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How I Sound When Speaking Dutch
This cartoon first appeared in the September/October edition of DUTCH:The Magazine, a bi-monthly magazine for Dutch descendants and expats living in Canada. The post How I Sound When Speaking Dutch...
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Oh… You’re English!
I have come to the conclusion that the Dutch have a very special ability. It might even be possible to call it a super power. I am not sure if it is a skill that they are born with or one that they...
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The Many Meanings of Dus
If you look up the word ‘dus’ in a Dutch-to-English language book it will tell you that it translates into the word ‘so’. However, this is a terrible over simplification. The word ‘dus’ is used by the...
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The Dutch Language Race
I am thirty five years old. I have been learning Dutch for the last fourteen years. During that time I have gone on courses, attended classes, filled out homework and taken exams. My daughter is two....
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Een Beetje Moeilijk
A few days ago I was sitting on the sofa with my (almost) three year old daughter Sophie as we watched one of her favourite children’s shows. It’s called ‘Chuggington – Medaille Race’ and features...
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Translating My Dutch Father-In-Law #1
My Dutch Father-In-Law is extremely enthusiastic about speaking English. He’ll dive into an English sentence with the kind of fearless confidence I wish I had when speaking Dutch. It’s the kind of...
View ArticleFive Ways To Fake Speaking Dutch
After many years of living in The Netherlands I have mastered the ability to fake speaking the Dutch language. It is something that came in handy when I first arrived in the country and is still useful...
View ArticleMy First Attempt At Dutch Lessons
When I first attempted to learn Dutch (back in 2001) I took up the offer of a free course from my employer. The Dutch lessons took place twice a week, an hour before work, in a meeting room in the...
View ArticleAdventures in Dutch Mispronunciation – Stuiterbal
“I think it’s funny the way bouncy balls are called naughty balls in Dutch,” I happily commented to my Dutch wife as we waited for our lunch to arrive. “What?” she reacted in unexpected surprise. We’d...
View ArticleWhen Ordering Drinks in Dutch Goes Wrong
“Papa, will you help me please,” my daughter asked with a hint of urgency as she held out a bright orange felt tip pen in my direction. She barely took her eyes off the paper colouring-in placemat in...
View ArticleHow to Surprise the Dutch With Their Own Language
During my long time working in The Netherlands I’ve worked for a Dutch company that employs a mix of Dutch locals and expats from all over the world. Because of this mix it was agreed a long time ago...
View ArticleTeaching Kids Dutch with the Story Powered Learning Method
Mr. and Mrs. Frog run a small lost and found shop in the middle of a busy city. It is their dream to reunite every lost item with its owner, so when a little mouse arrives one day and announces, “Ik...
View ArticleEen Beetje Moeilijk
A few days ago I was sitting on the sofa with my (almost) three year old daughter Sophie as we watched one of her favourite children’s shows. It’s called ‘Chuggington – Medaille Race’ and... The post...
View ArticleTranslating My Dutch Father-In-Law #1
My Dutch Father-In-Law is extremely enthusiastic about speaking English. He’ll dive into an English sentence with the kind of fearless confidence I wish I had when speaking Dutch. It’s the kind of...
View ArticleFive Ways To Fake Speaking Dutch
After many years of living in The Netherlands I have mastered the ability to fake speaking the Dutch language. It is something that came in handy when I first arrived in the country and... The post...
View ArticleConfusing the Dutch with My Accent
Invading Holland Confusing the Dutch with My Accent I have a very English accent when I speak Dutch. I can’t help it. I’ve tried faking a Dutch accent but somehow that only makes things sound worse and...
View ArticleHow Adult Chatlines Taught Me to Count in Dutch
Invading Holland How Adult Chatlines Taught Me to Count in Dutch Back in 2001, during the first few weeks of my new life in the Netherlands I would occasionally suffer from insomnia. I’d moved into a...
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