Lesson 10 - Een beetje Nederlands

 

Intro

This lesson teaches you a few expressions that you may need as soon as you try to talk Dutch to Dutch people. There's also some attention for comperatives and superlatives, and for opposites. Furthermore, you'll learn when to put a verb at the end of a phrase.

 

If you want to speak Dutch wit a Dutch person, you often have to insist on this, because most Dutch people love to show how good their English is. Nevertheless, once they speak Dutch, you might suddenly find it quite hard to comminicate, because they seem to forget that they're talking to a foreigner who's still in the process of learning Dutch. You might like to try one of these, then:

• Langzaam!
  ('Slowly!')
• Kunt u alstublieft wat langzamer praten?
  ('Can you please speak a bit slower?')
• Wat zegt u?
  ('What are you saying?')
• Kunt u dat nog een keer zeggen?
  ('Can you say that one more time?')

 

Nevertheless, Dutch people can be very helpful, once they know you're trying to learn their language and realize that speaking slow and clearly is important ot you.

Here's a list of phrases you can use when practising your conversation skills:

Text 10.1 - Spreekt u Nederlands?
Pardon meneer, spreekt u Nederlands?		Excuse me sir, do you speak Dutch?
Ik spreek een klein beetje Nederlands.		I speak a little Dutch.
Hoe zeg je dat in het Nederlands?		How do you say that in Dutch?
Kunt u wat langzamer praten, alstublieft?		Can you speak a bit slower, please?
Niet zo snel, alstublieft.		Not so fast, please.
Kunt u wat harder praten?		Can you speak a bit louder?
Ik begrijp u niet.		I don't understand (comprehend) you.
Ik versta u niet.		I'm not understanding (hearing) you
Wat betekent dat?		What does that mean?
Wat bedoel je?		What do you mean?
Dat meen je niet!		You don't mean it!

There are two English verbs that often cause misunderstandings when translated: 'to understand' and 'to mean'. That's why in the phrases above these verbs have been used subsequently:

• begrijpen is 'to understand' in the sense of 'to comprehend': Ik begrijp het niet could be translated as 'I don't get it'.
• verstaan is 'to understand' in the sense of to hear clear and loud enough: Ik versta je niet is said by someone who wants you to speak louder or clearer.
• betekenen is 'to mean' in the sense of 'to signify' or 'to be translated as': if you don't know the meaning of a word, you ask: Wat betekent dat woord?
• bedoelen is 'to mean' in the sense of 'to imply' or 'to intend': Hij bedoelt het goed means that 'He means well'.
• menen is to mean in the sense of 'to be serious': Meen je dat? is asked by someone who wants to know if you're being serious.

In the phrases above you can find what is called a comparative: langzamer. The original form langzaam is extended wit -er and because of the Dutch spelling rules (lesson 1) there's one -a- less.

Except for the one -a- thing, this is the same as what happens in English: 'thin-thinner' is in Dutch dun-dunner and even irregular forms are a lot alike: 'good-better' is in Dutch goed-beter.

And there's more good news, for the superlative is almost the same: in English you add '-est' ('thinnest'), in Dutch just -st (dunst). Usually the article het is used for the superlative (Dit boek is het dunst).

The only tricky thing, is that you have an extra -d if the word ends on a -r

More good news: the list of irregular ones is very short:

• goed-beter-best
• graag-liever-liefst
• veel-meer-meest
• weinig-minder-minst

 

Here's a list of examples, which is at the same time a list of opposites:

Text 10.2 - Comperative & superlative

adverb	comperative	superlative
goedkoop	goedkoper	goedkoopst
duur	duurder	duurst
hoog	hoger	hoogst
laag	lager	laagst
groot	groter	grootst
klein	kleiner	kleinst
schoon	schoner	schoonst
vies	viezer	viest
mooi	mooier	mooist
lelijk	lelijker	lelijkst
oud	ouder	oudst
jong	jonger	jongst
kort	korter	kortst
lang	langer	langst
moeilijk	moeilijker	moeilijkst
(ge)makkelijk	(ge)makkelijker	(ge)makkelijkst
licht	lichter	lichtst
donker	donkerder	donkerst
zwaar	zwaarder	zwaarst
heet	heter	heetst
warm	warmer	warmst
koud	kouder	koudst
slim	slimmer	slimst
dom	dommer	domst
smal	smaller	smalst
breed	breder	breedst

One of the most difficult things to learn for English speakers, is putting the verb at the end of a phrase at the appropriate moment. Not that the rules are so hard, it's just that it feels weird as long as you're not used to it.

Let's take a look at these sentences:

1. 'I ask if he speaks Dutch with his friends'
   Ik vraag of hij Nederlands met zijn vrienden spreekt.
2. 'He can't ride a bike because he has had an accident.'
   Hij kan niet fietsen omdat hij een ongeluk heeft gehad.

Both sentences here are conjunctions: combinations of indipendant sentences. In the first sentence Ik vraag ... is one original sentence and Hij spreekt Nederlands met zijn buren is the other one. They're combined through the conjunctive word of and this word (when meaning 'if'), causes the verb(s) to be at the end.

In the second sentence the original sentences Hij kan niet fietsen and Hij heeft een ongeluk gehad are combined through the conjunctive word omdat ('because'), which also causes the verb(s) to be at the end.

In conjunctions like this, there are just a few conjunctive words that do not cause the verb(s) to be at the end:

• en ('and')
  Ik kom thuis en het eten is klaar.
• maar ('but')
  Ik kom thuis, maar het eten is nog niet klaar.
• want ('because')
  Hij kan niet fietsen want hij heeft een ongeluk gehad
• of (when it means 'or')
  Hij is thuis of hij is bij zijn moeder.
• dus (conclusive 'so')
  Hij is niet huis, dus hij is bij zijn moeder or
  Hij is niet huis, dus is hij bij zijn moeder

 

After these conjunctive words, you have a normal phrase or inversion, but not all verbs at the end. Here's a little text with a lot of conjunctions. The conjunctive words are bold:

 

Text 10.3 - Conjunctions

Nederland is een land dat veel water heeft.
Vroeger was er zelfs nog meer water.
Dat kun je zien als je op een oude kaart kijkt.
Veel van het water op die oude kaart is nu land omdat de Nederlanders er "polders" van hebben gemaakt.
Als je in zo'n polder woont, dan woon je onder de zeespiegel.
Veel buitenlanders vinden dat geen prettig idee, hoewel er hoge dijken rond de polders liggen.

Vocabulary
als	if, when
bedoelen	to mean, to intend
begrijpen	to understand, to comprehend
best	best
betekenen	to mean
beter	better
breed	broad, large
de buitenlander	the foreigner
de dijk	the dike
donker	dark
dun	thin
duur	expensive
het eten	the meal, the food, dinner
goedkoop	cheap
hard	hard, loud
heet	hot
hoewel	although
hoog	high
jong	young
de kaart	the map, the card
keer	the time
klaar	ready
kort	short
koud	cold
laag	low
lang	long
langzaam	slow, slowly
lelijk	ugly
licht	light
liefst	most preferable
liever	rather
liggen	to lie
makkelijk	easy
meest	most
menen	to mean, to be serious
minder	less
minst	least
de moeder	the mother
moeilijk	difficult
mooi	beautiful
Nederlands	Dutch
omdat	because
het ongeluk	the accident
onder	under, below
oud	old
de polder	the reclaimed land
praten	to talk
prettig	pleasant
rond	round, around
schoon	clean
slim	clever, bright
smal	narrow, tight
snel	quick
veel	much
verstaan	understand
vies	dirty
de vriend	the friend
vroeger	formerly
het water	the water
weinig	little, few
de zeespiegel	sea level
zelfs	even

More ...

• Before you move on to the next chapter you should study
  • Theory: Constructing sentences (+ exercises)
  • Theory: Comparative & superlative
• You could exercise inviting someone by finding another student and inviting him/her to the theater, movies, etcetera. You could agree that the invited person turns down the invitation with a reasonable excuse.

• Try to exercise past and perfect tenses by changing present tense sentences you hear into past and perfect.