Norman would like to give a Jip en Janneke book away.
All you have to do is leave a comment. Please include your e-mail address.
Questions? Mail me at normannederland AT gmail DOT com
Giveaway open until Dec. 1st 2009.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Dutch slang: Pokkie foetsie, alles foetsie
pokkie - slang for cell phone
foetsie - slang for missing, gone, lost.
Norman could never understand what was happening in this commercial from a Dutch cellphone company. Once he was told what pokkie foetsie meant, he started to decipher more of the commercial. The girl has lost her cell and while she makes her boyfriend look for it, she talks about all the people she can't keep in touch with without her mobile.
The original commercial.
Live version of the commercial.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Bel-me-niet
Bel-me-niet - Call me not.
bellen - to call.
blij - happy.
Norman gets enough telephone calls from call centres to cause him to get slightly exasperated. These calls are never for him nor the people he lives with. Today one of Norman's housemates found the Bel-me-niet website and has blocked these types of calls. These calls should be blocked for the next 3 years. This news has made Norman extremely blij.
Languages, De or het?
All languages take het.
Engels - English
Fraans - French
Spaans - Spanish
Italiaans - Italian
Turks - Turkish
Grieks - Greek
Nederlands - Dutch
!
(de) taal - language
(de) talen - languages
Welke taal/talen spreek jij? - What language/Which languages do you speak?
Ik spreek.... - I speak.
Ik spreek Engels en (een beetje) Nederlands. - I speak English and (a little) Dutch.
Spreek jij....? - Do you speak....?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Promotions.
(het) fluweel - velour
suikervrij - sugar free
keel - throat
Ik heb keelpijn - I have a sore throat.
Norman took advantage of some of the offers on www.try-now.nl/ and today the TNT postman delivered one of the things he asked to try.
Promotions
NS Herfsttoer - http://ns.nl/#Campagne-1220863229717
This offer allows two people ride in first class for just €38.50* The ticket is valid for one day and you can travel anywhere you want (within the Netherlands.)
*This is the online price. Tickets are marginally more expensive if you buy them from a train station.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
De or het?
All diminuitives i.e. words that end in -je use het.
Het meisje - The girl.
Het stoeltje - The little chair.
Although diminuitives are used in English to indicate that something is small, this is not always the case in Dutch. The Dutch add -je to a word to express that something is pleasant and nice. It is always a very positive thing.
Someone may tell you that they love your huisje. What they are saying is that they think your house has a cosy and pleasant atmosphere.
Friday, November 13, 2009
De or het?
Almost* all forms of transport use de.
de fiets - bike.
de tram - tram.
de bus - the bus.
*Exceptions to this rule
de bus - the bus.
*Exceptions to this rule
het vliegtuig - airplane.
het schip - the ship.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
De or het?
De/het - the definite article = the in English
When in doubt, choose de. About 75% of Dutch words are de so the odds are in your favor.
There are some rules to help you remember if a word is de or het.
1. All plurals are de.
de fietsen - the bikes.
de bergen - the mountains.
de schoenen - the shoes.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Bikes in Amsterdam
(de) fiets - bike.
(de) fietsen - bikes.
met de fiets - by bike.
fietsen - to cycle.
Ik hou van fietsen - I love to cycle.
Ik fiets elke dag - I cycle every day.
Cycling in Amsterdam.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Flowers
Bloemen - Flowers.
(de) bloemenwinkel - flower shop
I can't upload a photo today so instead I will share with you a favourite television commerical.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Amsterdam
Olifant - Elephant.
Olifanten - Elephants.
Olifanten in Amsterdam - http://www.elephantparade.com/home/
Sunday, November 1, 2009
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