel te bereiken.
She managed to achieve her goal.
Hij bleek ziek te zijn.
He tumed out to be il/.
Durf je dat te doen?
Do you dare do that?
Ik besloot deze te nemen.
I decided to take this one.
Je hoeft niets te zeggen.
You don't have to say anything.
228
 Notice in the last example that hoeven always needs some sort of
egative element after it. That could be for example niet (not), geen
~nota), maar (on/y) . nauwelijks (hard/y).

Gr•mmar point 3: lndefinites

Indefinites are useful when you need to talk about someone or
something that hasn 't been specifically identified, or when you
don't know the precise number or amount of something. Some
common Dutch indefinite pronouns are iemand (somebody, some-
one, anybody, anyone) , ieder/iedereen (everybody, everyone) , iets/
wat (something, anything) , niemand (nobody, no one, none) , niets
(nothing), elk (each), allen (al/ people), alles (everything), sommigen
(some people), allemaal (all), and één en ander (something).
Iemand heeft mijn horloge gepakt.
Someone took my watch.
Er is niets meer over.
There is nothing left.
Niemand was thuis toen we terugkwamen.
No one was home when we carne back.
Allen hebben het gezien.
Everyone saw it.
You can also use an indefinite much like you use an adjective, right
before a noun. In this sense the most common indefini te is een (a,
an). You've also already seen geen (no, none, nota). Some others are
ieder (every, any), elk (each), alle (all), sommige (some), ene/een
zekere (a certain), and één of ander (some or other). An unknown
number of something is expressed with the indefinites enige/
enkele/wat/verscheidene/versc hillende (some), weinig/een beetje
(a little,Jew) , genoeg/voldoende (enough), or veel (much, many).
We gaan enkele dagen op reis.
We're going to take a trip fora few days.
We zijn iedere dag aan het joggen.
We jog every day.
Sommige mensen wilden een ander.
Some people wanted someone elsê.
Sommige differs from enige/enkele etc. With enige/enkele etc"
you may introduce something new into the conversation, with
sommige you may not. This may be confusing at times, hut luck-
ily Dutch also has an expression that covers the meanings of both
229
 enige/enkele and sommige: een paar (a few, some, a couple of) .
So We gaan een paar dagen op reis mean s the same as We gaan
enkele dagen op reis.
If the indefinite introduces something new into the conversation ,
you can use it in senten ces with er (there). This constr.uction is simi-
lar, but not quite identical, to English there construct1ons.
Er is niets meer over.
There is nothing left.
Er komen weinig noten aan de boom. .
The tree will only have a few nuts (lit., there are coming a few nuts on
the tree).
Is er iemand thuis?
Is (there) anyone home?
Er zijn iedere dag enkele werknemers op kantoor.
There are some employees at the office every day.
Er zat een hond onder de tafel.
A dog was sitting under the table.fThere was a dog sitting under the table.
Er zijn veel gasten gearriveerd.
Many guests have arrived./There have arrived many guests.

146. READING
Read the following short passage, about an untraditional take on
classica! music. Try to get the gist of what you're reading, and be
on the lookout for examples of the grammar that you leamed in
this lesson.
Gisteravond ben ik naar een concert geweest. Daar was iemand
celloconcerten van Bach aan het spelen op de saxofoon! Nou
vraag ik je! De saxofoon bestond nog niet toen Bach leefde, toch?
Ik zat te luisteren naar suites vóor cello, gespeeld op een bari-
tonsax. Dat durfde die man gewoon te spelen. Als je sommige
cellosuites kent, hoor je dat ze op de saxofoon anders klinken.
De muziek lijkt een aaneenschakeling van nootjes te zijn, maar
toch laat de saxofonist de componist overleven. Hij blijkt een
Bachliefhebber te zijn. En voor wie van een celloverleden geen
last heeft, belooft deze Bach op sax een ontdekking te zijn. Bach
klinkt hier op enkele momenten héél jazzy.
Yesterday evening I went toa concert. There was somebody pla ying
Bach's cello concertos on the saxophone! Can you believe that ? (Lit.,
230
 NoW I ask you!) The saxophone didn 't ex·LS t yet when Bach wa ['
• . .
did it? I was hstenmg to suites for cello pla d b . sa ive,
' ye Y a saxophomst 1That
man ha d th e nerve to play as if it were noth'zng at aIl (t Lt.,· . · .
Just ltke
that). IJ you k naw some of the cello suites' you 'Il hear that they sound
different on the saxophone. The music seem s to b e a concatenatwn .
.
0'lrnotes, b ut t h e saxophomst let the compose r come t h roug h (l.it sur-
vive). He turns out to be a devotee or . ,t
Bach • Andfior anyone who., 1sn
• 'J
bothered by a past wzth cellos, this Bach on saxop hone prom1ses . to
.
be a dzscovery. Bach sounds very jazzy at some moments.

UtH• CULTURE NOTE :z

Dutch has borrowed many words from Engli sh, but you can find
some Dutch :vords in the US as well. The oldest ones are place
names, espec1ally around New York, ·which was after all Nieuw
Amsterdam at one point. These names originate from the first
foreigners in Manhattan, the Dutch yvho bought the island from
the Native Americans. Did you know that Brooklyn is named after
Breukelen, a village north of the city of Utrecht'? Harlem is named
after Haarlem, a city west of Amst erdam , and Flushing, Queens, is
named after Vlissingen, a city in the southwes t of the country, in
the province of Zeeland. There are' a nurnber of other Dutch place
names in and around New York as well : Stuyvesant, Gansevoort,
Spuyten Duyvel, The Bowery (from bouwerij) , and still more.
Of course Dutch has found its way into English outside of place-
n~.rn <FS as well. A lot of English terms related to shipping and
seafarii}g are actually borrowings from Dutch. For example, schip-
per bec~m e skipper, sloep became sloop, jacht became yacht, and
vrijbuiter, wbich was originally a pirate, became filibuster. Vracht
changed into freight and hijsen into hoist. Keelhaul carne from
kielhalen, scow from schouw and starboard from stuurboord. The
dog schipperke, which meant "little boatman " or skipper's kin , did
not change in English, at least in spelling. The fight against wa-
ter produceJ dilre from the Dutch dijk, pump from pomp and an
unchanged polder. There are also quite a lot of words that refer
to food: co/es/uw from koolsla, halibut from heilbot, cookie from
koekje, pancake from pannenkoek, pit (of fruit) from pit, scone
from schoon brood, or "beautiful bread,", and wafjle from wafel.
Other borrowin•1.. , rl!fer to art: ezel gave us easel, etsen to etch,
.landschap /mul~~ npe, and schets sketch. There are a few in ~heir
.own category...fbde from schaats, and of course Santa Claus trom
Sinterklaas.
231
 EXERCISES
Choose a word from the li st below to complete the dialogue . You
may not need to use every word in the list.
te, vinden, jawel, lopen, hebben, aan het, zitten, hopen,
waarin
Antje: Hallo, wat leuk jullie hier te zien. Zijn jullie
wandelen ?
Jos: 2 , wij hebben een huisje gehuurd in de
buurt van het pretpark.
Antje: Zo! Is dat niet iets dat jullie altijd al 3 _ __
willen doen?
Jos: Zeker, en we zijn blij dat het mooi weer
belooft 4 _ __ worden.
Antje: Nou, zeg dat wel! Wij 5 _ __ ook liever in
de zon te wandelen .
Jos: Vanzelfsprekend. We 6 _ _ _ jullie morgen
weer te zien.
Antje: Insgelijks, tot morgen dan.

B. Complete each of the following with aan het, te, or nothing.

1. Denkt u nog de ingang ___ kunnen ___ vinden?

2. Hij bracht haar ___ twijfelen.
3. Jullie moeten de deur niet open ___ laten ___ staan!
4. De jongens hoefden niet nog eens naar huis ___ bellen.
5. Ze stonden een uur lang ___ praten.
6. Wij zijn rustig tekenen.
7. Hoorden jullie ons niet roepen?

C. Complete each sentence with the correct indefinite.

1. Kent u (iemand/iets) die dat ons kan zeggen?
2. Als het gaat regenen, mag natuurlij k (iedereen/niemand) die bang
is om nat te worden, naar binnen gaan.
3. Er zijn (sommige/enkele/een paar) gasten gearriveerd.

232
 4. t{et personeel begon naar buiten te lopen · (All
- es All en ) gingen
· naar
het feest.

5_Hij heeft (één en ander/één of ander) vriendinnetje gevonden

D. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

1. She's going to marry a rich man .

2 . They stood and sang a sad song.

3- Is there anybody who manages to find the key?

4. We gave some money to each of the children.

5. You (fml.) are playing very wel!.
6. I promise you that I'll carne (lit., to carne) tomorrow.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Now that you've read about free time and vacations in the
Netherlands, put the Dutch you've learned so far to good use
planning a getaway of your own! Imagine that you're traveling
to the Netherlands with your spouse, your family, your partner,
your friend, or on your own. Try to find some destinations that
will meet everyone's interest. For example, do you want to see
a lot of molens (windmills) and tulpen (tulips)? Or maybe if
you have young children you prefer to find Nijntje (Miffy) or to
visit De Efteling. Or would you rather see the paintings of Van
Gogh, Vermeer, and Rembrandt? If you're into engineering
feats you may want to visit the Delta Works. Explore sites such
as reizen.startpagina.nl , www.kaart.nl, nl.wikipedia.org, www
.efteling.nl, www.nijntje.nl, or www.amsterdammer tje.com, but
try to limit yourself to exploring in Dutch! Do your research
and write out your itinerary in your Language Journal.

ANSWER KEY
A.i. aan het; 2. jawel; 3. hebben; 4. te; 5. lopen; 6. hopen

B. 1. te,-; 2. aan het; 3. -, -; 4. te; 5. te ; 6. aan het ; 7. -

C.i. iemand; 2 . iedereen; 3. enkele, een paar; 4. Allen; 5. een of ander
233
 drnt•Yi<>
D 1. /ij lt.' g.i.1t l't'll rijkt• lil.lil lrollWt 'll. 2. Zij · H' stonde n t't'll
lied Il' 1i;1ge11 . 3. b t•r iem.ind dit• de ..,Jt,11tel \\Tl't tl' \·i11de11 :' -+·\\ij'"'
elk de kindt·n ·rL'\Vt• hebben t•lk \ <111 dt·
\\t' gan•11 \\'al gdd <1.111 \<lil
n. c; . lJ spt>t•lt heel gcwd . lJ bent hct'I got,d
kindt'rt 'll wat geld gegt>w
a-in het spelt•n . (J. Ik bt•lool jou je morgt• n tt• komen .

234
 LESSO N

15 Sport en naar buiten

Sports and the outdoors

In this lesson you'll learn about the favorite sports of the Dutch
and how they spend their leisure time, provided that the weather
is good of course. If you want to complain about the weather, you 'll
find that you're not alone in the Netherlands, and you'll also find
many key phrases in this lesson to help you express yourself. For
grammar, you'll learn about passives and conditionals. But first ,
we'll get started with a vocabulary warm-up.

15A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

de wind mee hebben to have the wind at one's back (!it.,
to have the wind with)
de wind tegen hebben to walk against the wind (!it., to
have the wind against)
Er is niets aan de hand. Everything is fine.
Hoe staat het met je What about your sailing plans?
zeil plannen?
Ik kijk ernaar uit. I'm looking forward to it.
Ik zou er niet op rekenen. I wouldn't count on it.

Je raakt natgeregend. You'll get wet in the rain.

Wat is er aan de hand? What's going on there?

Als het meezit, hebben we IJ all goes well, we'll have plenty of
tijd genoeg. time.

158. DIALOGUE
Barbara and Henk, two parents with children in the same school,
run into each other in the schoolyard.

235
 Barbara: Dag Henk! Kom jij ook je kinderen ophalen?
Henk: Ja, ik heb wat leuks voor vandaag bedacht.
Als het mooi weer blijft, gaan we zwemmen
in het meertje.
Barbara: Wat leuk! In de lente ben ik daar met mijn
kinderen geweest. Als ik het dit weekend
niet te druk heb, gaan we er misschien weer
heen. Of anders naar de dierentuin.
Henk: Dit weekend worden de kinderen door mijn
ouders opgevangen. Dan kunnen Marjan en
ik eens weg. We gaan naar het eiland Texel,
in een hotelletje in de duinen. Als het een
beetje meezit, hebben we tijd genoeg om een
lange wandeling langs het strand te maken.
Misschien wordt er ook wel wadgelopen en
vogels gekeken.
Barbara: Wauw, wat een goed idee! Dat zouden
mijn man en ik ook eens moeten doen.
Dierentuin, speeltuin en kinderboerderij
zijn leuk hoor, maar ik wil ook wel eens
fietstocht in het bos maken of over de hei
wandelen. Maar dat is alleen leuk in de
zomer, als het droog is. Ik houd niet van
regen.
Henk: En tegenwind op de fiets is ook niet alles
hoor. Als je op de heenweg wind tegen hebt,
dan denk je dat je op de terugweg de wind
mee zal hebben. Maar vaak genoeg krijg je
dan ook wind tegen!
Barbara: Ja, je raakt ook nog wel eens natgeregend.
Ach, als ik daarna weer droge kleren aan
kan trekken, is er niets aan de hand. Ik vind
het leuker dan thuis naar voetbal kijken.
Ik kijk liever naar schaatsen. Wordt de
Elfstedentocht dit jaar nog gereden, denk je?
Henk: Ik zou er niet op rekenen, tenzij het erg
koud wordt. Het vriest gewoon niet hard
genoeg meer in de winter. Hoe staat het
trouwens met jouw zeil plannen?
Barbara: Ik ga begin herfst een weekend met
vriendinnen zeilen op de Noordzee. Dat
wordt geweldig, ik kijk er al naar uit! Oh
kijk, de school is uit.
236
 Henk: Ja, ik zie mijn kinderen al. Nou fijne dag!
Barbara: Dank je, jij ook. En veel plezier dit weekend!

Barbara: Hi Henk! Are you picking up your children toa?

Henk: Yes, I thought of something nice Jor today. IJ
the weather stays nice, we'll go swimming in
the little fake.
Barbara: How nice ! I was there with my kids in the
spring. IJ J'm not too busy this weekend, we'LL
go there again. Or otherwise to the zoo.
Henk: This weekend the children will be taken care of
by my parents. Marjan and I will be able to get
away. We'Ll go to the island of Texel, in a small
hotel in the dunes. IJ all goes wel!, we'll have
plenty of time to take a long walk along the
beach. And maybe get in some (Zit., there wil/ be)
walking over the shallows and bird watching.
Barbara: Wow, what a nice idea! My husband and I
should do that some time, too. Zoo, playground,
and petting zoo are nice, but I would also like
to go on a bike tour in the forest or go for a
walk in the field. But that's only Jun during the
summer, when it's dry. I don 't like rain.
Henk: And riding your bike against the wind isn't the
greatest thing (lit., everything), you know. When
you have the wind against you on the way out,
you think that you'll have the wind behind you
on the way back. But often enough you get
headwinds then, too !
Barbara: Yes, you also get wet in the rain. IJ 1 can put on
dry clothes afterwards, there's no problem. I
like it more than staying at home and watching
soccer. I prefer watching ice skating. Do you
think the "Bleven City Tour" will be skated this
year?
Henk: l wouldn't count on it, unless it's very cold. It
just doesn'tfreeze hard enough anymore in
the winter. By the way, what about your sailing
plans?
Barbara: f'/l 90 sailiny with some girlfriends on the North
Se~ early in the fall. It'll be terrific. I'm already
lookingjonvard to itl Oh look, school's out.
237
 Henk: Yes, J already see my kids. Well, have a nice day 1
Barbara: Thanks, yo11 too. And enjoy your weekend!

15C. VOCABULARY
anders otherwise

bedenken (bedacht, heeft to think of/up

bedacht)
bos (het; bossen) forest, woods

dierentuin (de; -tuinen) zoo

duin (het; duinen) dune

eiland (het; eilanden) is land

fietstocht (de; -tochten) bike tour

geweldig (geweldige; terrific, tremendous

geweldiger, geweldigst)
heenweg (de; -) way there, way towards something

hei (de; heiden) field, heath, heather

herfst (de;-) autumn, fall

het druk hebben to be busy

kinderboerderij (-boerderijen) petting zoo

lente (de; lentes) spring

Illeer(het;Illeren) lake
Illee:dtten (zat Illee, heeft to be favorable, to go wel!, to work
Illeegezeten) out
natregenen (regende nat, is to get wet in the min
natgeregend)
ophalen (haalde op, heeft to collect
opgehaald)
opvangen (ving op, heeft to catch, to take care of
opgevangen)
regen (de; regens) ra in
rekenen op (rekende op, heeft .to count on
gerek~nd op)

rijden (reed, heeft/is gereden) to ride, to drive

238
 schaatsen (schaatste, heeft/is to ice-skate
geschaatst)
speeltuin (de; -tuinen) playground
tegenwind (de; -winden) headwin d
tenzij unless
terugweg (de; -) way back
trouwens by the way
uitkijken naar (keek uit naar, to look forward to
heeft uitgekek en naar)
voetbal (de; -ballen) soccer bal/ (object)
voetbal (het; -) soccer (game)
vriezen (vroor, heeft to freeze
gevroren)
wad (het; wadden ) shallow(s), mud flat
weekend (het; weekend en) weekend
winter (de; winters) winter
zeilen (zeilde, heeft/is gezeild) to sail

zomer (de; zomers) summer

zwemm en (zwom, heeft/is to swim

gezwom men)

15D. KEY PHRAS ES

Here are some key phrases that will come in handy when talking
about the weather.
Wat voor weer is het nu? What's the weather like now?

Heb je het weerber icht voor Have you heard the weather report
het weeken d gehoord ? for the weekend?

Het is een mooie dag. /t's a beautiful day.

Het is zonnig. /t's sunny.

Het is heet/ko ud. !t's hot/cold.

The weather is bleak/rawjbitter
Het is guur weer vandaag .
today.

Het regent. /t's raining.

239
 Jt's drizzling.
Het motregent.
Het regent dat het giet. Jt's pouring.
!t's raining cats and dogs.
Het regent pijpenstelen.
There ·s thunder and lightning.
Het dondert en bliksemt.
There 's a thunderstorm.
Het onweert.
!t's terribly stormy.
Het stormt vreselijk.
There 's a hard Jreeze.
Het vriest dat het kraakt.
Het sneeuwt. !t's snowing.

Het is bitter koud! !t's bitter cold!

Het waait. !t's windy.

De wind gaat liggen. The wind is dropping.

De wind steekt op. The wind is coming up.

Er hangt een dichte mist. There 's a thick Jog.

De mist trekt op. The Jog 's lifting.

De zon komt op, en gaat weer The sun rises, and sets again .
onder.
De zon breekt door. The sun is breaking through.

De mussen vallen van het dak. !t's a real scorcher. (!it. , the
sparrows are falling from th e roof)

De dooi valt in. !t's beginning to thaw.

15E. CULTURE NOTE 1

Hup Holland hup, laat de leeuw niet in z'n hempie staan.

Hup Holland hup, trek het beestje geen pantoffels aan.
Hup Holland hup, laat je uit 't veld niet slaan.
Want de leeuw op voetbalschoenen durft de hele wereld aan.
These are the words to the oldest fight song for the Dutch national
soccer team. Like many fight songs, the exact words aren't very im·
portant. Roughly translated, they go something like: Go, Holland,
go! Don't let the Zion look like a Jool (Zit. Don't keep the Zion standing
there in his undershirt)./Go, Holland, go! Don't put the beast in slip·
pers./Go, Holland, go! Don't let yourself be discouraged (Zit., chased
240
 of{ the field)./Because a /ion in soccer shoes can t k h h
'JJ h i· · . a e on t e w 0 1e
world. T e ion m questlon is the Dutch nati 1_ b 1 .
. . . ona sym o , appropn-
ate m the context of soccer, which is after all th b
e num er one sport
in the Net h er l.an d s, .Europe, and much of the wor ld . Th ere are many
soccer ch ampionships and , cup matches at the na t.10na1, European
and wor. Id l.evel. The re s a soccer game bei· ng b roa dcast on some'
TV. station JUSt . . about every night. Interest in socc er st ar t s young;
ch1ldren can )Om a soccer team starting at age five u t.l 1
" . " . n i recent y
ch1ldren meant boys, hut nowadays an increasing number of girls
go out for soccer, too.

But soccer isn't the only sport in the Netherlands. Another impor-
tant sport i~ ice skating. In farmer days you could skate every winter
on natural ice, hut now skating is mostly limited to rinks, because
the temperatures don't get low enough for very thick and hard ice.
Once in a while there is a huge skating event in Friesland, the Elf-
stedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour), in which entrants must skate 200
kilometers (a little over i 24 miles) over a course of lakes and canals.
The Dutch love ice skating, and therefore they play a prominent
role in the championships. And there are plenty of people along the
route to cheer the skaters along, bringing of course a good deal of
orange to the winter landscape.

Another love of the Dutch is swimming. In fact, just about every

Dutch girl and boy knows how to swim, and many parents send
their children to swimming lessons even when they're toddlers.
After all, jong geleerd is oud gedaan (what is learned early is
learned welf), and in a land so full of water it's comforting to know
that your children can swim. People can swim in the sea, as well as
in lakes and ponds. But natura} bodies of water aren't of course the
only options for swimmers; every small- and medium-sized town
in the Netherlands has at least one swimming pool. For this reason
the country has produced many swimming champions.

Finally, most people who have visited the Netherlands know the
special relationship Dutch people seem to have with biking. The
Dutch are said to be bom on a bike, and it's nota terrible exaggera-
tion to claim that everyone in the country knows how to ride a bike.
Even immigrants, who carne from countries where people do not
bike, are encouraged to master the skill on special biking courses
for Iearners. The distances and topography in the Netherlands are
suitable for biking. Driving a car into city centers is_ dif~cult,. and
parking is bath problematic and expensive. So the b1ke is an 1deal
~-1.ternative. But it's not only for practical purposes. Many people
241
 make a sport out of biking, by buying racing bikes and starting to
tour in groups. Every so often one of the riders is good enough to go
professional, and perhaps to go even as far as the Tour de France.

15F. GRAMMAR
Grammar point 1: The passive voice
In Dutch, passive sentences are formed in a way similar to English,
with an auxiliary and a past participle. But the auxiliary is differ-
ent. In the simple present, simple past, future, and conditional, the
auxiliary is worden (to get, to become). The past participle comes
at the end of the clause. lf you want to express the performer of
the action, use door (by). Compare the following active and passive
sentences.
Ik koop het mes.
I buy the knife. (active)
Het mes wordt door mij gekocht.
The knife is bought by me. (passive)
Ik kocht het mes.
I bought the knife. (active)
Het mes werd door mij gekocht.
The knife was bought by me. (passive)
Ik zal het mes kopen.
I will buy the knife. (active)
Het mes zal door mij worden gekocht.
The knife will be bought by me. (passive)
Ik zou het mes kopen.
I would buy the knife. (active)
Het mes zou door mij worden gekocht.
The knife would be bought by me. (passive)

In perfect t~nses, the auxiliary is zijn (to be). Take special note of
the translations. In the passive, the forms of ziJ"n (ben, ben t , is,
· . z11n,
"
wbas, waren) are not translated as be, but rather as havejhasjhad
een.
Ik heb het mes gekocht.
I have bought the knife. (active)
Het mes is door mij gekocht.
The knife has been bought by me. (passive)
242
 Ik had het mes gekocht.
/had hought the knife. (active)
Het mes was door mij gekocht.
The knife had heen bought by me. (passive)

If the performer of the action which c b .

· d fi · . ' an e mtroduced by door is
unknown, m e mte, or s1mply not import t h Il '.
·h h
sentences wit t e su
b. an' 0 utc a ows pass1ve
. iect er (there) 0 r wit· h out an overt subject
Compare t hhe fo Il owmg active and passiv
· . e examp les. Pay close at-·
tent1on tot e Dutch pass1ves, which are struct d · d'ff l
from the English translations. ure qmte 1 erent Y
Iemand belt.
Someone is at the door. (active)
Er wordt gebeld.
There's someone at the door. (passive)
Men heeft gegeten en gedronken.
People have been eating and drinking. (active)
Er is gegeten en gedronken.
People have been eating and drinking. /fhere 's been eating and
drinking going on. (passive)
U mag aan tafel niet roken!
You're not allowed to smoke at the tablet (active)
Aan tafel mag niet gerookt worden!
No smoking at the table ! (passive)

To ask by whom something is clone, use the phrase door wie. Un-
like in English, you cannot split door wie, as with who ... by?
Wie had dat karwei afgemaakt?
Who had jinished that job? (active)
Door wie was dat karwei afgemaakt?
By whom had that job been finished?jWho had that job been finished
by? (passive)

Grammar point 2: Condltlonal sentances with als ... dan

Conditional sentences express suppositions or conditions that
must be met in order for something else to occur. Dutch conditional
clauses start with the conjunction s als (if), wanneer (when), indien/
ingeval (both forma!, in case), zo (formal, ij), mits (only if/provided
that) or tenzij (unless). The conditional clauses themselves are de-
pendent, which means that the conjugated verb moves to the last
position. Just as in English, the conditional clause can come after
243
 the main clause (first examp le b e low ), or it may come .
before th
.
· e
mam l b
clause (second examp e e ow · l ) Howev er keep m mmd that
' .
·f
1 t h e d epen d ent clause co mes first , the main clause w1ll have verb-
second word order.
Wij blijven thuis als het morgen nog steeds regent.
We'll stay home if it's still raining tomorrow.
Als het morgen nog steeds regent, blijven we thuis.
IJ it's still raining tomorrow we'll stay home.
You can interjec t dan ( then) in to the main clause, just as in En-
glish. In that case, you can drop the conjun ction (als, etc.), as in the
second exampl e below. But you'll have to chang.e the ~rder of the
depend ent clause so that it's like a yes-no quest1o n, with the verb
first.
Als het morgen nog steeds regent, dan blijven we thuis.
IJ it's still raining tomorrow, then we'll stay home.
Regent het morgen nog steeds, dan blijven we thuis.
IJ it's still raining tomorrow, then we'll stay home.
Here are a few other exampl es of conditi onal sentenc es.
Als het regent, wordt het dak nat.
IJ it's raining, the roof will get wet.
U moet zich nu inschrij ven, mits u nog gekoze n wilt worden .
You have to register yourself, provided that you want to be elected.
Doet hij mee, dan hebben we spelers genoeg .
If he's in, then we'll have enough players.
Ik ga door, tenzij iemand bezwaa r heeft.
I'll continue, unless someone objects.

&r•mm•r point 3: More on condit ionals

The types of conditionals that you saw in the second gramm ar note
in this lesson can be described as possible conditions. Take the fol-
lowing example, which you've already seen. In it, the speaker is
indicat ing that it's entirely possible that it will still be raining to-
morrow, and if it is, a certain conseq uence will follow.
Als hetmo rgen nog steeds regent, blijven we thuis.
1f it's still raining tomorrow we'll stay home.
It's also possible t-0 talk about conditions that are completely untrue
or hypothetical. Dutch uses a past tense to do this. Remember that
the past tense of zullen (zou in the singular, and zouden in the
244
 Plural) is. translated
. as would. In Dutch , the mam · clause o f a con d.1-
tional w1ll have e1ther a past tense or zou/zo u d en an d an ·m fi rnt1ve
1
·
..
The conditional or dependent clause will ha th ·
. ve e same two pos-
sibilities. Th1s means. that there are four poss·b·1·t·
1 1 1 1es, more or 1ess
with the same meanmg. The simple past signals that the speaker
knows that ~is, statement isn't ~rue, and zou/zouden signals that
the speaker 1sn t sure whether h1s/her statement is true or not.
Als ik nog jong was, zou ik het wel weten.
Jf J were still young, I would know what to do.
Als zij rijk was, zou ze de wereld over reizen.
Jf she were rich, she would travel the world.
Als je er wat van zou zeggen, zouden ze je kunnen ontslaan.
Jf you were to say something about it, they would fire you.
Past conditionals in English are expressed with if ... had in the
conditional clause, and (then) ... would have in the consequence
or main clause. In Dutch, the main clause of a past conditional will
have either a past tense and a past participle, or zou/zouden, a past
participle, and hebben or zijn. The conditional or dependent clause
will have the same two possibilities. This means again that there
are four possibilities, more or less with the same meaning.
We hadden niet gefietst, als het gisteren had geregend.
We wouldn't have biked if it had rained yesterday.
Als het gisteren geregend zou hebben, zouden we niet gefietst
hebben.
IJ it had rained yesterday, we wouldn't have biked.
Als je vroeger gekomen was, zou je hem gezien hebben.
If you had come earlier, you would have seen him.
Als we vandaag niet gewerkt zouden hebben, hadden we een
wandeling langs het strand gemaakt.
IJ we hadn't worked today, we would have taken a stroll along the
beach.

15&. READllG
Read the following short passage about Barbara's plans.

Ik zou graag een fietstocht willen maken met m~jn man. Lekk~r
rijden door de bossen of over de hei en 's nachts meen hotellet1e
slapen. Maar ik hoop wel dat het dan mooi wee~ is en dat het niet
te hard waait. Ik houd nièt van regen en ook met van veel tegen-
245
 wind. Heb je die op de heenweg tegen, dan heb je h~m ook v-~~k
op de terugweg tegen. En natregenen wil ik ook met, tenzlJ 1k
vliegensvlu g andere kleren kan aantrekken . Nee, het liefs~ wil ik,
dat de zon lekker schijnt. Als ik dan mijn hoed opzet, kan ik geen
··
zonnesteek kn1gen. Daarom w1·1 1"k gra ag 1"n de zomer fietsen en
niet in de herfst. Dan stormt het vaak of regent het dat het giet.
1 d like to take a bike tour with my husband. Riding through the
woods or over the fields and sleeping in a little hotel_at. night. But
1 really hope that the weather is nice. and that there 1sn t toa much
wind. J don 't like ra in, or a lot of headwind either. When you have
the wind against you on the way out, yau 'll also oft~n have it against
you on the way back. And J don 't want to get wet, ezther, unless l rnn
change clothes very quickly. No, I like it the most when th~ sw1 is
shining nicely. Jf J put on my hat, I carü get swz stroke. That s why l
/ike to cycle in the summer and not in the autumn. During that time
there 's aften a storm or it pours.

1Sff. CULTURE NOTE 2

Expressing intensity
In Dutch there are several ways to express degrees of intensity with
adjectives. Common phrases include words like heel (very), weinig
(little), minder (less), nauwelijks (hardly), bijna (almost), praktisch
(practically), een beetje (a bit), enigszins (somewhat [fml.}), ietsjes
(slightly) or genoeg (enough) .
To describe the highest intensity you also may use words like he-
lemaal (totally), hoogst (highest), bijzonder (specially), buitenge-
woon (extraordin arily [fml.j), ongemeen (uncommo nly [fml.j) , and
hartstikke (entirely or completely [infml.j). Just as in English you
also may use words that have come to mean very, even if their
original meanings are different: zeer (painful [fml.j), erg (bad) , vre-
selijk (dreadfully ), verschrikk elijk (terribly), ontzetten d (appall-
ingly), waanzinni g (mad), onwijs (unwise [infml.j). Some examples
are zeer indrukwek kend (very impressive ), erg mooi (very beauti-
ful), vreselijk ingewikke ld (horribly complicate d), verschrikk elijk
schoon (terribly clean), ontzettend uitgebreid (very extensive) ,
hartstikke slecht (very bad [infml.j), hartstikke dood (stone-cold
dead [infml.j), onwijs gaaf (crazy good [infml.J).

Another option to express intensity is to. use compound adjectives,

adding things like super-, hyper-, mega-, or giga- to the begin-

246
 ning. Examples are superdruk (super busy), hypernerv eus (really
nervous), megagezel lig (very cozy), gigadonke r (totally dark). In
the southern parts of the Netherlands the word kei (rock) may be
added to forma compound : keigaaf (very cool), keileuk (very nice),
keistom (very stupid). There are of course a lot of very idiomatic
compound s that are only used with particular meanings, for in-
stance straalbezo pen, ladderzat, katjelam, and stomdronk en all
mean very drunk, which of course can be expressed in a number of
idiomatic ways in English as well. Here are a few other idiomatic
examples that have particular conventional uses.
De jurk is sneeuwwit .
The dress is snow white.
Zij had hagelwitte tanden.
She had pearl white teeth.
Ik word knettergek van die muziek.
That music drives me crazy.
Hij is stapelgek op jou!
He's crazy about you!

Another way to express intensity is to use similes, just as in English.

Again, many of these have idiomatic restrictions.
Hij is zo rood als een kreeft.
He's as red as a lobster. (He has a sunbum.)
Je bent zo rood als een biet.
You're as red as a beet. (You're embarassed.)
Zij is zo vrij als een vogel.
She's as free as a bird. (She's absolutely free.)
Hij is vogelvrij.
He 's on the run. (He's on the lam, he's an outlaw.)
Ze zijn zo gek als een deur. . .
They're as crazy as a door. (They're out of thezr mmds.)
Hij is zo dronken als een tor.
He 's as drunk as a beetle. (He's smashed.)
Of course Dutch like any language, is full of idiomatic expressi~ns
and convention~l uses of words that you simply have to remem erl.
But the more exp~sure you get to the language ' the more natura
you'll sound.

247
 EXERCISES
A. Choose a word from the list below to comp lete the dialog
ue. You
may not need to use every word in the list.
dolgra ag, dan, tenzij, als, dat, wordt , is, het, zou
Saskia: Ga jij naar het schaatsen kijken , 1 _ ____ ____ het
werk gedaan 2 _?
Martijn : Och, _ _ _ er dan geschaatst vandaag?
3
Saskia : Ja zeker. Om tien uur 4 _ __ het al
beginnen.
Martijn : Ik moet nog tot twaalf uur werken, S______
mijn baas mij eerder naar huis stuurt.
Saskia : Jouw baas doet dat wel! Hij wil zelf 6 _____ _ _
eerder naar Texel varen.
Martijn: Als hij eerder naar Texel wil, 7 _ __ zou hij
ook kunnen gaan zwemmen!

B. Change these sentences from active into passive, or from

pa ssive
into active.
I. Hij heeft die fiets weer helemaal schoo n gemaa kt.
2. Dat werd door hem niet goed begre pen.
3. Waar heeft zij die hoed gekocht?
4. Zij hebbe n de hele dag gezwo mmen .
5. Er werd hartelijk gelachen.
6. Dat is door de minis ter altijd al gezegd.
7. Aan wie is door jou een boek gegev en?

C. Complete with zou, zoude n, als, tenzij, or dan.

i. Als hij naar huis wil, moet hij dat vrage n.
2. Als jullie de krant geleze n _ _ _ hebbe n, dan hadde
n jullie het al
geweten.

3. Henk komt om tien voor half tien met de auto _

_ _ hij moet
wacht en in de file. '

248
 4· - Pietje al gegeten hebben als hi·i· th Uts
. k
omt.7
5. _ h e t regent, worden de straten nat.

D. Translate the following sentences into Dutch.

1 . Would
you (fml.) bike with me to the field (he th) t
weather is fine then? a omorrow 1·f the

2. Iwant to leave the city, provided that I'm able to find a nice small
house in the country.

3- Who <lid you (infml. sg.) buy these flowers for, if you didn't do it for
me?
4. That letter was sent by an old friend who had been asked to come
to Europe.
5. People skated very fast.
6. There was no answer given by her, unless it was asked in a friendly
waybyhi m.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Do a little research on the Waddenz ee and the islands around

it, such as Texel. There was a plan to drain most of that sea,
so that people could get to the islands by car. But the plan was
abandoned, and nowadays it seems certain that the Wadden-
zee never will be a polder. See if you can find out why by check-
ing out sites like www.waddenzee.nl, www.waddenvereniging
.nl, and www.zeeinzicht.nl. As you're reading, be sure to record
new vocabulary in your Language Journal.

ANSWER KEY
A.i. als; 2. is; 3. wordt; 4. zou; 5. tenzij; 6. dolgraag; 7· dan
B. 1. Die fiets is door hem weer helemaal schoon gemaakt. 2. Dat had
hij niet goed begrepen. . Waar is die hoed door haar gekoc~t?
3
4· Er is de hele dag door hen gezwommen. 5· M~n lach~~ harteh1k.
6. Dat heeft de minister altijd al gezegd. 7. Aan wie heb JIJ een boek
gegeven?
249
 C. 1. dan; 2. zouden; 3. tenzij; 4. zou; 5. als
D.i. Zou u morgen met mij naar de hei willen fietsen , als het dan
mooi weer is? 2. Ik wil de stad verlaten, mits ik een leuk huisje op
het platteland kan vinden. 3. Voor wie heb je deze bloemen gekocht,
als het niet voor mij was? 4. Die brief werd gestuurd door een oud e
vriend die gevraagd was naar Europa te komen. 5. De mensen heb-
ben/ men heeft heel hard geschaatst/E r werd supersnel geschaatst.
6. Er werd door haar geen antwoord gegeven, tenzij het vriendelijk
door hem gevraagd werd.

250
 Appendix
Strong and irregular verbs

The following table lists the more common and important Dutch
strong and irregular verbs. The first column lists the infinitive form,
along with its translation. Any present tense irregularities are also
listed in the first column. The second column lists the simple past
fonns, bath singular and plural. The third column lists the auxiliary
and the past participle.
~-- --- -- -· - --· -· -
'bakken (t~ ~ak~-~~~? - _ bakte, bakten hebben gebakken
~o burst) barstte, barstten zijn gebarsten
L-- - - ---- ----- -----.---.---
1
b.éderven (to spoil, bedierf, bedierven hebben/zijn bedorven
go bad)

bedriegen (to deceive) bedroog, bedrogen hebben bedrogen

beginnen (to begin) begon, begonnen zijn begonnen
begraven (to bury) begroef, begroeven hebben begraven
begrijpen begreep, begrepen hebben begrepen
,,.., (to understand)

bergen (to store) borg, borgen hebben geborgen

besluiten (to decide) besloot, besloten hebben besloten

bevelen (to command) beval, bevalen hebben bevolen

bewegen (to move) bewoog, bewogen hebben bewogen

bezoeken (to visit) bezocht, bezochten hebben bezocht

bidden (to pray) bad, baden hebben gebeden

bieden (to offer) bood, boden hebben geboden

------ - - -··----- - -·--------~----" ·····---···- -~ - -~ - -- -- --

bijten (to bite) beet, beten hebben gebeten

binden (to bind, to tie) bond, bonden hebben gebonden

blazen (to blow) blies, bliezen hebben geblazen

251
 blijken (to turn out) bleek, bleken zijn gebleken

blijven (to stay, bleef, bleven zijn gebleven

to remain)

blinken (to shine) blonk, blonken hebben geblonken

braden (to roast) braadde, braadden hebben gebraden

breken (to break) brak, braken hebben/zijn gebroken

brengen (to bring) bracht, brachten hebben gebracht

brouwen (to brew) brouwde, brouwden hebben gebrouwen

buigen (to bend) boog, bogen hebben/zijn gebogen

denken (to think) dacht, dachten hebben gedacht

doen (to do) (ik doe, deed, deden hebben gedaan

jij/u/hij/zij/het doet)

dragen (to carry, droeg, droegen hebben gedragen

to wear)

: drijven (to float) dreef, dreven hebben/zijn gedreven

drong, drongen hebben/zijn gedrongen

dronk, dronken hebben gedronken

droop, dropen hebben/zijn gedropen

dook, doken hebben/zijn gedoken

dwingen (to force) dwong, dwongen hebben gedwongen
ervaren (to experience) ervoer, ervoeren hebben ervaren
eten (to eat) at, aten hebben gegeten
fluiten (to whistle) floot, floten hebben gefloten
gaan (to go} (ik ga, ging, gingen zijn gegaan
jij/u/hij/zij/het gaat)
--4- - -~-·----- -,~·-· --
zich gedragen gedroeg, gedroegen hebben zich gedragen
(to behave) zich

gelden (to count, hold) gold, golden hebben gegolden

genezen {to cure) genas, genazen hebben/zijn genezen
genieten (to enjoy) genoot, genoten
- .v..-~··<> - ·-•• "• .... •N'" ••
hebben genoten
geven (to give) gaf, gaven
4 4"" M~--~- ---- ··· ,0
hebben gegeven
gieten (to pour) goot, goten hebben gegoten
252
 g1Ïjden (to slide, gleed, gleden
hebben/zijn gegleden
to glide)
glimmen (to shine, glom, glommen
hebben geglommen
5parkle)

graven (to dig) groef, groeven

hebben gegraven
grijpen (to seize, greep, grepen hebben gegrepen
. take hold)
L."--
1 hangen (to hang) hing, hingen hebben gehangen
r;;bb~n (to have) had, hadden hebben gehad
i (ik heb, jij/u hebt,
i hij/zij/het heeft)

E";~l~~p)
!------~-·~---- -
hief, hieven

hielp, hielpen
hebben geheven

hebben geholpen

L!~~en(to b-~~~ll~d) " heette, heetten hebben geheten

~=-~:::~) :~.~:.:~:~:en
hebben gehesen

hebben gehouden
!-------··-····-·-··---·--- .""".
! jag.en {to hunt) joeg, joegen/jaagde, hebben gejaagd

~;.,en .".). ."""-.""...

(to choo. "s..e "." .". jk:ao:~::zen hebben gekozen

kijken (to look) keek, keken hebben gekeken

klimmen (to dimb) klom, klommen hebben/zijn

geklommen

klinken (to sound) klonk, klonken hebben geklonken

knijpen (to pinch) kneep, knepen hebben geknepen

: komen (to come) kwam, kwamen zijn gekomen

' kopen (to buy) kocht, kochten hebben gekocht

krijgen (to get, kreeg, kregen hebben gekregen

to re~eive)

krimpen (to shrink) kromp, krompen zijn gekrompen

kruipen (to crawl) kroop, kropen hebben/zijn gekropen

kunnen (can, to be kon, konden hebben gekund

able) (ik kan, jij/u
kunt, hij/zij/het kan)

lachen (to laugh) lachte, lachten hebben gelachen

253
 laten (to let, to allow) liet, lieten hebben gelaten

lezen (to read) las, lazen hebben gelezen

liegen (to teil lies) loog, logen hebben gelogen

liggen (to lie) lag, lagen hebben gelegen

lijden (to suffer) leed, leden hebben geleden

lijken (to seem, to leek, leken hebben geleken

look like)

lopen (to walk) liep, liepen hebben/zijn gelopen

malen (to grind) maalde, maalden hebben gemalen

melken (to milk) melkte, melkten/molk, hebben gemolken

molken

meten (to measure) mat, maten hebben gemeten

mijden (to avoid, to meed, meden hebben gemeden

shun)

moeten (must, moest, moesten hebben gemoeten

to have to)

mogen (may, to be mocht, mochten hebben gemogen

allowed to) (ik/jij/
u/hij/zij/het mag)

nam, namen hebben genomen

ontbeet, ontbeten hebben ontbeten

ontginnen (to reclaim ontgon, ontgonnen hebben ontgonnen

land)

ontwijken (to evade) ontweek, ontweken hebben ontweken

overleed, overleden zijn overleden

prees, prezen hebben geprezen

raden (to guess} raadde, raadden/ried, hebben geraden
rieden

rijden (to rlde, to reed, reden hebben/zijn gereden

drive}

rijzen (to rise) rees, rezen zijn gerezen

roepen (to call) riep, riepen hebben geroepen

254
 ruiken (to smell) rook, roken
hebben geroken
scheiden (to separate) scheidde, scheidden hebben/zijn
gescheiden
schelden (to scold) schold, scholden hebben gescholden
schenden (to violate) schond, schonden hebben geschonden
schenken (to give, schonk, schonken hebben geschonken
to pour)
· scheppen (to create) schiep, schiepen hebben geschapen
, scheren (to shave, schoor, schoren hebben geschoren
to shear)
schieten (to shoot) schoot, schoten hebben geschoten
! schijnen (to seem, scheen, schenen hebben geschenen
! to shi~~ -
! schrijden (to stride) schreed, schreden hebben/zijn
geschreden
-· - - ·-····--·--- ---- "---·· -· ·-----· · -
! schrijven (to write) schreef, schreven hebben geschreven
f------ · -- ·--··-··· - .
l schrikken (to be schrok, schrokken zijn geschrokken
! startled)

· schuilen (to shelter) school, scholen hebben gescholen

i sch~-i~-~(t~--push)- schoof, schoven hebben/zijn geschoven
-· ·- -·----------~----

-shtan (to hit, to beat, sloeg, sloegen hebben/zijn geslagen

t~'strikè) {ik sla, jij/u/
hij/zij/het slaat)

slapen (to sleep) sliep, sliepen hebben geslapen

slijten (to wear out) sleet, sleten hebben/zijn gesleten

slinken (to shrink) slonk, slonken zijn geslonken

sluipen (to sneak) sloop, slopen zijn geslopen

sluiten (to close) sloot, sloten hebben/zijn gesloten

~ • " - •• •-·'•.----~Nk --•• •

smelten (to melt) smolt, smolten hebben/zijn gesmolten

smijten (to throw, smeet, smeten hebben gesmeten

to fling)

snijden (to cut, to snip) sneed, sneden hebben gesneden

snuiten (to snuff, to snoot, snoten hebben gesnoten

• blow [nose])
255
 snuiven (to sniff, snoof, snoven hebben gesnoven
to snort)
spannen (to stretch) spande, spanden hebben gespannen

spijten (to be sorry) speet, speten hebben gespeten

spinnen (to spin) spon, sponnen hebben gesponnen

splijten (to split) spleet, spleten hebben/zijn gespleten

spreken (to speak) sprak , spraken hebben gesproken

springen (to jump) sprong, sprongen hebben/zijn

gesprongen

spruiten (to sprout) sproot, sproten zijn gesproten

spuiten (to spurt, spoot, spoten hebben gespoten
to spray)
staan (to stand) (ik stond, stonden hebben gestaan
, sta, jij/u/hij/zij/het
staat)
stak, staken hebben gestoken

stal, stalen hebben gestolen

stierf, stierven zijn gestorven
stijgen (to rise) steeg, stegen zijn gestegen
stinken (to stink) stonk, stonken hebben gestonken
stootte, stootten/stiet, hebben/zijn gestoten
stieten
strijden (to fight) streed, streden hebben gestreden
strijken (to stroke, streek, streken hebben gestreken
to iron)
stuiven (to dash, stoof, stoven hebben/zijn gestoven
to fly around)
- -... .. "-~ - -- ·- ·· - - - --~ . ...

treden (to tread) trad, traden zijn getreden

trof, troffen hebben getroffen

trekken (to pull) trok, trokken hebben getrokken

viel, vielen zijn gevallen
ving, vingen hebben gevangen

256
 ~~ren (to sail) voer, voeren
hebben/zijn gevaren
vechten (to fight) vocht, vochten
hebben gevochten
verbergen (to hide) verborg, verborgen
hebben verborgen
verbieden {to forbid) verbood, verboden
hebben verboden
verdwijnen verdween, verdwenen zijn verdwenen
{to disappear)
vergelijken {to compare) vergeleek, vergeleken hebben vergeleken
: vergeten {to forget) vergat, vergaten
hebben/zijn vergeten
1-~;rgeven {to forgive) vergaf, vergaven hebben vergeven
1

r~;~i~t~n {to leave) verliet, verlieten hebben verlaten

1- ~~rli~~~~ {to lose)
•• . -~-- , ·-.--· - ···-
verloor, verloren hebben verloren
1

r -~e;mijden {to avoid) vermeed, vermeden hebben vermeden

rve;;;;;,;-ct~-b;tr.yJ verried, verrieden/ hebben verraden
verraadde, verraadden
1 - -·--- · ---
f;rschijnen (to appear) ve~cheen,ve~chenen zijn verschenen
~-"-----· ···
i zich verschuilen verschool zich, hebben zich
j (to hide oneself) verscholen zich verscholen
~-•--" - - ··~-···- -- ~ -----·~-·'P"'"'

1 verslinden (to devour) verslond, verslonden hebben verslonden

L-------·--· -· " ···---- --·----···
verstaan (to ve~tond,ve~tonden hebben verstaan
understand , to hear)

vertrekken (to leave, vertrok, vertrokken zijn vertrokken

to depart)

verwijten (to blame) verweet, verweten hebben verweten

verzinnen (to think up) verzon, verzonnen hebben verzonnen

--· -----~-~ -~-- h~ --
verzwelgen (to engulf) verzwolg, verzwolgen hebben verzwolgen
- - - · ··---~- -~- -~ - - "'

vinden (to find) vond, vonden hebben gevonden

vlechten (to plait, vlocht, vlochten hebben gevlochten

to wattle)

vliegen {to fly) vloog, vlogen hebben/zijn gevlogen

vouwen {to fold) vouwde, vouwden hebben gevouwen

; vragen {to ask) vroeg, vroegen/ hebben gevraagd

vraagde, vraagden

257
 hebben gevreten
vreten (to eat vrat, vraten
[without table
manners])
vroor, vroren hebben/zij n gevroren
vriezen (to freeze)
waaide, waaiden/ hebben/zij n gewaaid
waaien (to blow,
to be windy) woei, woeien

waste, wasten hebben gewassen

' wassen (to wash)

wegen (to weigh) woog, wogen hebben gewogen

werpen (to throw) wierp, wierpen hebben geworpen

weten (to know) wist, wisten hebben geweten

wijken (to give way) week, weken zijn geweken

wijzen (to show, wees, wezen hebben gewezen

to indicate)

willen (to want) (ik wilde, wilden/wo u, hebben gewild

wil, jij/u wilt, hij/zij/ wouden (infml.)
het wil)

winden (to wind) wond, wonden hebben gewonden

winnen (to win) won, wonnen hebben gewonnen
worden (to become) werd, werden zijn geworden
· wreken (to avenge) wreekte, wreekten hebben gewroken
wrijven (to rub) wreef, wreven hebben gewreven
wringen (to wring) wrong, wrongen hebben gewrongen
zeggen (to say) zei , zeiden hebben gezegd
zenden (to send) zond, zonden hebben gezonden
zien (to see) (ik zie, zag, zagen hebben gezien
jij/u/hij/zij /het ziet)

zijn (to be) (ik ben, was, waren zijn geweest

jij/u bent, hij/zij/het is)

zingen (to sing) zong, zongen

hebben gezongen
z.inken (to sink) zonk, zonken
hebben/zi jn gezonken
zitten (to sit) zat, zaten
hebben gezeten
zoeken (to look for) zocht, zochten
hebben gezocht
zouten (to salt) zoutte, zoutten
hebben gezouten

258
fzÜÎg~n (to suck) zoog, zogen hebben gezogen
r ;~1pen (to drink zoop, zopen hebben gezopen
1 alcohol)
l------ . .... '
1 zullen (will, shall) zou, zouden
'. (ik zal, jij/u zult,
l hij/zij/het zal)
i - - - ·- - -- -·----·-

iwellen (to swell) zwol, zwollen hebben/zijn gezwollen

;;~;~;~--(to swim) zwom, zwommen hebben gezwommen
--
- -- - ~ ~-"-, - ····- -----~--

W.eren (to swear) zwoer, zwoeren hebben gezworen

:;iw!f·~·(tr, -~-j~~rate, zweerde, zweerden/ hebben gezworen
' '1'} zwoor, zworen
n (to roam) zwierf, zwierven hebben gezworven
zweeg, zwegen hebben gezwegen

259
260
 Glossary
Dutch-Eng lish

The gender and plural (where applicable) of nouns are given in pa-
rentheses after the entry. lnseparable prefix verbs are indicated (in-
sep.). See appendix for simple past tense and past participia! farms
of strong and irregular verbs.

A
aan at, on
aanbieding (de; aanbiedin ge n) special offer
aangenaam nice/ pleased to meet you
aangeschoten tipsy
aangezien since
aankleden (zich) to get dressed
aankomen to arrive
aannemen to take, to accept
aanrecht (het; aanrechten) counter
aanschaffen to purchase
aanspreken to speak to, to address
aanstelling (de ; aanstellingen) appointment
aardrijkskunde (de) geography
acht eight
achter behind
achterlaten to leave behind
achterneef (de; achterneven) second cousin; grand-nephew
achternicht (de; achternichten) second cousin; grand-niece
achttien eighteen
acteur (de; acteurs) actor
actrice (de; actrices) actress
adres(het; adressen) address
advocaat(de; advocaten) lawyer
afbeelding (de; afbeeldingen) picture
afbetalen to pay off
afdeling (de; afdelingen) department
afdrukken to print
afgelasten to cancel
261
 to </O o// /(1 5 111 un ulum li
aflopen
to ~ ettll! up. to /Hl\ ' /or
afreken en
afschuwelijk horrihle awful
afslaan 10 maJ..e a tllrn: tn tum "!!
afsluite n to close. to finish up
afspraa k (de; afspraken) oppoin tment
afsprek en to settle. to uy rce on
afwas doen, de ... to do the dis/w-;
afwasmachine (de; afwasmachines) dishwaslwr
afwasm iddel (het; afwasmiddelen) dishwashin9 dctcry1·111
al alrt>wiv . for in time i. 1·1·,·u tf
altlwug/1
alle all
allema al <lil
allen evervone
alles evervthing
als wlwn . i( in rnse
alsjeblieft please (infinl.J . here ' '011 UI • '
alsof as Ij
alstubl ieft p/ease {/ml.). here vnu un ·
altijd always
alvast in the meanti me
Ameri kaan (de) Americ an man
Amerik aans voetbal (het) Amerir nnjoot hall
Amerik aanse (de) American woman
amuse ment (het) enterta inment
amuse ren (zich) to have Jun
ander different, other
anders differently, in anotlwr wm·.
otherwise
antibio tica (de) m1tihiotics (pl.)
antwoo rden to rPply. to w1swer
apothe ek (de; apothe ken) plwmw cy
appel (de; appels /appele n) uppie
appelt aart (de; appelta arten) apple pie
april April
archite ct (de; archite cten) architect
arm (de; armen) arm
armba nd (de; armba nden) bracelet
artiest (de; artieste n) artist
arts (de; artsen)
doctor
assiste nt (de; assiste nten)
assistant (m.)
assiste nte (de; assiste ntes)
assistant (/)
athene um (het; athene ums/at henea)
high school
august us
August
auto (de; auto's)
car
avond (de;av onden )
evening
262
 8
baan (de; banen) job
baas (de; bazen) boss
baby (de; baby's) baby
bad (het; baden) bath
bad, een ... nemen to take a bath
baden to bathe, to take a bath
badgel (de/het; badgels) bath gel
badjas (de; badjassen) bathing suit
badkamer (de; badkamers) bathroom
badkuip (de; badkuipen) bathtub
bakken to bake, to fry
bakker (de; bakkers) baker, baker's (shop)
bakkerij (de; bakkerijen) bakery
bal (de; ballen) balt
balen to befed up
banaan(de;ban anen) banana
band (de; bands) band
bank(de;bank en) sofa, couch, bench; bank
bankbiljet (het; bankbiljetten) bank note, bill
bankier (de; bankiers) banker
basketbal (het) basketbalt
bed (het; bedden) bed
bedenken to think of to think up
bedrijf (het; bedrijven) company
bedroefd sad
beeldhouwwer k (het; sculpture
beeldhouwwer ken)
beeldig gorgeous
beeldscherm (het; beeldschermen) monitor, screen
been (het; beenderen) bone
been (het; benen) leg
beetje, een ... a bit
begane grond (de) firstfloor
beginnen to begin, to start
begrijpen to understand
beha (de; beha's) bra
behoorlijk pretty, fairly, rather
beide(n) both
belangrijk important
Belg (de) Belgian man
België Belgium
Belgische (de) Belgian woman
bemoeien met (zich) to interfere with
beneden downstairs
berg (de; bergen) mountain

263
 beroemd Jamous .
hard biscuit, zw1eback, hard t(Jast,
beschuit (de; beschuiten)
rusk
existence, life
bestaan (het)
bestand (het; bestanden) file
bestand, een ... invoegen to attach a file
bestand, een ... openen to open a file
bestand, een ... sluiten to close a file
bestand, een ... verzenden to send a file
bestellen to order; to deliver
bestelling (de; bestellingen) order, delivery
bestemming (de; bestemmingen) destination
bewolkt cloudy
bezem (de; bezems) broom
bezienswaardigheden bekijken to go sightseeing
bezig busy
bibliotheek (de; bibliotheken) library
bieden to offer
bier (het; bieren) beer
bij near, at
bijlage (de; bijlagen) attachment
bijna almost
bijvoorbeeld forexample
bijvullen to fill up, to refuel
bijzonder specially
biljet, (het; biljetten) bill, bank note
biljoen (het; biljoenen) tril/ion
binden to bind, to tie
binnenblijven to stay in
binnenkrijgen to get, to obtain
biologie (de) biology
bioscoop (de; bioscopen) movies, cinema
blad (het; bladeren) leaf
bladzijde (de; bladzijden) page
bleekmiddel (het; bleekmiddelen) bleach
f?lender (de; blenders) blender
blij happy
blijken to turn out, to become apparent
blijspel (het; blijspelen) comedy
blijven to stay
blijven zitten
to stay back, to repeat a grade
blik (het; blikken) can
bliksem (de) lightning
bloed (het) blood
bloem (de; bloemen) flower
blog (de; blogs) blog
blouse (de; blouses)
blouse
264
 boek (het; boeken) book
boekenplank (de; boekenplanken) book shelf
boeket (het; boeketten) bouquet
boekwinkel (de; boekwinkels) bookstore
boer (de; boeren) farmer
boerderij (de; boerderijen) farm
boom (de; bomen) tree
boot (de; boten) baat
bord (het; borden) plate
borrel (de; borrels) drink
borst (de; borsten) chest, breast
borstkas (de; borstkassen) chest
bos (het; bossen) forest, woods
bot (het; botten) bone
bouwvakker (de; bouwvakkers) construction worker
boven upstairs
bovenliggen to be on top
breken to break
brengen to bring
brief (de; brieven) letter
briefkaart (de; briefkaarten) post card
brievenbus (de; brievenbussen) mailbox, mail slot
bril (de; brillen) eyeglasses
broek (de; broeken) pants, trousers
broer (de; broers) brother
brood (het) bread
broodje (de; broodjes) roll, bun
brug(de;bruggen) bridge
buigen to bow
buik (de; buiken) belly
buitenkomen to carne outside
buitenland (het) abroad
bureau (het; bureaus) desk
burgemeester (de; burgemeesters) mayor
burgerlijk middleclass, bourgeois, civil
bus (de; bussen) bus
buurman, buurvrouw (de; buren) neighbor

c
café (het; cafés) café, coffee shop, pub
cake (de; cakes) cake
camera (de; camera's) camera
cao (de; cao's) collective labor agreement
cateringbedrijf (het; catering company
cateringbedrijven)
cd-rom (de; cd-roms) CD ROM
cd-romspeler (de; cd romspelers) CD ROM drive

265
 cd-speler (de; cd-spelers) CD player
chatroom (de; chatrooms) chat room
chatten to chat
chef (de; chefs) boss
chemie (de) chemistry
grade (mark at scho()/j
cijfer (het; cijfers)
circus (het; circussen) circus
club (de; clubs) club
coach (de; coaches) coach
colbert (het; colberts) jacket
collectie (de; collecties) collect ion
collega (de; collega's) colleague
computer (de; computers) computer
computerspel-(letje) (het; computer game
computerspelletjes)
concert (het; concerten) concert
concertzaal (de; concertzalen) concert hall
congres (het; congressen) conference
cultuur (de; culturen) culture
cursus (de; cursussen) course

D
daarvandaan from there
dag! good-bye!, heila (injm/.)
dag (de; dagen) day
dagmenu (het; dagmenu's) menu of the day
dak (de; daken) roof
dame (de; dames) lady
dan in that case, then
dancing (de; dancings) dance hall
dank je thank you (infml.)
danku thank you (fml.)
dank u wel! thank you very much'
dansen to dance
dat that (+het-word), that (co nj.)
de the (+de-word or pl.}
december December
deelnemen to participate, to attend
deelnemer (de; deelnemers) participant, attendee
deeltijds part-time
deleten to delete
denken to think
deodorant (de; deodorants) deodorant
dertien thirteen
dertig thirty
desktop (de; desktops) desktop
deur (de; deuren) door
266
 deze
this (+de-word), these
dezelfde
the same
dichtbij near
dichtdoen to close
die
that (+ de-word), those
dier (het; dieren) ani mal
dierenarts (de; dierenartsen)
veterinarian
dierentuin (de; dierentuinen) zoo
dik fat
diner (het; diners) dinner
dineren to dine
dinsdag Tuesday
dinsdags on Tuesdays
diploma (het; diploma's) diploma
directeur (de; directeuren/ manager
directeurs)
directie (de; directies) management
dit this (+het-word)
dochter (de; dochters) daughter
d0CUD1ent(het;documenten) document
document, een ... opslaan to save a document
documentaire (de; documentaires) documentary
doen to do
dokter (de; dokters) doctor
dollar (de; dollars) dollar
donder (de) thunder
donderdag Thursday
donderdags on Thursdays
dooddrukken to crush to death
door through, by
doorbreken to burst, to break
doordat owing to
doorkruisen to traverse (insep.)
doorwerken to keep on working
doos(de;dozen) box, carton
dorp (het; dorpen) village
dossier (het; dossiers) file
dossierkast (de; dossierkasten) file cabinet
douche (de; douches) shower
douche, een ... nemen to take a shower
douchen to take a shower
downloaden to download
draadloos wireless
dragen to wear, to carry
drank(de;dranken) drink
drie three
drinken to drink

267
 dryer
droger (de; drogers)
pharmacist, chemist; pharmucy,
drogist (de; drogisten)
chemist's
drugstore
drogisterij (de; drogisterijen)
dry
droog
grape
druif (de; druiven)
busy
druk
to be busy
druk hebben, het · · ·
to press, to push
drukken
DSL
dsl (de)
duin (het; duinen) dune
Duits (het) German
Duitsland Germany
duizend (de; duizenden) thousand
dun thin
duren to last
durven to dare
dus so, therefore
duwen to push
dvd-speler (de; dvd-spelers) DVD player

E
eau de cologne (de; eau de colognes) cologne
echt? really?
echtgenoot(de;echtgen oten) husband
echtgenote (de; echtgenotes/ wife
echtgenoten)
een one, a, an
eerder earlier
eergisteren the day before yesterday
eerst first, at first
eerste first (sequentially)
eerste hulp first aid
eerste verdieping (de) second floor
eetkamer (de; eetkamers) dining room
ei (het; eieren) egg
eigen own
eigenlijk really, actually
eiland (het; eilanden) is/and
eind (het; einden) distance
eindigen to end
eisen
to demand
elektrazaak (de; elektrazaken) electronics store
elektricien (de; elektriciens) electrician
elf
eleven
elk (elke)
each, every
elleboog(de;ellebogen ) elbow
268
 e-mail (de; e-mails) e-mail
e-rnail, een ... ver-zenden, sturen
to send an e-mail
e-rnailen to e-mail
en and
eng scary
Engels (het) English
Engelse (de) English woman
Engelsman (de) Englishman
Engeland Eng land
enig lovely; some (adj.)
enige tijd geleden some time ago
enigszins somewhat (fml)
enkel (de; enkels) ankle
ergeren (zich) to get angry
ergonomisch ergonomie
eronder underneath
erven to inherit
eten to eat
eten (het) food
etui (het; etuis) (pen/ pencil) case
euro (de; euro's) Euro
even for a short while
examen (het; examens) exam
examen, een ... afleggen/doen to take an exam
examen, een ... afnemen to examine, to give an exam
examen, voor een .. .· slagen to pass an exam
examen, voor een ... zakken to fait an exam
excuses.! my apologies !
.ma special

F
fabriek (de; fabrieken) factory
familielid (het; familieleden) relative
favorite favorite
fax (de; faxen) fax machine
faxapparaat (het; faxapparaten) fax machine
februari ~' February
feest (het; feesten) party
feest, een ... houden to have a party
festival (het; festivals) festival
fiets (de; fietsen) bike
fietsen to cycle, to bike
fietspad (het; fietspaden) bike path
fietstocht (de; fietstochten) bike tour
fijnmaken to pulverize, to crush fine
file (de; files) file
filiaal (het; filialen) branch
269
 movie,film
film (de; filialen) apartment
flat (de; flats) apartment building
flatgebouw (het; flatgebouwen)
fiat screen
flatscreen (de; flatscreens)
battle
fles (de; flessen) brochure
folder (de; folders)
tip
fooi (de; fooien)
form
formulier (het; formulieren)
stove
fornuis (het; fornuizen)
to take a picture
foto, een ... nemen
photo program
fotoprogramma (het;
fotoprogramma's)
France
Frankrijk
French
Frans (het)
frisdrank (de; frisdranken) soft drink
fruit
fruit (het)
full-time
fulltime

G
gaan to go
galerie (de; galerieën) gallery
gang (de; gangen) hall
gans (de; ganzen) goose
garnaal (de; garnalen) shrimp
gebeuren to happen
geboortedag (de) day of birth
gebouw (het; gebouwen) building
gedragen (zich) to behave
geen no, not a, not any
Gefeliciteerd! Congratulations !
geheel entire, whole
geheugen (het; geheugens) memory
geïrriteerd irritated
geld (het) money
geldautomaat (de; geldautomaten) ATM
gelijkspelen to tie (a game)
geloven to believe
geluidssysteem (het; sound system
geluidssystemen)
gemakkelijk easy
gemeente (de; gemeentes/ town, municipality
gemeenten)
gemeentehuis(het;gemeentehuizen) municipal building, town hall
generen (zich) to be embarrassed
genoeg enough
gepensioneerd retired
geschiedenis (de; geschiedenissen) history
270
 getalenteerd talente<i
geven to yive
geweldig terri/ic, tremerulous
gewoon common
gezellig cozy
gezicht (het; gezichten) fa ce
gezond healthy
gisteren yesterday
glas (het; glazen) glass
goed good, wel/, fine , okay, alright
goed eruitzien to look good
goed maken, het -. .. to do wel/
Goedemiddag! Good afternoon!
Goedemorgen! Good morning!
Goedenavond! Good evening !
goedkeuren to approve
googelen to Google
gootsteen (de; gootstenen) sink (kitchen)
gordijn (het; gordijnen) curtain
graad (de; graden) degree
graag gedaan you're welcome, don 't mention it
graag willen to like to
gracht (de; grachten) canal
grafisch graphic
grap (de; grappen) joke
grappig f unny
gras (het; grassen) grass
Grieks (het) Greek
griep (de) flu
groente (de; groentes/groenten) vegetable
groenteboer (de; groenteboeren) greengrocer, greengrocer's shop
groentesoep (de; groentesoepen) vegetable soup
groot big, tall
grootmoeder (de; grootmoeders) grandmother
grootvader (de; grootvaders) grandfather
gym (de) gym
gymnasium (het; gymnasiums/ high school (with Latin and Greek}
gymnasia)
gymnastiek (de) gym, PE
gymschoen (de; gymschoenen) sneaker

H
haar (het/de; haren) hair
haar ('r) her, her (obj.)
, haasten (zich) to hurry
'·:hagelslag (de) chocolate sprinkles
l~~elt, het ... it's hailing
271
 hall
hal (de; hallen)
Hella!
Hallo! necklace
halskettin g (de; halskettingen)
stop
halte (de; haltes)
ham
ham (de; hammen)
hand
hand(de; handen)
handdoe k(de;han ddoeken ) towel
business
handel (de)
handscho en(de;ha ndschoen en) glove
to hang
hangen
hardware
hardware (de)
hart (het; harten) heart
higher secondar y school
havo (de; havo's)
hebben to have
heel very
heengaan to go away
heenweg (de) way there, way towards somethin
9
heer (de; heren) gentlema n
heerlijk delicious
heet hot
heet, het is ... it's hot
hei (de; heiden) field, heath, heather
hek (het; hekken) gate,fenc e
helaas unfortuna tely
helemaal totally, entirely, completely
helemaal niet not at all
helft (de; helften) half
helpen to help
hem('m) him (obj.)
hemd (het; hemden) shirt
hemel (de; hemelen) sky
hen them (with people)
herfst (de) autumn, fall
herinner en (zich) to remembe r
hersenen (de) bra in
hersens (de) bra in
herstelle n (zich) to recover
het ('t)
it, the(+ het-word)
heten
to be called
heuvel (de; heuvels)
hili
hier
here
hij
he
hip
hip, trendy
hockey (het)
hockey
hoe gaat het?
how's it going?
hoeheet je?
what's your name ? (infml.)
hoe heet u?
272 what's your name? ({ml.)
 boe rnaakt u het?
how do you do? (fml.)
}loe? how?
hoed (de; hoeden) hat
hoeveel? how much?, how many?
hoewel although
hogeschool (de; hogescholen)
college (with Bachelor's degree)
hond(de;honden) dog .
honderd (de; honderden) hundred
honing (de) honey
honkQal (het) baseball
hoofd (het; hoofden) head
hoofdgerecht (het; hoofdgerechten) main course
hoog high
hoop, een ... a lot
horen bij to belong to
horloge (het; horloges) watch
hotel (het; hotels) hotel
houden to hold
houden van to love
hout (het) wood
houten wooden
huid (de; huiden) skin
kuis (het; huizen) house, home
huisarts (de; huisartsen) family doctor
huiskamer (de; huiskamers) living room
huiswerk {het) homework
huiswerk maken to do homework
huiswijn (de; huiswijnen) house wine
hun their; them (ind. obj.)
huwen to marry
hypotheek(de;hypotheken) mortgage

ieder (iedere) every,each, everybody,everyone

iedereen everybody, everyone
iemand somebody, someone, anybody,
anyone
iets sornething/anything
ietsjes slightly
ijsje (het; ijsjes) ice crearn (cone)
ijzer (het) iron
ijzerhandel (de; ijzerhandels) hardware store
ik I
in in, into
in zijn (z'n) eentje on one's own, alone
inchecken to check in
ÏA'ldelen to classify
273
 in case ([ml.)
indien
computer science
informatica (de)
information center
informatiecentrum (het;
informatiecentra)
ingenieur (de; ingenieurs) engineer
in case ([ml.)
ingeval
instant message (de; instant instant message
messages)
intelligent intelligent
interessant interesting
internet (het) internet
internetten to use the internet
internetverbinding (de; internet connection
internetverbindingen)
invullen to fill out

J
ja yes
jaar (het; jaren) year
jack (het; jacks) jacket
januari fanuary
jas (de; jassen) coat
jawel yes, indeed
je you; your (infml. sg.)
jeans (de) jeans
jenever (de; jenevers) Dutch gin
jeugdherberg (de; jeugdherbergen) youth hostel
jij you (infml. sg.)
jong young
jongen (de; jongens) boy
jou you (infml. sg.) (obj.)
~oumalist (de; journalisten) journalist
JOUW your (infml. sg.)
juli fuly
jullie you; your (infml. pl.)
juni f une
jurk (de; jurken) dress

K
kaart (de; kaarten) map
kaarten (de) cards
kaartje (het; kaartjes) ticket
kaas (de; kazen)
cheese
kabel (de; kabels)
cab Le
kachel (de; kachels)
stove
kamer (de; kamers)
room
kamperen
to go camping
274
 kaJ11pioen (de; kampioenen) champion
kanaal (het; kanalen) channel
kanaalzwemmen to channel surf
kant (de; kanten) direction, way; side
kantoor (het; kantoren) office
kapsalon (de; kapsalons) hairdresser's
kapstok (de; kapstokken) hat stand, hat rack
karaf (de; karaffen) carafe
kassa (de; kassa's) cash
kast (de; kasten) cup board
katoen (het) cotton
keel (de; kelen) throat
keelpijn (de) sore throat
keldei: (de; kelders) cellar, basement
kennen to know (a person)
kerk (de; kerken) church
keuken (de; keukens) kitchen
keyboard (het; keyboards) keyboard
kiezen to choose
kijken to look, to watch
kin (de; kinnen) chin
kind (het; kinderen) child
kinderboerderij (de; petting zoo
kinderboerderijen)
kip (de; kippen) chicken
klaarzetten to make ready
klant (de; klanten) dient, customer
klarinet (de; klarinetten) clarinet
klas (de; klassen) classroom; class (group)
klassiek classica!
kleding clothing
kledingzaak (de; kledingzaken) clothing store, dress shop
klein small, little, short
kleindochter (de; kleindochters) granddaughter
kleinkind (het; kleinkinderen) grandchild
kleinzoon (de'; kleinzonen/-zoons) grandson
kleur (de; kléuren) color
kleurencombinatie (de; -combinaties) color combination
klok (de; klokken) clock
klokslag right at (a time)
knie (de; knieën) knee
koelkast (de; koelkasten) refrigerator
koffie (de) coffee
koffiezetapparaat (het; coffee maker
koffiezetapparate n)
koken to cook
kom (de; kommen) bowl
275
 komt"die (de; komedies) comedy
komen to come
komende next (as in day of the week)
komkommer (de; komkommers) cucumber
kooi (de; kooien) cage
koorts (de; koortsen) fever
kop (de; koppen) cup
kopen to buy
kopiëren to copy
kopje (het; kopjes) cup
kort short
korte broek (de; broeken) shorts
kostuum (het; kostuums) suit
koud cold
koud, het is ... it's cold
kous (de; kousen) stocking
krant (de; kranten) newspaper
kreeft (de; kreeften) tobster
krentenbol (de; -bollen) currant bun
krijgen to get, to receive, to obtain
kromtrekken to warp
kruidenier (de; kruideniers) grocer, grocery store
kruising (de; kruisingen) intersection
kundig capable, skilled, experienced
kunnen can, to be able to
kunst (de; kunsten) art
kuur (de; kuren) cure, treatment
kwijtraken to lose

L
la (de; la's) drawer
laars (de; laarzen) boot
lachen to Laugh
lachen, zich een bult ... to laugh hysterically
ladder (de; ladders) Ladder
lade (de; lades/laden) drawer
lamp (de; lampen) Lamp
lamsbout (de; lamsbouten) leg of Lamb
land (het; landen) Land
landelijk rural
lang long
lang geleden long ago
langs by, alongside
langsgaan to visit, to stop by
langskomen to come over
lantaarnpaal (de; lantaarnpalen) lamp post
laptop (de; laptops) Laptop
276
 lastig difficult
laten to let, to allow
laten zien to show
Latijn (het) Latin
leeg empty
leegeten, z'n bord ...
to clean one's plate
leer (het) leather
leerling (de; leerlingen)
student (elementary or high school)
leeuw (de; leeuwen) /zon
lekker tasty, delicious
lekker vinden to like
lelijk ugly
lenen to !end, to borrow
lening (de; leningen) loan
lente (de; lentes) springtime
lepel (de; lepels) spoon
leraar (de; leraren) teacher (m.)
lerares (de; leraressen) teacher {j.)
leren to leam, to tea ch
letterkunde (de) Literary Studies
leuk good, nice, funny, pleasant, amusing
leuk vinden to enjoy, to like
leven (het; levens) life
lezen to read
lichaam (het; lichamen) body
lied (het; liederen) song
liever willen to prefer
lift (de; liften) elevator
liggen to /i e (down); to be (located)
lijken to look (a)like; to seem
links to the left
linksaf to the left
literatuur (de; literaturen) literature
lokettist (de; lokettisten) clerk
long (de; longen) lung
loniontstek ing (de; pneumonia
lopgontstek ingen)
loodgieter (de; loodgieters) plumber
lo~rÎ to walk
lo~~tle rekening (de; checking account
rek~ningen)
luchthaven (de; luchthaven s) airport
luchtpost (de) airmail
lukken to succeed
lunch (de; lunches) lunch
lunchen to have lunch
luxebroodje (het; luxebroodje s) roll, bun
277
 M
maag (de; magen) sto111111·h
maan (de; manen) lllO<lll

maand (de; maanden) Tlltlllth

maandag i\fo11d11v
maandags 011 1\fo11d11vs
maar hut: only. just
maart ,\ tarch
maat (de; maten) si:.:e
magnetron (de; magnetrons) microwavc
mama (de; mama's), mamma mom
(de; mamma's)
man (de; mannen) man. lwsba11d
mantel (de; mantels) coat
markt (de; markten) mark et
me me
medicijnkast (de; medicijnkasten) medicine cabi11et
meegaan to go with, to accompany
meekomen to come along. to accompany
meer more
meer(het;meren) fake
meerprijs (de; meerprijzen) extra charge, additional cost
meezitten to be favorable, to go wel!, to work out
mei May
meisje (het; meisjes) girl
melk (de) milk
meneer (de; meneren) Mr., sir
menigte (de; menigtes) crowd
mens (het; mensen) person, pl.: people
mens (de) man (mankind)
menukaart (de; menukaarten) menu
merken to note, to notice
mes (het; messen) knife
met with
met wie? with whom?
meteen just
metro (de; metro's) subway, metro
metselaar (de; metselaars) bricklayer
meubel (het; meubels) piece offurniture
mevrouw (de; mevrouwen) Mrs., ma'am
middag (de; middagen) afternoon
mij me
mijn my
miljard (het; miljarden) billion
miljoen (het; miljoenen) mil/ion
minder less
278
 minuut (de; minuten)
minute
misdragen (zich)
to misbehave
misgaan
to go wrong
mist (de) Jog
mits
only if, provided that
mixer (de; mixers)
blender
mode (de; modes)
Jashion
modem (de/het; modems) modem
moeder (de; moeders) mother
moeilijk difficult, hard
moeten to have to, must
mogen may
mond (de; monden) mouth
monitor (de; monitors) monitor, screen
monument (het; monumenten) monument
mooi beautiful
morgen tomorrow
morgen (de; morgens) morning
moskee (de; moskeeën) mosque
msn'en to useMSN
muis (de; muizen) mouse
muizenval (de; muizenvallen) mousetrap
museum (het; museums/musea) museum
musicus (de; musici) musician
muur (de; muren) wal!
muziek (de) music

N
na aft er
naam (de; namen) name
naar to
naar buiten outside
naar verhouding comparatively, proportionately
naast next to
nabootsen to copy, to imitate
nacht (de; nachten) night
nachtclub (de; nachtclubs) night club
nadat after
nagerecht (het; nagerechten) dessert course
natregenen to get wet in the rain
natuur (de) nature
natuurgebied (het; natuurgebieden) nature reserve
natuurkunde (de) physics
natuurlijk! . of course!
nauwelijks hardly
Nederland The Netherlands
Nederlander (de) Dutchman
279
 Nederland s (het) Dutch
Nederland se (de) Dutch woman
nee no
neef(de;n even) nephew, cousin (m.)
neerleggen to lay down, to put down
negen nine
negentien nineteen
negentig ninety
nek (de; nekken) neck
nemen to take
net just, exactly
netwerk (het; netwerken ) network
netwerkbe heer (het) network administration
netwerkve rbinding (de; network connection
netwerkve rbindingen )
neus (de; neuzen) no se
nicht (de; nichten) niece, cousin {f)
niemand nobody, no one, none
niet not
niets nothing
niets te danken you're welcome, it's nothing
nieuw new
nieuws (het) the news
niks nothing, zilch (infml.)
nooit never
noteren to write down
notitieboe kje (het; notitieboe kjes) notebook
november November
nul zero

0
ober (de; obers) waiter
oceaan(de ;oceanen) ocean
of whether, if or
oktober October
om
around, at (a time)Jor (a reason)
oma (de; oma's) grandmoth er
omdat because
omkiepen to tip over
onder under, among
onderbro ek(de;ond erbroeken ) underpant s
ondergaa n to go down, to sink
onderhem d (het; onderhemden) undershirt
ondernem ing (de; ondernem ingen) company
onderwer p (het; onderwerpen) subject
onderwer pen
to subject (insep.)
onderwijz er (de; onderwijzers) instructor
280
 ons US
ons, onze our
ontbijt (het; ontbijten)
breakfast
ontbijten
to have breakfast
ontmoeten to meet
ontslaan to disdiarge
onvriendelijk , , 1o cJ'1sn11ss
, (insep)
unfnendly
oog (het; ogen) eye
ook also, too
oom (de; ooms) uncle
oor (het; oren) ear
oorbel (de; oorbellen) earring
op on, in
opa (de; opa's) grandfather
opbellen to call (up) , to phone
opdat in order to
opdrijven to drive up, to jórce up
openleggen to reven/, to lay open
opera (de; opera's) opera, opera house
ophalen to collect
ophangen to hang up
opletten to pay attention
opnemen to withdraw (money)
opruimen to tidy up, to straighten up
opstaan to get up
opvallend showy, remarkable
opvangen to catch, to take care of
opwindend exciting
orkaan{de; orkanen) hurricane
orkest (het; orkesten) ·orchestra
oud old
ouder (de; ouders) parent
oven (de; ovens) oven
over over, above, across, about
overgaan to move up
overgeven (zich) to surrender
overhebben (+ voor) to be prepared to, to have enough for
overhemd (het; overhemde n) shirt
overhoring (de; overhoring en) test (oral)
overkant (de) the other side, the opposite
on the other side, opposite (of the
overkant, aan de ...
street, water)
overkoken to boil over
, ,~erloop (de; overlopen) landing
the day after tomorrow
•'J)Ye,rmorgen
: ~steken
to cross (over)
281
 p
P&O (personeel en organisatie) (de) HR, human resources
pagina (de; pagina's) page
pak (het; pakken) suit
pakke t (het; pakket ten) package, parcel
papa (de; papa's), pappa dad
(de; pappa's)
parapl u (de; paraplu's) umbrella
parfum (het/de; parfum s) perfum e
park (het; parken ) park
parttim e part-time
pas (de; passen) pass
paspoo rt (het; paspoo rten) pas sport
pasgeb oren newbom
paspoo rt (het; paspoo rten) pas sport
passen d suitable, approp riate
peer (de; peren) pear
pees (de; pezen) tendon
peper (de; pepers) pep per
person eel (het) staff
person eelsch ef (de; personeelchefs) personnel manag er
persoo n (de; person en) person
pet (de; petten ) cap
pijn (de; pijnen) pain
pijn doen to hurt
pijnsti ller (de; pijnstillers) painkiller
pinnen to use an ATM card (with PIN)
pinpas (de; pinpas sen) bank/A TM card
plaatje (het; plaatjes) picture
plafon d (het; plafonds) ceiling
plakke n to stick
plank (de; planke n) shelf
plant (de; plante n) plant
plastic
plastic, made of plastic
plastic (het; plastics) plastic
platlig gen
to be at a stands till
platteg rond (de; platteg ronden )
street map
plattel and (het)
countr yside
ploeg (de; ploege n)
team
poede r (het/de ; poeder s)
powde r
poetse n
to clean, to brush
politie man (de; politie manne n)
pqlice man
politie vrouw (de; politie vrouw en)
police woman
pols (de; polsen )
wrist
poolbi ljart (het)
pool, billiar ds
porto (de/he t; porto's /porti)
postag e
282
 l"l.."'tkantoor (het: postkantoren)
post oflice
po."ut-gt>I (de; postzegels) stamp
pradtprogramma (twt;
tal/... show
praatprogramma's)
prnt·htig
greot . marvelous
prnktisch practica/ly
ptttpark (het; pretparken)
amusement park, funfair
prt>ttig nice, pleasant
prijs (de: prijzen) price
prima excellent
printen to print
printer (de: printers) printer
proberen to try
proefwerk (het; proefwerken) test (written)
proeven to taste
professor (de; professors/ professor
professoren)
programma (het; programma's) program
pyjama (de; pyjama's) pajamas

R
raam (het; ramen) window
rapport (het; rapporten) report card
rat (de; ratten) rat
receptie (de; recepties) reception desk
recht tegenover straight across
rechtbuigen to straighten
rechtdoor straight ahead
rechts to the right
rechtsaf to the right
reeds already (fml.)
regel (de; regels) rule
regen (de; regens) rain
regent, het ... it's raining
rekenen calculus
rekenen op to count on
rekening (de; rekeningen) bill, check, account
rente (de; rentes) interest
reserveren to reserve
reservering (de; reserveringen) reservation
restaurant (het; restaurants) restaurant
reuma (de) rheumatism
riem (de; riemen) belt
rij (de; rijen) line, row, queue
rijden to ride, to drive
rijst (de) rice
ring (de; ringen) ring
283
 rivier (de; rivieren) river
roepe n to call
rok (de; rokken) skirt
rommel (de) mess
rond around (a time)
rondg aan to go around' to circulate
rondk ijken to look around
rondleiding (de; rondleidingen) guided tour
rondlo pen to walk around, to take a walk
around
rondto eren to go sightseeing
rondvaartboot (de; rondv aartbo ten) tour baat
rookw orst (de; rookworsten) smoke d sausage
rots (de; rotsen) rock
ruiken to smell
ruilen to exchange
rundvlees (het) beef
rust (de) rest

s
's avonds in the evening
's maan dags on Monday
's middags in the afternoon
's morge ns in the morning
saai boring
salaris (het; salarissen) salary
samen together
samen werke n to cooperate
sap (het; sappen) juice
scann en to scan
scann er (de; scanners) scanner
schaa tsen to skate
scham en (zich) to be asham ed
schap (de;sc happe n) shelf
schee rappa raat (het; razor
schee rappa raten)
schee rcrèm e (de; scheercrèmes)
shaving cream
scheid en
to get a divorce
scheid en van (iemand)
to divorce (someone)
schei kunde (de)
chemi stry
schele n
to be the matte r
scher en
to shave
schijn en
to seem, to shine
schild erij (het/d e; schild erijen )
painti ng
schip (het; schep en)
ship
schoe n(de; schoe nen)
shoe
schoe nen zaak (de; schoe nenza ken)
shoe store
284
 schol (de; schollen) f/ounder, plaice
school (de; scholen) school
schoon clean
schoonmoeder (de; mother-in-law
schoonmoeders)
schoonvader (de; schoonvaders) father-in-law
schoonzus (de; schoonzussen) sister-in-law
schouder (de; schouders) shoulder
schouwburg (de; schouwburgen) theater, play house
schrijfster (de; schrijfsters) writer {f.)
schrijven to write
schrijver (de; schrijvers) writer (m.)
schrikken, zich rot ... to be scared stiff
schuin tegenover diagonally across
secretaresse (de; secretaresses/ secretary (f.) (assistant)
secretaressen)
secretaris (de; secretarissen) secretary (m. or f)
september September
serveerster (de; serveersters) waitress
shampoo (de; shampoos) shampoo
sinaasappel (de; sinaasappels/ orange
sinaasappelen)
sinds si nee
sjaal (de; sjaals) scarf
sla (de) salad, lettuce
slaan to hit
slaapkamer (de; slaapkamers) bedroom
slagen to pass
slager (de; slagers) buteher; buteher's (shop)
slagerij (de; slagerijen) buteher shop
slagroom (de) whipped cream, whipping cream
slak (de; slakken) snail, slug
slapen to sleep
slechts only, just, merely
slim smart
slot doen, op . . . to loek
slot, op ... loeked
sluiten to close
smal narrow
smog (de) smog
sms'en to text message
sneeuw (de) snow
sneeuwt, het ... it's snowing
snel Jast
software (de) software
sok (de; sokken) soek
sommigen some (people)
285
 spaarrekening (de; savings account
spaarrekeningen)
spalken to put in a splint
speelgoedwinkel (de; toy store
speelgoedwinkels)
speelkaarten (de) playing cards
speelster (de; speelsters) player {f.}
speeltuin (de; speeltuinen) playground
spel (het; spelen) game; pl.: toumament (e.g.,
Olympische Spelen)
spel, een ... spelen to play a game
speler (de; spelers) player (m.}
spellen to spel!
spelletje (het; spelletjes) game
spiegel (de; spiegels) mirror
spieken to copy, to cheat by copying (infml.j
spier (de; spieren) muscle
spijkerbroek (de; spijkerbroeken) jeans
sport, een ... beoefenen to play a sport
sprankelend radiant, sparkling
spreken to speak
spuitwater (het) soda
staan to stand (up); to be (located)
stad (de; steden) city, town
stadhuis (het; stadhuizen) city hall
stadion (het; stadions) stadium
standaard standard
stappen to go out (to dinner, movies, for
drinks, etc.)
station (het; stations) (train) station
stedelijk urban
steeds always
steeg (de; stegen) alley
stelen to steal
ster (de; sterren) star
sterk strong
sterven to die
stiefdochter (de; stiefdochters) stepdaughter
stiefkind (het; stiefkinderen) stepchild
stiefmoeder (de; stiefmoeders) stepmother
stiefvader (de; stiefvaders) stepfather
stiefzoon (de; stiefzonen/-zoon s) stepson
stil quiet
stoel (de; stoelen) chair
stoep (de; stoepen) sidewalk
stoplicht (het; stoplichten) traffic light
storm (de; stormen) storm
286
 straat (de; straten) street
straatlanta arn (de; straatlanta arns) street light
straks soon
strand (het; stranden) beach
strijkijzer (het; strijkijzers) iron (clothes)
strijkplank (de; strijkplank en) ironing board
student (de; studenten) student (m.)
studente (de; studentes) student (f.)
studeren to study
studiebol (de; studiebollen) bookworm
studiekeuze (de; choice of studies
studiekeuzes/-keuzen)
stuk (het; stukken) piece
stuk of tien, een ... about ten
stuk, per ... apiece, in singles, separately
stukje (het; stukjes) little piece
sturen to send
suiker (de) sugar
supermark t (de; supermark ten) supermark et
surfen to surf

T
taal (de; talen) language
tachtig eighty
tafel (de; tafels) table
talentvol talented
talkshow (de; talkshows ) talk show
tamelijk rather
tand (de; tanden) tooth
tandarts (de; tandartsen ) dentist
tante (de; tantes) aunt
taxi (de; taxi's) taxi
taxichauff eur (de; taxichauff eurs) taxi driver
te to (before vb.), too (before adj.)
team (het; teams) team
teen (de; tenen) toe
teenager (de; teenagers ) teenager
tegelijk at the same time
tegen against
tegenover across (from}
tegenvalle n to disappoint
headwind
tegenwind (de; tegenwind en)
tekenen to draw
drawing
tekening (de; tekeninge n)
textbook
tekstboek (het; tekstboek en)
word processor
tekstverw erker
(de; tekstverw erkers)
287
 telefoon (de; telefoons) telephone
telefoonnummer (het; telephone number
telefoonnummers)
televisie (de; televisies) television
to watch television
televisie kijken
televisieprogramma television program
(het; -programma's)
temmen to tame
tempel (de; tempels) temple
temperatuur (de; temperaturen) temperature
tenminste at least
tennis (het) tennis
tennisschoen (de; tennisschoenen) tennis shoe
tenzij unless
terugkeren to turn back, to return
terugweg (de) way back
terwijl as, while
tevoren, van ... in advance
theater (het; theaters) theater
thee (de) tea
themapark (het; themaparken) theme park
theoretisch theoretica!
thuis at home
thuisblijven to stay home
ticket (het; tickets) ticket
tien ten
tiener (de; tieners) teenager
tijd (de; tijden) time
tijdens during
tijdschrift (het; tijdschriften) magazine
timmerman (de; timmermannen) carpenter
titel (de; titels) degree
tjonge! wow!, boy!
toch yet
toen when (+ past tense)
toerist (de; toeristen) tourist
toetje (het; toetjes) dessert
toets (de; toetsen) test
toetsenbord (het; toetsenborden) keyboard
toevoegen to add to, to attach
toilet (het; toiletten) bathroom, toilet
toiletpapier (het) toilet paper
tomaat (de; tomaten) tomato
toneelstuk (het; toneelstukken) play, drama
tong (de; tongen) tongue
topje (het; topjes) tank top
tot to, asfar as, until
288
 tot ziens
touringcar (de; touring-cars) see you again, good-bye
tour bus
tram (de; trams)
streetcar
trap (de; trappen)
stair, step
trein (de; treinen)
train
troep (de; troepen)
bunch, mess
trottoir (het; trottoirs)
sidewalk
trouwen
to marry
rrouwens
by the way, well
trUÎ (de; truien)
sweater, sweatshirt, jersey
T-shirt (het; T-shirts) T-shirt
tuin (de; tuinen) garden
tussen
between, among
tv (de; tv's) TV
tv kijken
to watch TV
tv-programma (het; tv-programma's) television program
twaalf twelve
twee two
tweede second
twintig twenty

u
u you (fml. sg. or pl.)
uit out,from
uit de kom dislocated
uitchecken to check out
uitdrogen to dry out, to desiccate
uitgebreid sumptuous
uitkijken to look out, to watch out, to be
carejul
uitkijken naar to look forward to
uitkleden to undress
uitleggen to explain
uitslover (de; uitslovers) hard worker, high flier (somewhat
negative connotation)
uitstekend excellent
uitverkocht sold out
uitzoeken to select, to pick out
universiteit (de; universiteiten) university
uploaden to upload
uw your (fml.)

v
vaat doen, de ... to do the dishes
vaatwasser (de; vaatwassers) dishwasher
vacature (de; vacatures) vacancy
vader (de; vaders) father
289
 vak (het; vakken) subject (at school)
vakantie (de; vakanties) recess, vacation
vakkenpakket (het; chosen set of course options
vakkenpakketten)
vallen to fall
van of,from
vanavond tonight
vandaag today
vanmiddag this aftemoon
varkensvlees (het) park
vechten to fight
veertien fourteen
veertig forty
veld (het; velden) field
ver far
verband (het; verbanden) bandage
verbazen (zich) to be amazed
verbinding (de; verbindingen) connection
verdergaan to go further
verdienen to earn
verdwalen to get lost
Verenigde Staten (de) United States
vereniging (de; verenigingen) club, union
vergadering (de; vergaderingen) meeting
vergaderzaal (de; vergaderzalen) meeting room
vergeten to forget
vergissen (zich) to be wrong
verheugen op (zich) to look forward to
verjaardag (de) birthday
verkeer (het) traffic
verkeerd wrong
verkoopster (de; verkoopsters) saleswoman
verkopen to sell
verkoper (de; verkopers) shop assistant, clerk, sales-person
verliezen to lose
verloofde (de; verloofden/verloofdes) fiàncé(e)
vermaken (zich) to havefun
verschijnen to appear
verslapen (zich) to oversleep
versturen to send (off)
vertrekken to leave
vervelen (zich) to be bored
verwerkingssnelheid processing speed
(de; -snelheden)
verwijderen to delete
verwijsbrief (de; verwijsbrieven) referral letter
verzenden to forward
290
 via via, over
vier Jour
vies dirty
vijf five
vijftien fifteen
vijftig fifty
vijver (de; vijvers) pond
vinden to find
vinger (de; vingers) finger
vis (de; vissen) fish
vlees (het) meat
vliegen to fly
vliegensvlug as quick as lightning
vliegtuig (het; vliegtuigen) airplane
vloer (de; vloeren) floor
vloerkleed (het; vloerkleden) carpet
vmbo-school (de; vmbo-scholen) lower secondary school, vocational
school
voedsel (het) food
voelen (zich) to fee/
voet (de; voeten) foot
voetbal (de; voetballen) soccer bal/
voetbal (het) soccer, football (game)
voetballen to play soccer
volgend next
volgens according to
vollopen to fill, to become filled
voltijds full-time
volwassene (de; volwassenen) adult
voor in front of, before, for
voor( dat) before
vooraf beforehand, first
voorbeeld (het; voorbeelden) example
voorbij beyond, past
voordeur(de;voordeuren) front door
voorgerecht (het; voorgerechten) first course
voorhoofd (het; voorhoofden) forehead
voorkomen to happen
voorkomen to prevent (insep.)
voorleggen to submit, to place before
voorrang (de) priority
voorrangsweg (de; voorrangswegen) major road, thoroughfare
voorstedelijk suburban
voorstellen to propose, to vote
voorstellen (zich) to imagine
voorstelling (de; voorstellingen) performance
voortaan from nowon
291
 voortz etten to continue. to carry on
1

vorig last, previous

vork (de; vorken) fork
vragen to ask
vriend (de; vrienden) friend, boyfriend
vriend elijk friendly
vriend in (de; vriend innen) friend ([.). girlfriend
vriend innetje (het; vriend innetje s) girlfriend
vriend je (het; vriendjes) boyfriend
vriezen to freeze
vrijdag Friday
vrijdag s on Fridays
vroege r before, earlier
vrouw (de; vrouwe n) woman , wife
VVV (de; VVV's) tourist infomw tion center
vwo (het) high school

w
waar true
waar? where ?
waarbi j with which
waarm ee? with what?
waaro m? why?
waarv andaan ? from where?
wad (het; wadde n) shallow(s}, mud flat
wakke r worde n to wake up
wand (de; wande n) wal/
wande len, uit ... gaan to go hiking
wang (de; wange n) cheek
wanne er when
want becaus e
waren huis (het; warenh uizen) depart ment store
warm warm
was doen, de ... to do the laundr y
wasba k (de; wasba kken) sink (wash basin)
wasma chine (de; wasma chines ) washin g machin e
wasmi ddel (het; wasmi ddelen ) laundry deterg ent
wasse n to wash
wasse n (zich) to wash onesel f
wat someth ing/ anythi ng
wat anders someth ing else
wat? what?
water (het; watere n) water
waterk etel (de; waterk etels) tea kettle
wc (de; wc's) bathro om, toilet
wc-pap ier (het) toilet paper
we we
292
 weblog (de; weblogs)
web log
webpagina (de; webpagina's)
web page
website (de; websites)
website
wedstrijd (de; wedstrijden) game
wedstrijd, een ... spelen
to play a game
week (de; weken) week
weekend (het; weekenden) weekend
weer (het) weather
weer, het is mooi ...
it's beautiful (outside)
weergeven to render
weg (de; wegen) road
weggaan to go away, to leave
weglopen to run away
weinig little
wekker (de; wekkers) alarm clock
welk, welke? which?
Welterusten! Sleep welt!
wenkbrauw (de; wenkbrauwen) eyebrow
wed (de; werven) (lower) quay, wharf
werken to work
werkgever (de; werkgevers) employer
werkloos unemployed
werknemer (de; werknemers) employee
weten to know
wie? who?
wij we
wijn (de; wijnen) wine
willen to want
wimper (de; wimpers) eyelash
wind (de; winden) wind
winderig, het is ... it's windy
winkel (de; winkels) shop, store
winkelbediende shop assistant
(de; winkelbedienden, -bediendes)
winnen to win
winter (de; winters) winter
wiskunde (de) math
woensdag Wednesday
woensdags on Wednesdays
woestijn (de; woestijnen) desert
wolk (de; wolken) cloud
wonen to live, to be a resident of
woonkamer (de; woonkamers) living room
worden to get, to become
Wortel (de; wortels/wortelen) carrot
woud (het; wouden) forest
293
 y
yahoo ! gebruiken to use Yahoo!

z his, its
z'n
zacht soft
zakenman (de; zakenmannen) businessman
zakenvrouw (de; zakenvrouwen) businesswoman
zakken to fail
zand (het) sand
zappen to flip channels
zaterdag Saturday
zaterdags on Saturdays
ze she, they, them
zee (de; zeeën) sea
zeep (de) soap
zeggen to say
zeilen to sail
zeker certain
zenden to send
zenuwachtig nervous
zes six
zestien sixteen
zestig sixty
zeven seven
zeventien seventeen
zeventig seventy
ziek sick
ziekenhuis (het; ziekenhuizen) hospita/
zien to see
zij she, they
zijde (de) silk
zijn his, its
zijn to be
zitten to sit
zo if (fml.)
zodat so that
zodra as soon as
zoet sweet
zolder (de; zolders) attic, loft
zomaar just like that
zomer (de; zomers) summer
zo'n such a
zon (de; zonnen) sun
zondag Sunday
zondags on Sundays
zonnebril (de; zonnebrillen) sunglasses
294
zonnig, het is •.. it's sunny
zoon (de; zonen/zoons) son
zout (het/de) salt
zol'eel so much/many
zuinig economical
zulk, zulke such
zullen will, shall
zus (de; zussen) sister
zuur sour
zwager (de; zwagers) brother-in-law
zwak weak
zwembroek (de; zwembroeken) bathing trunks
zwemmen toswim

295
296
 Glossary
English-Dutch

A
abit een beetje
alot een hoop
a,an een
able (to be ... to) kunnen
about over
above over
abroad buitenland (het)
accept (to) aannemen
accompany (to) meekomen, meegaan
according to volgens
account rekening (de; rekeningen)
across over
across (from) tegenover
actor acteur (de; acteurs)
actress actrice (de; actrices)
actually eigenlijk
add to (to) toevoegen
address adres (het; adressen)
address (to) voorleggen
adult volwassene (de; volwassenen)
after na, nadat
aftemoon middag (de; middagen)
against tegen
agree on (to) afspreken
airmail luchtpost (de)
airplane vliegtuig (het; vliegtuigen)
airport luchthaven (de; luchthavens)
alarm clock wekker (de; wekkers)
all alle, allemaal
alley steeg (de; stegen)
allow (to) laten
almost bijna
afone in zijn (z'n) eentje
297
 afready {fmf.) reeds
afready al
al right goed
also ook
although al, hoewel
always altijd, steeds
amazed (to be) zich verbazen
American football Amerikaa ns voetbal (het)
American man Amerikaa n (de)
American woman Amerikaa nse (de)
among tussen, onder
amusemen t park pretpark (het; pretparken )
amusing leuk
and en
anima/ dier (het; dieren)
ank/e enkel (de; enkels)
another, in ... way anders
answer (to) antwoord en
antibiotics (pl.) antibiotic a (de)
anybody iemand
anyone iemand
anything iets, wat
apartment flat (de; flats), appartem ent (het;
apparteme nten)
apartment building flatgebouw (het;
flatgebouw en)
apiece (in singles, separately) per stuk
apologies, my ... ! excuses!
apparent, to become . .. blijken
appear (to) verschijne n; lijken (to seem)
apple appel (de; appels/app elen)
apple pie appeltaar t (de; appeltaart en)
appointme nt afspraak (de; afspraken );
aanstellin g (de; aanstelling en)
(job)
appropria te passend
approve (to) goedkeur en
April april
architect architect (de; architecte n)
arm arm (de; armen)
around om
around (a time) rond
arrive (to) aankomen
art kunst (de; kunsten)
artist artiest (de; artiesten)
as terwijl
asfar as tot, voor zover
298
 as if alsof
as quick as lightning
vliegensvlug
as soon as
zodra
ashamed (to be)
zich schamen
ask (to)
vragen
assistant (f.)
assistant (m.) ass'.stente (de; assistentes)
assistent (de; assistenten)
at bij
at (a time) om
at home thuis
at least
tenminste
atnoon 's middags
at the same time
tegelijk
at aan
ATM
geldautom aat (de; geldautomaten)
ATMcard
pinpas (de; pinpassen)
ATM card (to use an) pinnen
attach (to) toevoegen
attach a file (to)
een bestand invoegen/attachen
attachmen t bijlage (de; bijlagen)
attend (to) deelnemen
attendee deelnemer (de; deelnemers)
attic zolder (de; zolders)
August augustus
aunt tante (de; tantes)
autumn herfst (de)
awful afschuwel ijk

B
baby baby (de; baby's)
bake (to) bakken
baker bakker (de; bakkers)
bakery bakkerij (de; bakkerijen)
bal! bal (de; ballen)
banana banaan(d e;bananen )
band band (de; bands)
bandage verband (het; verbanden )
bank bank (de; banken)
bank card pinpas (de; pinpassen )
bank note bankbiljet (het; bankbiljet ten)
banker bankier (de; bankiers)
baseball honkbal (het)
basement kelder (de; kelders)
basketbal/ basketbal (het)
bath bad (het; baden)
bath gel badgel (de/het; badgels)
bathtub badkuip (de; badkuipen ) 299
 bathe (to) baden
badpak (het; badpakken),
bathing suit
zwembroek (de; zwembroeken)
zwembroek (de; zwembroeken)
bathing trunks
badkamer (de; badkamers); toilet
bathroom
(het; toiletten), wc (de; wc's)
be (to) zijn
beach strand (het; stranden)
beautiful mooi
beautiful (it's ... outside} het is mooi weer
because omdat, want
become (to) worden
bed bed (het; bedden)
bedroom slaapkamer (de; slaapkamers)
beef rundvlees (het)
beer bier (het; bieren)
before voor, voor(dat); vroeger
beforehand vooraf
begin (to) beginnen
behave (to) zich gedragen
behind achter
Belgian man Belg (de)
Belgian woman Belgische (de)
Belgium België
believe (to) geloven
belly buik (de; buiken)
belang to (to) horen bij
belt riem (de; riemen)
bench bank (de; banken)
between tussen
beyond voorbij
big groot
bike fiets (de; fietsen)
bike (to) fietsen
bike path fietspad (het; fietspaden)
bike tour fietstocht (de; fietstochten)
hili (currency) bankbiljet (het; bankbiljetten)
hili (restaurant) rekening (de; rekeningen)
bill (bank note) biljet (het; biljetten)
billiards poolbiljart (het)
billion miljard (het; miljarden)
bind (to) binden
biology biologie (de)
birthday verjaardag (de)
biscuit (hard) beschuit (de; beschuiten)
bleach bleekmiddel (het; bleekmiddelen)
300
 blender
blender (de· hlend ) .
. ' ers ' mixer (de·
mixers) '
blog
blog (de; blogs)
blood
bloed (het)
blouse
blouse (de; blouses)
boat
boot (de; boten)
body
lichaam (het; lichamen)
boil over (to)
overkoken
bone
been (het; beenderen), bot (het·
botten) '
book boek (het; boeken)
book shelf
boekenplank (de; boekenplanken)
boekenkast (de; boekenkasten) '
(book case)
bookstore
boe~winkel (de; boekwinkels)
bookworm studiebol (de; studiebollen)
boot laars (de; laarzen)
bored (to be) zich vervelen
boring saai
borrow (to) lenen
boss baas (de; bazen), chef (de; chefs)
both beide(n)
battle fles (de; flessen)
bouquet boeket (het; boeketten)
bourgeois burgerlijk
bow (to) buigen
bowl kom (de; kommen)
box doos (de; dozen)
boy jongen (de; jongens)
boyfriend vriendje (het; vriendjes)
bra beha (de; beha's)
bracelet armband (de; armbanden)
bra in hersenen (de), hersens (de) (pl.)
branch filiaal (het; filialen)
bread brood (het)
break (to) breken, doorbreken
break/ast ontbijt (het; ontbijten)
breast borst (de; borsten)
bricklayer metselaar (de; metselaars)
bridge brug (de; bruggen)
bring (to) brengen
brochure folder (de; folders)
broom bezem (de; bezems)
brother broer (de; broers)
brother-in-Law zwager (de; zwagers)
brush (to) poetsen
building gebouw (het; gebouwen)
301
 bun broodje (de; broodjes), h1xPhroodjt>
(het; luxebroodjes)
bunch hoop (de; hoop)
burst (to) doorbreken
bus bus (de; bussen)
business handel (de)
businessman zakenman (de; zakenmannen)
businesswoman zakenvrouw (de; zakenvrouwt>n)
busy druk, bezig
busy (to be) het druk hebben
but maar
butcher slager (de; slagers)
butcher shop slagerij (de; slagerijPn)
buy (to) kopen
by door (passive), langs (path)
by the way trouwens

c
cab/e kabel (de; kabels)
café café (het; cafés)
cage kooi (de; kooien)
cake cake (de; cakes)
calculus rekenen
call (to) roepen
call {up) (to) opbellen
called {to be) (name) heten
camera camera (de; camera's)
can blik (het; blikken)
can (able) kunnen
canal gracht (de; grachten)
cancel (to) afgelasten
cap pet (de; petten)
capable kundig
car auto (de; auto's)
caraJe karaf (de; karaffen)
cards kaarten (de)
care/ui (to be) uitkijken
carpenter timmerman (de; timmermannen)
carpet vloerkleed (het; vloerkleden)
carrot wortel (de; wortels/wortelen )
carry (to) dragen
carry on (to) voortzetten
carton doos (de; dozen)
case (pen/pencil) etui (het; etuis)
cash contant geld
cash register kassa (de; kassa's)
catch (to) opvangen
302
catering company
cateringbedrijf (het; catering-
bedrijven)
CD player
cd-speler (de; cd-spelers)
CD ROM cd-rom (de; cd-roms)
CD ROM drive
cd-romspeler (de; cd-romspelers)
ceiling plafond (het; plafonds)
cellar kelder (de; kelders)
certain zeker
chair stoel (de; stoelen)
champion kampioen (de; kampioenen)
channel kanaal (het; kanalen)
channel surf (to) kanaalzwemmen
charge, extra ... meerprijs (de; meerprijzen)
chat (to) chatten
chat room chatroom (de; chatrooms)
cheat by copying (to) spieken (infml.)
check rekening (de; rekeningen)
check in (to) inchecken
check out (to) uitchecken
checking account lopende rekening (de; rekeningen)
cheek wang (de; wangen)
cheese kaas (de; kazen)
chemist (pharmacist) drogist (de; drogisten)
chemistry chemie (de), scheikunde (de)
chest borst (de; borsten), borstkas (de;
borstkassen)
chi eken kip (de; kippen)
child kind (het; kinderen)
chin kin (de; kinnen)
chocolate sprin kles hagelslag (de)
.choice of studies studiekeuze (de; studiekeuzes/
-keuzen)
choose (to) kiezen
church kerk (de; kerken)
cinema bioscoop (de; bioscopen)
circulate (to) rondgaan
circus circus (het; circussen)
city hall stadhuis (het; stadhuizen)
city stad (de; steden)
civil burgerlijk
klarinet (de; klarinetten)
clarinet
classica! klassiek
classify (to) indelen
klas (de; klassen)
class room
clean schoon
clean (to) poetsen
z'n bord leegeten
clean one 's pla tP (to}
303
 clerk lokettis t (de; lokettist en), verkoper
(de; verkope rs)
dient klant (de; klanten )
clock klok (de; klokken )
close (to) sluiten, dichtdo en, afsluiten
close a file (to) een bestand sluiten
clothing kleding
clothing store kleding zaak (de; kledingz aken)
cloud wolk (de; wolken)
cloudy bewolkt
club club (de; clubs), verenig ing (de;
verenigi ngen)
coach coach (de; coaches)
coat jas (de; jassen), mantel (de;
mantels )
coat rack kapstok (de; kapstok ken)
coffee koffie (de)
coffee maker koffieze tapparaa t (het;
koffieze tapparat en)
coffee shop café (het; cafés)
cold koud
cold (it's .. . ) het is koud
colleague collega (de; collega's)
collect (to) ophalen
collection collectie (de; collecties)
collective labor agreement cao (de; cao's)
college (with Bachelor's degree) hogeschool (de; hogescholen)
cologne eau de cologne (de; eau de
colognes)
color kleur (de; kleuren )
color combination kleuren combin atie (de;
-combinaties)
come (to) komen
come outside buitenk omen (to)
come over (to) langsko men
come with (to) meekom en
comedy blijspel (het; blijspelen), komedie
(de; komedie s)
common gewoon
compan y bedrijf (het; bedrijve n),
onderne ming (de;
onderne mingen )
comparatively naar verhoud ing
complet ely helemaa l
compute r comput er (de; compute rs)
compute r game compute rspellet je (het;
compute rspelletj es)
304
 computer science informatica (de)
concert concert (het; concerten)
concert hall
concertzaal (de; concertzalen)
conference congres (het; congressen)
congratulations ! gefeliciteerd!
connection
verbinding (de; verbindingen)
construction worker
bouwvakker (de; bouwvakkers)
continue (to) voortzetten
cook (to) koken
cooperate (to) samenwerken
copy (to) kopiëren
copy (to) (cheat) spieken (infml.)
copy (to) (imitate) nabootsen
cost, additional . .. meerprijs (de; meerprijzen)
cotton katoen (het)
couch bank (de; banken)
count on (to) rekenen op
counter aanrecht (het; aanrechten), balie
(de; balies)
countryside platteland (het)
course • cursus (de; cursussen)
cousin (f) nicht (de; nichten)
cousin (m.) neef (de; ·neven)
cross (over) (to) oversteken
crowd menigte (de; menigte), massa (de;
massa's)
crush fine (to) fijnmaken
crush to death (to) dooddrukken
cucumber komkommer (de; komkommers)
culture cultuur (de; culturen)
cup kopje (het; kopjes), kop (de;
koppen)
cupboard kast (de; kasten), keukenkastje
(het; keukenkastjes) (kitchen)
cure kuur (de; kuren) (treatment),
genezing (de; genezingen)
(solution)
currant bun krentenbol (de; -bollen)
curtain gordijn (het; gordijnen)
customer klant (de; klanten)
cycle (to) fietsen

D
dad papa (de; papa's), pappa (de;
pappa's)
dance (to) dansen
dance hall dancing (de; dancings) 305
 dare (to) durven
daughter dochter (de; dochters)
day dag(de;dagen )
day after tomorrow overmorgen
day before yesterday eergisteren
day of birth geboortedag (de)
December december
degree graad (de; graden) (temperature) ;
titel (de; titels) (as in university)
delete (to) deleten, verwijderen
delicious lekker, heerlijk
deliver (to) bestellen
delivery bestelling (de; bestellingen)
demand (to) eisen
dentist tandarts (de; tandartsen)
deodorant deodorant (de; deodorants)
department afdeling (de; afdelingen)
department store warenhuis (het; warenhuizen)
desert woestijn (de; woestijnen)
desiccate (to) uitdrogen
desk bureau (het; bureaus)
desktop desktop (de; desktops)
dessert toetje (het; toetjes)
dessert course nagerecht (het; nagerechten)
destination bestemming (de; bestemmingen )
diagonally across schuin tegenover
die (to) sterven
different ander
differently anders
difficult moeilijk, lastig
dine (to) dineren
dining room eetkamer (de; eetkamers)
dinner diner (het; diners)
diploma diploma (het; diploma's)
direction kant (de; kanten)
dirty vies
disappoint (to) tegenvallen
discharge (to) ontslaan (insep.)
dishwasher afwasmachin e (de;
afwasmachine s), vaatwasser
(de; vaatwassers)
dishwashing detergent afwasmiddel (het; afwasmiddele n)
dislocated uit de kom
dismiss (to) ontslaan (insep.)
distance eind (het; einden)
divorce (to) (someone) scheiden van (iemand)
306 do (to) doen
 do homework (to) huiswerk maken
do the dishes (to)
de vaat doen, de afwas doen
do the laundry (to) de Was doen
do well (to) het goed maken
doctor arts (de; artsen), dokter (de;
dokters) (also title)
doctor, family ... huisarts (de; huisartsen)
document document (het; documenten)
documentary
documentaire (de; documentaires)
dog hond (de; honden)
dollar dollar (de; dollars)
don't mention it graag gedaan
door deur (de; deuren)
door (prep.) by (passive), through (path)
download (to) downloaden
downstairs beneden
draw (to) tekenen
drawer la (de; la's), lade (de; lades/laden)
drawing tekening (de; tekeningen)
dress jurk (de; jurken)
dressed, to get ... zich aankleden
dress shop kledingzaak (de; kledingzaken)
drink drank (de; dranken); borrel (de;
borrels)
drink (to) drinken
drive (to) rijden
drive up (to) opdrijven
drugstore drogisterij (de; drogisterijen)
dry droog
dry out (to) uitdrogen
dryer droger (de; drogers)
DSL dsl (de)
dune duin (het; duinen)
during tijdens
Dutch Nederlands (het)
. Dutchgin jenever (de; jenevers)
Dutchman Nederlander (de)
Dutch woman Nederlandse (de)
DVD player dvd-speler (de; dvd-spelers)

E
each elk (elke), ieder (iedere)
ear oor (het; oren)
earlier vroeger, eerder
eam (to) verdienen
earring oorbel (de; oorbellen)
easy gemakkelijk 307
 eat (to) eten
economical zuinig
egg ei (het; eieren)
eight acht
eighteen achttien
eighty tachtig
elbow elleboog(d e;elleboge n)
electrician elektricien (de; elektricien s)
electronics store elektrazaa k (de; elektrazak en)
elevator lift (de; liften)
eleven elf
e-mail e-mail (de; e-mails)
e-mail (to) e-mailen
embarrassed (to be) zich generen
employee werkneme r (de; werkneme rs)
employer werkgever (de; werkgever s)
empty leeg
end (to) eindigen
engineer ingenieur (de; ingenieurs )
Eng land Engeland
English Engels (het)
Englishman Engelsman (de)
English woman Engelse (de)
enjoy (to) leuk vinden
enough genoeg
entertainment amusemen t (het)
entire geheel
entirely helemaal
ergonomie ergonomis ch
Euro euro (de; euro's)
even if al, zelfs als
evening avond(de ;avonden )
evening (in the ... ) 's avonds
every elk (elke), ieder (iedere)
everybody iedereen, ieder (iedere), allen
everyone iedereen, ieder (iedere), allen
everything alles
exactly net
exam examen (het; examens)
examine (to) een examen afnemen
example voorbeeld (het; voorbeeld en)
excellent uitstekend , prima
exchange (to) ruilen
exciting opwinden d
existence bestaan (het)
experience d kundig
explain (to) uitleggen
308
 eye oog (het; ogen)
eyebrow
wenkbrauw (de· k
eyeglasses b . 'wen hrauwen)
nl (de; brillen)
eyelash
wimper (de; wimpers)

F
face gezicht (het; gezichten)
factory fabriek (de; fabrieken)
fail (to) zakken
fail an exam (to)
voor een examen zakken
fairly behoorlijk
fall (to) vallen
fall (season) herfst (de)
famous beroemd
far ver
farm boerderij (de; boerderijen)
farmer boer (de; boeren)
fashion mode (de; modes)
Jast snel
fat dik
father vader (de; vaders)
father-in-law schoonvader (de; schoonvaders)
favorable (to be) meezitten
favorite favoriet
fax machine fax (de; faxen), faxapparaat (het;
faxapparaten)
February februari
fed up (to be) balen
fee[ (to) zich voelen
fen ce hek (het; hekken)
festival festival (het; festivals)
/ever koorts (de; koortsen)
fiancé(e) verloofde (de; verloofden/
verloofdes)
field veld (het; velden), hei (de; heiden)
fifteen vijftien
fifty vijftig
fight (to) vechten
file bestand (het; bestanden), dossier
(het; dossiers), file (de; files)
file cabinet dossierkast (de; dossierkasten)
fill (to) vollopen
fill out (to) invullen
fill up (to) {fuel) bijvullen
filled (to get) vollopen
film film (de; films)
find (to) vinden
309
 fine goed
finger vinger (de; vingers)
finish up (to) afsluiten
fire (to) ontslaan (insep.)
first (before) vooraf
first (sequentially) eerste
first aid eerste hulp
first course voorgerecht (het; voorgerechten)
first, at first eerst
first floor begane grond (de)
fish vis (de; vissen)
five vijf
flat screen flatscreen (de; flatscreens)
flip channels (to) zappen
floor vloer (de; vloeren)
flounder schol (de; schollen)
flower bloem (de; bloemen)
flu griep (de)
fly (to) vliegen
Jog mist (de)
food eten (het), voedsel (het)
/oot voet (de; voeten)
football voetbal (het) (game, soccer)
for voor
for (a reason) om
for (a time) al
fora short while even
forexample bij voorbeeld
force up (to) opdrijven
forehead voorhoofd (het; voorhoofden)
forest woud (het; wouden), bos (het;
bossen)
forget (to) vergeten
fork vork (de; vorken)
form formulier (het; formulieren)
forty veertig
forward (to) verzenden
Jour vier
fourteen veertien
France Frankrijk
freeze (to) vriezen
French Frans (het)
Friday vrijdag
Fridays (on . .. ) vrijdags
friend vriend (de; vrienden)
friend (f.) vriendin (de; vriendinnen)
friendly vriendelijk
310
 Jrom van, uit
from nowon
voortaan
Jrom there
daarvandaan
from where?
waarvandaan?
front door
voordeur(de;voordeuren)
fruit
fruit (het)
Jry (to) bakken
full-time
fulltime, voltijds
Junny grappig, leuk

G
gallery
galerie (de; galerieën)
game
spelletje (het; spelletjes), spel (het;
spelen [tournament]), wedstrijd
(de; wedstrijden)
garden tuin (de; tuinen)
gate hek (het; hekken)
gentleman heer (de; heren)
geography aardrijkskunde (de)
Gerrnan Duits (het)
Gerrnany Duitsland
get (to) (to obtain) krijgen, binnenkrijgen
get (to) (to become) worden
get a divorce (to) scheiden
get angry (to) zich ergeren
get dressed (to) zich aankleden
get lost (to) verdwalen
get up (to) opstaan
girl meisje (het; meisjes)
girlfriend vriendinnetje (het; vriendinnetjes)
give (to) geven
give an exam (to) een examen afnemen
glass glas (het; glazen)
glove handschoen (de; handschoenen)
go (to) gaan
go around (to) rondgaan
go away (to) \Veggaan,heengaan
go camping (to) kamperen
go down (to) ondergaan
go further (to) verdergaan
go hjking (to) uit wandelen gaan
go off (to) (as in an ularm) aflopen, gaan
go o_~t (to) (dirm er, movies, drinks, etc.) stappen
rondtoeren, bezienswaardigheden
go sightseeing (t o)
bekijken
go welf (to) meezitten
go with (to) meegaan 311
 go wrong (to) misgaan
good goed, leuk
good aftemoon! goedemiddag!
good evening ! goedenavond!
good morning! goedemorgen!
good-bye! tot ziens, dag! (infml.)
Google (to use) googelen
goose gans(de;ganzen)
gorgeous beeldig
grade (at school) cijfer (het; cijfers) (mark); klas (de;
klassen) (class)
grandchild kleinkind (het; kleinkinderen)
granddaughter kleindochter (de; kleindochters)
grandfather grootvader (de; grootvaders), opa
(de; opa's)
grandmother grootmoeder (de; grootmoeders) ,
oma (de; oma's)
grand-nephew achterneef (de; achterneven)
grand-niece achternicht (de; achternichten)
grandson kleinzoon (de; kleinzonen/-zoons)
grape druif (de; druiven)
graphic grafisch
grass gras (het; grassen)
great prachtig
Greek Grieks (het)
greengrocer groenteboer (de; groenteboeren)
grocer kruidenier (de; kruideniers)
grocery store kruidenier (de; kruideniers),
supermarkt (de; supermarkten)
guided tour rondleiding (de; rondleidingen)
gym gym (de), gymnastiek (de)

H
hailing, it's ... het hagelt
hair haar (het/de; haren)
hairdresser's kapsalon (de; kapsalons)
half helft (de; helften)
hall gang (de; gangen); hal (de; hallen)
ham ham (de; hammen)
hand hand (de; handen)
hang (to) hangen
hang up (to) ophangen
happen (to) ·gebeuren, voorkomen
happy blij
hard moeilijk
hardworker uitslover (de; uitslovers) (somewhat
negative connotation)
312
 hardly nauwelijks
hardware hardware (de)
hardware store
ijzerhandel (de; ijzerhandels)
hat hoed (de; hoeden)
have (to) hebben
have a party (to) een feest houden
have breakfast (to) ontbijten
have enough /or (to) overhebben(+ voor)
have Jun (to)
zich amuseren, zich vermaken
have lunch (to) lunchen
have to (to) moeten
he hij
head hoofd (het; hoofden)
headwind tegenwind (de; tegenwinden)
healthy gezond
heart hart (het; harten)
heath, heather hei (de; heiden)
Hello! Hallo!
help (to) helpen
her haar ('r)
here hier
high hoog
high school atheneum (het; atheneums/
athenea), vwo (het)
high school (with Latin and Greek) gymnasium (het; gymnasiums/
gymnasia)
higher secondary school havo (de; havo's)
hili heuvel (de; heuvels)
him hem('m)
hip hip
his zijn, z'n
history geschiedenis (de; geschiedenissen)
hit (to) slaan
hockey hockey (het)
hold (to) houden
home huis (het; huizen)
homework huiswerk (het)
honey honing (de)
horrible afschuwelijk
hospita/ ziekenhuis (het; ziekenhuizen)
hot heet
hot (it's ... ) het is heet
hotel hotel (het; hotels)
house huis (het; huizen)
housewine huiswijn (de; huiswijnen)
hoe maakt u het? (fml.)
how do you do?
how much?, how many? hoeveel?
313
 how? hoe?
how's it going? hoe gaat het?
HR, human resources P&O (personeel en organisatie) (de)
hundred honderd (de; honderden )
hurricane orkaan(de ;orkanen)
hurry (to) zich haasten
hurt (to) pijn doen
husband man (de; mannen), echtgenoo t (de;
echtgenot en)

1
I ik
ice cream (cone) ijsje (het; ijsjes)
if (conditional) als
if (whether) of
if (fml.) zo
imagine (to) zich voorstelle n
imitate (to) nabootsen
important belangrijk
in in
in advance van tevoren
in case als, indien, ingeval (fml.)
in front of voor
in order to opdat, zodat
in that case dan
indeed jawel
information center informati ecentrum (het;
informatie centra), VVV
(de; VVV's)
inherit (to) erven
instant message instant message (de; instant
messages)
instructor onderwijz er (de; onderwijz ers)
intelligent intelligen t
interest rente (de; rentes)
interesting interessan t
interfere with (to) zich bemoeien met
internet internet (het)
internet (to use the) internette n
internet connection internetve rbinding (de;
internetve rbindinge n)
intersection kruising (de; kruisingen }
in to in
iron (metal) ijzer (het}
iron (clothes) strijkijzer (het; strijkijzers}
ironing board strijkplan k (de; strijkplan ken)
irritated
314 geïrriteer d
island eiland (het; eilanden)
it het ('t)
its zijn, z'n

J
jacket co~bert (het; colberts), jack (het·
Jacks) '
January januari
jeans sp~jkerbroek (de; spijkerbroeken),
Jeans (de)
jersey trui (de; truien)
job haan(de;ba nen)
joke grap(de;gra ppen)
journalist journalist (de; journalisten)
juice sap (het; sappen)
fuly juli
f une juni
just (immediately) meteen
just (precisely) net
just (merely, only) slechts
just (only) maar
just like that zomaar

K
keyboard keyboard (het; keyboards),
toetsenbord (het; toetsenborden)
kitchen keuken (de; keukens)
knee knie (de; knieën)
knife mes (het; messen)
know (to) (a person) kennen
know (to) (a fact, knowledge) weten

L
ladder ladder (de; ladders)
lady dame (de; dames)
lake meer(het;m eren)
lamp lamp (de; lampen)
lantaarnpaa l (de; lantaarnpale n)
lamp post
land land (het; landen)
landing overloop (de; overlopen)
language taal (de; talen)
laptop laptop (de; laptops)
last (in sequence) laatst
last (previous) vorig
last (to) duren
Latin Latijn (het)
laugh (to) lachen
315
 laugh hysterically (to) zich een bult lachen
laundry detergent wasmid del (het; wasmiddelen)
lawyer advocaa t(de;adv ocaten)
lay down (to) neerleggen
leaf blad (het; bladeren )
leam (to) leren
leather leer (het)
leave (to) (to depart) vertrekk en
leave (to) (to go away) weggaa n
leave behind (to) achterla ten
left (to the) links, linksaf
leg been (het; benen)
legoflam b lamsbou t (de; lamsbou ten)
lend (to) lenen
less minder
let (to) laten
letter brief (de; brieven)
lettuce sla (de)
library biblioth eek (de; biblioth eken)
lie (down) (to) liggen
life leven (het; levens), bestaan (het)
lightning bliksem (de)
like (to) leuk vinden; lekker vinden (food)
like to (to) graag willen
line rij (de; rijen)
lion leeuw (de; leeuwen)
literature literatuu r (de; literatur en);
letterku nde (de) (Literar y
Studies)
little klein
little (adv.) weinig
little piece stukje (het; stukjes)
live (to) wonen
living room huiskam er (de; huiskam ers),
woonka mer (de; woonka mers)
load of (a) een hoop
loan lening (de; leningen )
lobster kreeft (de; kreeften )
located (to be) liggen
located (to be) (upright position) staan
loek (to) op slot doen
locked op slot
loft zolder (de; zolders)
long lang
long ago lang geleden
look (to) (to appear) lijken
look (to) (to watch) kijken
316
 /ook around (to) rondkijken
look forward to (to) uitk"'k
IJ en naar 'zie
. 'h verh
Look good (to) goed eruitzien eugen op
look out (to) uitkijken
lose (to) verliezen k ..
h , WIJtraken
love (to) ouden van
/ovely enig
lower secondary school vmbo-school (d
lunch lunch (d . 1 e; vmbo-scholen)
e, unches)
lung long (de; longen)

M
magazine tijdschrift (het; ti1"dschr·f·t )
mail slot b. 1 en
r'.evenbus (de; brievenbussen)
mailbox brievenbus (de; brievenbussen)
main course hoofdgerecht (het.• hoofdgerec h ten)
major road voorrangsweg (de;
voorrangswegen)
make ready (to) klaarzetten
man man (de; mannen)
man(kind) mens (de)
management directie (de; directies)
manager directeur (de; directeuren/
directeurs)
map kaart (de; kaarten)
March maart
market markt (de; markten)
marry (to) trouwen, huwen
marvelous prachtig
math wiskunde (de)
matter (to be the) schelen
May mei
may mogen
mayor burgemeester (de; burgemeesters)
me mij, me
meantime, in the . alvast, ondertussen
meat vlees (het)
medicijnkast (de; medicijnkasten)
medicine cabinet
meet (to) ontmoeten
vergadering (de; vergaderingen)
meeting
vergaderzaal (de; vergader zalen)
meeting room
geheugen (het; geheugens)
memory
menukaart (de; menukaarten)
menu
dagmenu (het; dagmt>nu's)
menu of the day
merely slethb
romnwl (de)
mess
nwtro (de; nwtro's)
metro 317
 microwave magnetron (de; magnetrons)
middleclass burgerlijk
milk melk (de)
million miljoen (het; miljoenen)
minute minuut (de; minuten)
mirror spiegel (de; spiegels)
misbehave (to) zich misdragen
modem modem (de/het; modems)
mom mama (de; mama's), mamma (de;
mamma's)
Monday maandag
Mondays (on ... ) maandags, 's maandags
money geld (het)
monitor ·beeldscherm (het; beeldschermen),
monitor (de; monitors)
month maand (de; maanden)
monument monument (het; monumenten)
moon maan (de; manen)
more meer
morning morgen (de; morgens)
morning, in the ... 's morgens
mortgage hypotheek (de; hypotheken)
mosque moskee(de;mosk eeën)
mother moeder (de; moeders)
mother-in-law schoonmoeder (de;
schoonmoeders)
mountain berg (de; bergen)
mouse muis (de; muizen)
mousetrap muizenval (de; muizenvallen)
mouth mond (de; monden)
move up (to) overgaan
movie film (de; films)
movies bioscoop (de; bioscopen)
Mr., sir meneer (de; meneren)
Mrs.,ma'am mevrouw (de; mevrouwen)
MSN (to use) msn'en
mud flat wad (het; wadden)
municipal building gemeentehuis (het;
gemeentehuizen)
municipality gemeente (de; gemeentes/
gemeenten)
muscle spier (de; spieren)
museum museum (het; museums/musea )
music muziek (de)
musician musicus (de; musici)
must moeten
318 my mijn
 N
name
naam (de; namen)
narrow smal
nature natuur (de)
nature reserve
natuurgebied (het;
natuurgebieden)
near dichtbij, bij
neck nek (de; nekken)
necklace
~alsketting (de; halskettingen)
neighbor
uurman (m.), buurvrouw (f.) (de;
buren)
nephew neef (de; neven)
nervous zenuwachtig
Netherlands Nederland
network netwerk (het; netwerken)
network administration netwerkbeheer (het)
network connection netwerkverbindin g (de;
netwerkverbindin gen)
never nooit
new nieuw
newbom pasgeboren
news, the nieuws (het)
newspaper krant (de; kranten)
next volgend
next (as in day of the week) komende
nextto naast
nice leuk, prettig
nice to meet you aangenaam, prettig kennis te
maken
niece nicht (de; nichten)
night nacht (de; nachten)
night club nachtclub (de; nachtclubs)
nine negen
nine or ten een stuk of tien
nineteen negentien
flinety negentig
no nee
no(+ noun) geen
no one niemand
nobody niemand
none niemand
neus(de;neuzen)
nose
not niet
nota geen
ttot any
geen
helemaal niet
not at all
319
 note (to) noteren (to write down); merken
(to notice)
notebook notitieboekje (het; notitieboekjes)
nothing niets, niks (infml.)
nothing, it's ... niets te danken
notice (to) (op)merken
November november

0
obtain (to) krijgen, binnenkrijgen
ocean oceaan(de;oceanen)
October oktober
of van
of course! natuurlijk!
offer (to) bieden
office kantoor (het; kantoren)
oh boy! tjonge!
okay goed
old oud
on op, aan
on one's own in zijn (z'n) eentje
one een
only (and nothing more) alleen
only (merely) slechts
only (just) maar
only if mits
open a file (to) een bestand openen
opera, opera house opera (de; opera's)
opposite side, the overkant (de)
or of
orange sinaasappel (de; sinaasappels/
sinaasappelen)
orchestra orkest (het; orkesten)
order bestelling (de; bestellingen)
order (to) bestellen
other ander
other side, on the ... (of the aan de overkant
street, water)
other side, the overkant (de)
otherwise anders
our ons, onze
out uit
outside naar buiten
oven oven (de; ovens)
over over
over (by way of) via
320 oversleep (to) zich verslapen
 owing to
own doordat
eigen
p
package
pakket (h t
page blad .. e ; pakketten)
z11de (de· blad ..d
__(de; pagin~'s) z11 en). pagina
pa in
painkiller p~~n (de; pijnen)
painting ~;~~~~ill~~ (de; pijnstillers)
pajamas . en1 (het/de; schilderijen)
PYJama (de; pyjama's)
pants
broek(de;broeken )
pareel
pakket (het ·•pakk etten)
parent
ouder (de; ouders)
park park (het; parken)
participant deelnemer (d e .· d ee 1nenwrs)
participate (to) deelnemen
part-time deeltijds, parttime
party feest (het; feesten)
pass (access) (toegangs)pas
pass (to) slagen
pass an exam (to) voor een examen slagen
passport paspoort (het; paspoortt'n)
past voorbij
pay attention (to) opletten
pay for (to) afrekenen
pay off (to) afbetalen
PE (physical education) gymnastiek (de)
pear peer (de; peren)
people mensen (pl.)
pepper peper (de; pepers)
performance voorstelling (de; voorstellingen)
perfume parfum (het/de; parfums)
person mens (het; mensen), persoon (de;
personen)
personeelschef (de; personeelchefs)
personnel manager
kinderboerderij (de;
petting zoo
kinderboerderijen )
apotheker (de; apothekers)
pharmacist
apotheek (de; apotheken)
pharmacy
opbellen
phone (to)
fotoprogramrna (het;
photo program
fotoprogramma's)
natuurkunde (de)
physics
uitzoeken
pick out (to) afbeelding (de; afbeeldingen),
picture
plaatje (het; plaatjes)
321
 piece stuk (het; stukken)
piece offurniture meubel (het; meubels)
place before (to) voorleggen
plaice schol (de; schollen)
plant plant (de; planten)
plastic plastic (het; plastics)
plastic, made of plastic plastic
plate bord(het;borden )
play (drama) toneelstuk (het; toneelstukken)
play a game (to) een spel(letje) spelen, een wedstrijd
spelen
play a sport (to) een sport beoefenen
play house (theater) schouwburg (de; schouwburgen)
play soccer (to) voetballen
player {f.) speelster (de; speelsters)
player (m.) speler (de; spelers)
playground speeltuin (de; speeltuinen)
playing cards speelkaarten (de)
pleasant leuk, prettig
please alstublieft (fml.), alsjeblieft
(infml.)
pleased to meet you aangenaam, prettig kennis te
maken
plumber loodgieter (de; loodgieters)
pneumonia longontsteking (de;
longontstekingen )
policeman politieman (de; politiemannen)
policewoman politievrouw (de; politievrouwen)
pond vijver (de; vijvers)
pool (game) poolbiljart {het)
pool (swimming) zwembad {het; zwembaden)
park varkensvlees (het)
post card briefkaart (de; briefkaarten)
post office postkantoor (het; postkantoren)
postage porto (de/het; porto's/porti)
powder poeder (het/de; poeders)
practically praktisch
prefer (to) liever willen
prepared to (to be) overhebben(+ voor)
press (to) drukken
pretty mooi, behoorlijk
prevent (to) voorkomen (insep.)
previous vorig
price prijs (de; prijzen)
print (to} afdrukken, printen
printer printer (de; printers)
priority voorrang (de)
322
processing speed
verwerkin
(d . gssnelheid
professor e, -snelheden)
professor (d .
e' professors/
program Prof:essoren)
proportionately progr amma (het.
naar verhoudin 'programma's)
propose (to) g
voorstellen
provided that
mits
pub
café (het; cafés)
pulverize (to)
fijnmaken
purchase (to)
aanschaffen
push (to)
drukk en, duwen
put down (to) (to lay down) neerleggen
put in a splint (to) spalk en

Q
quay (lower) ~~rf (de; werven)
queue TIJ (de; rijen)
quick snel
quiet stil

R
radiant spran kelen d
rain regen (de; regens)
raining, it's . .. het regen t
rat rat (de; ratten )
rather behoorlijk, tamelijk
razor schee rappa raat (het;
schee rappa raten)
read (to) lezen
really eigenlijk, in werkelijkheid;
ontze ttend (augm.)
really? echt?
receive (to) krijge n
recep tie (de; recepties)
reception desk
vakan tie (de; vakanties)
recess
zich herste llen
recover (to)
verwi jsbrie f (de; verwijsbrieven)
referral letter
koelk ast (de; koelkasten)
refrigerator
bijvul len
refu.el (to)
famil ielid (het; familieleden)
relative
zich herin neren
remember (to)
weerg even
render (to)
blijve n zitten
repeat a grade (to) antwo orden
reply (to) rappo rt (het; rappo rten)
report card reserv ering (de; reserveringen)
323
reservation
 reserve (to) reserveren
rest rust (de)
restaurant restaurant (het; restaurants)
retired gepensioneerd
return (to) terugkeren
reveal (to) openleggen
rheumatism reuma (de)
rice rijst (de)
ride (to) rijden
right juist, correct
right, to the ... rechts, rechtsaf
right at (a time) klokslag
ring ring (de; ringen)
river rivier (de; rivieren)
raad weg (de; wegen)
rock rots (de; rotsen)
roll broodje (de; broodjes), luxebroodje
(het; luxebroodjes)
roof dak (de; daken)
room kamer (de; kamers)
row rij (de; rijen)
rule regel (de; regels)
run away (to) weglopen
rural landelijk
rusk beschuit (de; beschuiten)

s
sad bedroefd
sail (to) zeilen
sa/ad sla (de)
salary salaris (het; salarissen)
salesperson verkoper (de; verkopers)
saleswoman verkoopster (de; verkoopsters)
salt zout (het/de)
same, the dezelfde
sand zand (het)
Saturday zaterdag
Saturdays (on ... ) zaterdags
save a document (to) een document opslaan
savings account spaarrekening (de;
spaarrekeningen)
say (to) zeggen
scan (to) scannen
scanner scanner (de; scanners)
scared stiff (to be) zich rot schrikken
scarf sjaal (de; sjaals)
scary eng
324
 school school (de; scholen)
screen beeldscherm (het; beeldsc
monitor (de· m . hermen),
• on1tors)
scufpture beeldhouwwerk (het·
beeldhouwwerken)
sea zee (de; zeeën)
second tweede
second cousin (m.} achterneef(de·• acht erneven)
second cousin {f.} achternicht (de· achte . h
• rn1c ten)
second Jloor eerste verdieping (de)
secretary (f.} secretaresse (de· secr t
' e aresses/
secretaressen)
secretary (m. or f) s~cretaris (de; secretarissen)
see (to} zien
see you again • tot ziens
seem (to} (it seems that . .. ) schijnen (het schijnt dat ... )
seem (to) (to look like, to resemble) lijken
select (to) uitzoeken
sell (to} verkopen
send (to) zenden, sturen
send (to) (off) versturen
send a file (to) een bestand verzenden
send an e-mail (to) een e-mail verzenden
September september
settle (to) afspreken
settle up (to) afrekenen
seven zeven
seventeen zeventien
seventy zeventig
shall zullen
shallow(s) wad (het ; wadden)
shampoo shampoo (de; shampoos)
shave (to) scheren
shaving cream scheercrème (de; scheercrèmes)
she zij, ze
shelf plank (de; planken); schap (de;
schappen) (store)
ship schip (het; schepen)
shirt hemd (het; hemden), overhemd
(het; overhemden)
shoe schoen (de; schoenen)
shoe store schoenenzaak(de; schoenenzaken)
shop winkel (de; winkels)
shop assistant winkelbediende (de;
winkelbediendes, -bedienden),
verkoper (de; verkopers)
short (length) kort 325
 short (height) klein
shorts korte broek (de; korte broeken)
shoulder schouder (de; schouder s)
show (to) laten zien
shower douche (de; douches)
showy opvallend
shrimp garnaal (de; garnalen )
sick ziek
side kant (de; kanten)
sidewalk stoep (de; stoepen), trottoir (het;
trottoirs)
silk zijde (de)
si nee sinds (time); aangezie n
sink (kitchen) gootsteen (de; gootstene n)
sink (to) ondergaa n
sink (wash basin) wasbak (de; wasbakk en)
sister zus (de; zussen/zu sters)
sister-in-law schoonzu s (de; schoonzu ssen)
sit (to) zitten
six zes
sixteen zestien
sixty zestig
si ze maat (de; maten)
skate (to) schaatsen
skilled kundig
skin huid (de; huiden)
skirt rok (de; rokken)
sky hemel (de; hemelen)
sleep (to) slapen
sleep welf! welterus ten!
slightly ietsjes
slug slak (de; slakken)
small klein
smart slim
smell (to) ruiken
smog smog (de)
smoked sausage rookwor st (de; rookwor sten)
snail slak (de; slakken)
sneaker gymscho en (de; gymscho enen)
snow sneeuw (de)
snowing, it's ... het sneeuwt
so dus
so much/ma ny zoveel
so that zodat
soap zeep (de)
soccer (game) voetbal (het)
soccer bal/ voetbal (de; voetballe n)
326
 soek
soda sok (de; sokken)
sofa spuitwa ter (het)
soft bank(d e,·banken)
soft drink zacht
software frisdran
f k (d . .
e, fnsdranken)
s~ tware (de)
sold out
uitverkocht
some
sommige (ad')· . n
I· ' sommige
(n., people)
some time ago
enige tijd geleden
somebody
iemand
someone
iemand
som ething
iets, wat, één en ander
something else
wat anders, iets anders
somewhat ([ml.) enigszin s
son z_o on (de; zonen/zoons)
song hed (het; liederen)
soon straks
sore throat keelpijn (de)
sound system geluidss ysteem (het;
geluidssystemen)
sour zuur
sparkling spranke lend
speak (to) spreken
speak to (to) aanspre ken
special extra
special offer aanbied ing (de; aanbiedingen)
specially bijzonde r
spell (to) spellen
spoon lepel (de; lepels)
springtime lente (de ; lentes)
stadium stadion (het; stadions)
staf! persone el (het)
stair trap (de; trappen)
stamp postzege l (de; postzegels)
stand (up) (to) staan
standard standaa rd
standstill, to be at a ... platligg en
star ster (de; sterren)
start (to) beginne n
station (het; stations)
· station (train)
stay (to) blijven
blijven zitten
· stay back (to)
thuisbli jven
. Jtay home (to)
binnenb lijven
· .ltay in (to)
stelen
· lt,eal (to)
trap (de; trappen )
·" ~P 327
 stepchild stiefkind (het; stiefkinderen)
stepdaughter stiefdochter (de; stiefdochters)
stepfather stiefvader (de; stiefvaders)
stepmother stiefmoeder (de; stiefmoeders)
stepson stiefzoon (de; stiefzonen/-zoons)
stick (to) plakken
stocking kous (de; kousen)
stomach maag (de; magen)
stop halte (de; haltes)
store winkel (de; winkels)
storm storm (de; stormen)
stove fornuis (het; fornuizen); kachel
(de; kachels) (heater)
straight across recht tegenover
straight ahead rechtdoor
straighten (to) rechtbuigen
straighten up (to) opruimen
street straat (de; straten)
street light straatlantaarn (de; straatlantaarns)
street map plattegrond (de; plattegronden)
streetcar tram (de; trams)
strong sterk
student (elementary or high school) leerling (de; leerlingen)
student {f.) studente (de; studentes)
student (m.) student (de; studenten)
study (to) studeren
subject onderwerp (het; onderwerpen)
subject (to) onderwerpen (insep.)
subject (at school) vak (het; vakken)
submit (to) voorleggen
suburban voorstedelijk
subway metro (de; metro's)
succeed (to) lukken
such zulk, zulke
such a zo'n
sugar suiker (de)
suit kostuum (het; kostuums), pak
(het; pakken)
suitable passend
summer zomer (de; zomers)
sumptuous uitgebreid
sun zon (de; zonnen)
Sunday zondag
Sundays (on ... ) zondags
sunglasses zonnebril (de; zonnebrillen)
sunny, it's ... het is zonnig
supermarket supermarkt (de; supermarkten)
328
 surf (to) surfen
surrender (to)
zkh overgeven
sweater
trui (de; truien)
sweatshirt
trui (de; truien)
sweet zoet
swim (to)
zwemmen

T
table
tafel (de; tafels)
take (to) nemen
take a bath (to)
baden, een bad nemen
take a picture (to)
een foto nemen
take a shower (to)
douchen, een douche nemen
take a walk around (to) rondlopen
take an exam (to)
een examen afleggen/doen
take care of (to) opvangen
take on (to) aannemen
talented getalenteerd, talentvol
talkshow praatprogramma (het;
praatprogramma's), talkshow
(de; talkshows)
tal[ groot
tame (to) temmen
tank top topje (het; topjes)
taste (to) proeven
tasty lekker
taxi taxi (de; taxi's)
taxi driver taxichauffeur (de; taxichauffeurs)
tea thee (de)
tea kettle waterketel (de; waterketels)
teach (to) leren
teacher (f) lerares (de; leraressen)
teacher (m.) leraar (de; leraren)
team ploeg (de; ploegen), team (het;
teams)
teenager tiener (de tieners)
telephone telefoon (de; telefoons)
telephone number telefoonnummer (het;
telefoonnummers)
televisÎon televisie (de; televisies)
television program televisieprogramma (het;
-programma's), tv-programma
(het; tv-programma's)
temperatuur (de; temperaturen)
temperature
tempel (de; tempels)
tempte
ten tien
pees (de; pezen)
tendon
329
 tennis
tt•m1is (lwt)
tennis shoe
tl•tmissd1ocn (de; t1•1111i"", ho1·rlf'11)
terrific
geweldig
test
toets (de; tot~tscn)
test (orul)
overhoring (de; overhori11g1·11)
test (written)
proefwerk (het; prodwnken)
text message (to)
s1ns'en
textbook
tekstboek (het; tekstboeken)
thank you
dank u (fml.), dank je (inf rnl.)
thank you very much dank u/je wel!
that
die(+ de~word), dat (+het-word)
that (conj.) dat
the
de (+de-word or pl.), het
('t) (+het-word)
theater theater (het; theaters), schouwburg
(de; schouwburgen)
their hun
them ze, hen (human obj.; after prep.),
hun (human ind. obj.)
theme park themapark (het; themaparken)
then dan
theoretica/ theoretisch
therefore dus
these deze
they zij, ze
thin dun
think (to) denken
think of/up (to) bedenken
thirteen dertien
thirty dertig
this deze(+ de-word), dit(+ het-word)
this aftemoon vanmiddag
thoroughfare voorrangsweg (de;
voorrangswegen)
those die
thousand duizend (de; duizenden)
three drie
throat keel (de; kelen)
through door
thunder donder (de)
Thursday donderdag
Thursdays (on ... ) donderdags
ticket kaartje (het; kaartjes), ticket (het;
tickets)
tidy up (to) opruimen
tie (to) binden
330
tie (to) (a game) gelijkspelen
 time tijd (de; tijden)
tip fooi (de; fooien)
tip over (to) omkiepen
tipsy aangeschoten
to (direction) naar
to (up to, until) tot
to (before verb) te
toast (hard) beschuit (de; beschuiten)
today vandaag .
toe teen (de; tenen)
together samen
toilet to~let (he~; toiletten), wc (de; wc's)
toilet paper toiletpapier (het), wc-papier (het)
to mato tomaat(de;tomaten)
tomo"ow morgen
tongue tong (de; tongen)
tonight vanavond
too (also) ook
too (before adj.) te
tooth tand (de; tanden)
top, to be on ... bovenliggen
totally helemaal
tour boat rondvaartboot (de; rondvaartboten)
tour bus touringcar (de; touringcars)
tourist toerist (de; toeristen)
towel handdoek(de;handdoe ken)
town gemeente (de; gemeentes/
gemeenten), stad (de; steden)
toy store speelgoedwinkel (de;
speelgoedwinkels)
traffic verkeer (het)
traffic light stoplicht (het; stoplichten)
train trein (de; treinen)
train station station (het; stations)
traverse (to) doorkruisen (insep.)
treatment kuur (de; kuren)
tree boom (de; bomen)
tremendous geweldig
trendy hip
trillion biljoen (het; biljoenen)
trousers broek(de;broeken)
true waar
try (to) proberen
T-shirt T-shirt (het; T-shirts)
Tuesday dinsdag
Tuesdays (on ... ) dinsdags
turn back (to) terugkeren
331
 turn off {to) ; make a turn (to) afslaan
TV tv (de; tv's)
twelve twaalf
twenty twintig
two twee

u
ugly lelijk
umbrella paraplu (de; paraplu's)
uncle oom (de; ooms)
under onder
undemeath eronder
underpants onderbroek (de; onderbroeken)
undershirt onderhemd (het; onderhemden)
understand (to) begrijpen
undress (to) uitkleden
unemployed werkloos
unfortunately helaas
unfriendly onvriendelijk
union vereniging (de; verenigingen)
United States Verenigde Staten (de)
university universiteit (de; universiteiten)
unless tenzij
until tot
upload (to) uploaden
upstairs hoven
urban stedelijk
US ons

v
vacancy vacature (de; vacatures)
vegetable groente (de; groentes/groenten)
vegetable soup groentesoep (de; groentesoepen)
very heel
veterinarian dierenarts (de; dierenartsen)
via via
village dorp (het; dorpen)
visit (to) langsgaan, bezoeken, op bezoek
gaan
vote (to) stemmen, voorstellen

w ober (de; obers)

waiter
waitress serveerster (de; serveersters)
wake up (to) wakker worden
walk (to) lopen
walk around (to) rondlopen
332
 muur (de; muren), wand (de·
wanden) '
lWJlll(to} willen
worm warm
(to)
Vl(JTfJ kromtrek ken
wash (to) wassen
wash oneself (to) zich wassen
washing machine wasmachine (de; wasmachines)
watch horloge (het; horloges)
watch (to) kijken
watch out (to) uitkijken
watch television (to) televisie kijken
watch 1V (to) tv kijken
water water (het; waters/wateren)
way kant (de; kanten)
way back terugweg (de)
way there, way towards something heenweg (de)
we wij, we
wealc zwak
wear(to) dragen
weather weer (het)
weblog weblog (de; weblogs)
webpage webpagin a (de; webpagina's)
website website (de; websites)
Wednesday woensdag
Wednesdays (on . . . ) woensdags
week week (de; weken)
weekend weekend (het; weekenden)
well (fine) goed
well (by the way) trouwens
wet, to get . .. in the rain natregen en
werf (de; werven)
wharf
what? wat?
hoe heet u? (fml.), hoe heet je?
what's your name ?
(infml.)
wanneer ?
when?
als
when (conj. + present tense)
toen
when (conj. +past ten se)
waar?
where?
of
whether
welk, welke?
which?
terwijl
while
slagroom (de)
whipped cream
wie?
who?
geheel
whole
waarom?
why?
333
 wife vrouw (de; vrouwen) , echtgenotf~
(de; echtgeno tes/echtg enoten)
will zullen
win (to) winnen
wind wind (de; winden)
window raam (het; ramen)
windy, it's ... het is winderig
wine wijn (de; wijnen)
winter winter (de; winters)
wireless draadloo s
with met
with what? waarmee ?
with which waarbij
with whom? met wie?
withdraw (to) (money) opnemen
woman vrouw (de; vrouwen )
wood hout (het)
wooden houten
woods bos (het; bossen)
word processor tekstverw erker (de;
tekstverw erkers)
work (to) werken
work out (to) meezitte n
working, to keep on . . . doorwerk en
wow! tjonge!
wrist pols (de; polsen)
write (to) schrijven
write down (to) noteren
writer (f) schrijfste r (de; schrijfste rs)
writer (m.) schrijver (de; schrijver s)
wrong verkeerd
wrong (to be) zich vergissen

y
Yahoo (to use) yahooen
year jaar (het; jaren)
yes ja, jawel
yesterday gisteren
yet toch
you (fml. sg. or pl.) u

you (infml. pl.) jullie

you (infml. sg.) jij, je
you (infml. sg.) (obj.) jou, je
young jong
your (fml.) uw
your (infml. pl.) jullie
your (infml. sg.) jouw, je
334
 ou're welcorne
~l.lth hostel gr aa g ge da an ,
ni et s te da nk en
\e ug dh er be rg (d
e; \eugdher-ber
gen)
1
zero nu l
zilch ni ks (infml.)
zoo di er en tu in (de;
z-wieback dierentuinen)
be sc hu it (de; be
schuiten)

335