Posts from July 2009

Subject Pronouns + the Verb “to be”

Posted by Transparent Language 1 Comment
Jul 11 2009

First, take a glance at the subject pronouns:

I – ik

You (singular informal) – jij (je)

You (plural informal) – jullie

You (singular and plural formal) – u

He – hij

She – zij (ze)

It – het

We – wij (we)

They – zij (ze)

The verb “to be” in the present tense with the pronoun is:

I am – ik ben

You are – jij bent/ u bent

You are – jullie zijn

He, she, it is – hij, zij, het is

We are – wij zijn

They are – zij zijn

Now all you have to do is insert a name. For example let’s say I want to introduce myself. I would say, “ik ben Yohann.” You can also introduce your friends and family now.

Word of the Day Practice

Posted by Transparent Language 1 Comment
Jul 8 2009

All these words are part of the Word of the Day. Your job is to try to figure out the Dutch counterpart to the English.

1) belachelijk

2) fatsoenlijk

3) heftig

4) loom

5) vaak

6) feitelijk

7) geleidelijk
8) amper

9) sowieso

10) brief

11) ontbijt

12) boodschappen

13) oplossing

14) ademhaling

15) advertentie

Translation of the Dutch Proverbs

Posted by Transparent Language No Comments
Jul 5 2009

I tried to give you some time since the last post to get a look at the Dutch proverbs. Let’s take a look at some of these proverbs.

1) Als twee honden vechten om een been, loopt de derde er mee heen. Means that when two dogs fight over a bone, an unsuspecting dog will creep up and carry the bone away. It’s used to explain situations where fighting between two opposing groups allows an outside party to snatch the prize away without having the opposing groups notice.

2) De druppel die de emmer doet overlopen. Literally means, the drop that floods the bucket. In English you would say, the straw that breaks the camel’s back. This proverb is used to refer to situations where an inconsequential incident can lead to a disaster. I used this in reference to my computer when the smallest little glitch caused my entire computer to crash.

3) Een open deur intrappen. Literally means, kicking in an open door. In other words, it’s used to describe situations where someone states the obvious. Since the door is already open, kicking the door open with your foot is pointless. It’s like saying, “why would you bother to kick the door in, when it’s plain obvious that the door is already open.”

4) Achter het net vissen. Literally means, to fish behind the net. This could mean, to miss an opportunity, or “wasted effort”. When you fish behind someone’s net, that person has already obtained the fish, leaving you with no fish.

5) Wie zijn neus schendt, schendt zijn aangezicht. Literally means, he who hurts his nose, hurts his face. This means that accusing a close relative of wrong doing will automatically lead to negative speculation about yourself. For example, if you accuse a relative of stealing, people may think that you may have the same tendency to do the same because you are a part of the same family.

6) Al doende leert men. Means, while doing, one learns. In other words it means that you learn by practicing. I use this phrase in reference to learning Dutch. Practicing with a native speaker can help you master the language in due time.

This is it for today. We’ll go over the rest next time.

 

Dutch Proverbs

Posted by Transparent Language 1 Comment
Jul 2 2009

Here are some of my favorite Dutch proverbs. See if you can figure out not just the litteral meaning of the proverb, but the intended meaning of the proverb as well.

1) Als twee honden vechten om een been, loopt de derde er mee heen

2) De druppel die de emmer doet overlopen

3) Een open deur intrappen

4) Achter het net vissen

5) Wie zijn neus schendt, schendt zijn aangezicht

6) Al doende leert men

7) Gedeelde smart is halve smart
8) Hoge bomen vangen veel wind

9) Je moet verder kijken dan je neus lang is

10) Op elk potje past een dekseltje

11) Over lijken gaan

12) Twee vliegen in één in klap slaan

13) Zij zijn twee handen op één buik

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