How I learned (some more) Dutch

While I was still busy with the first Dutch language course described last time, I started working. The same position in the same firm as in Romania. The most important difference (besides earning as much as in Romania but for half the time) and cause of sweating every time the phone rang in the first months, was the language. I work in the sales department of a German company and our customers are situated in the Benelux, so mainly Dutch speaking. In the beginning, I only spoke English with my colleagues, as  I still thought I couldn’t speak decent Dutch, but I was learning, so I had hopes. When customers called and started speaking Dutch, I was close to fainting every time from the effort it took me to understand them, even their names were quite a challenge.

So it was high time for another language course, a better one, a more expensive one, as now the firm would pay! 🙂 I was very happy that the firm offered me a course and I can say that it changed my life in the Netherlands since I attended it. It was at ILC in Waalwijk where I had a teacher all to myself, which was exactly what I needed. I could ask away, all my doubts and uncertainties found answers, while also practicing the Dutch language I needed at the office. The lessons were once a week, in the evening and took about 4 months (30 hours in total). After a few lessons I was confident enough to speak Dutch and use it also more in writing.

This was my second and last Dutch course so far, I am now at an acceptable level, I have had my share of compliments on the Dutch I speak and I particularly enjoy noticing the mistakes Dutch people make in their own language 🙂

I would like to know and use more Dutch expressions, this is still a pretty unfamiliar territory for me. And I would like a richer active vocabulary, I understand most of the words I hear or read, but I do not use many of them myself because they just don’t come to mind when needed. So there is still work to be done, for sure.

And to round up my Dutch language adventures, here are some reactions I have had from Dutch people while still not speaking Dutch or now, that I do speak Dutch:

– when I was at the beginning of my Dutch life, I was approached by a Dutch person who spoke Dutch in a loud voice and in a sort of slow motion, something like: “THE WEA-THER IS RE-ALLY NI-CE TO-DAY.” Somehow, this method seemed the best way to deal with someone who doesn’t speak your language but is trying to learn it.

– others, who were not comfortable to speak English (which I was communicating in at that time), which is understandable, told me they are only speaking Dutch to me so that I can learn the language, since I have to learn it anyway. Of course, it can be a method to be forced to speak a foreign language, but at times I felt isolated and left out of conversations I couldn’t follow.

– now, after about 6 years of speaking Dutch every day, I was recently amazed by a Dutch person who hadn’t spoken to me before, but knew that I was not Dutch. He spoke Dutch with me as if HE was a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language well. I spoke to him normally, I certainly don’t sound Dutch, it’s clear that I am a foreigner, but still, I speak correctly, making maybe small mistakes, but nothing major. Well, his Dutch towards me sounded like: “You looking and you seeing the tree.”

– probably the same accent I mentioned also makes many customers calling me at work (it is an office based in the Netherlands, the phone number is Dutch) start talking to me in English. Which I swear they didn’t do when I was just starting here! 🙂 Even some customers who I have on the phone regularly and whom I have even written e-mails in Dutch before. Some of them make it very complicated for themselves, because for some reason they don’t start in Dutch or at least ask me first if they can speak Dutch to me, they just start in English and have sometimes a hard time finding their words.

Well, that was it, good luck to everyone learning Dutch!

 

How I learned Dutch (in the Netherlands)

I came to the Netherlands a few days before Romania joined the EU, as I was telling you in the previous post. My only knowledge of the Dutch language was, as I wrote there, only what I had learned by myself from a book and a CD.

Ana, a Romanian friend (now living in New York – this would be the moment to share her blog, except she doesn’t have one :), but believe me, it would be very interesting!) had told me about a Dutch book: “Cirkel in het gras” and I bought this book soon after I arrived here, thinking to give it a try and otherwise, read it later, after I would have learned Dutch.

Somehow, reading this Dutch book was doable, I had several words on each page which I didn’t recognize and I would look them up in a small Dutch-Romanian dictionary (a gift from my friend Lia, still living in Bucharest, no blog either, but very suitable for one :)). The rest of the text I understood by association, comparisons with all the languages that I speak well or vaguely and probably by understanding the context. Recognizing words in this foreign language was every time a small victory.

Being able to read in a language I hardly knew was quite cool, but speaking the same language was something else. In my opinion, I did not speak Dutch. I was the only one who thought so. Everyone around me was trying to convince me I could speak Dutch, if only I dared. I thought that these people must be crazy :). I just couldn’t accept that I was expected to speak a language after a few lessons read in a book.

But I do think that I was a sort of a sponge at the time and I was able to learn a lot of Dutch words by listening and watching television and reading the subtitles. I also asked the meaning of words I didn’t understand.

After less than two months in the Netherlands we considered it was time for me to get some Dutch lessons. There was a school nearby where I could do this but first they had to test me in order to determine the level I should start from. This was a bit strange for me, I was convinced that I was a beginner, no doubt about it. I was scheduled for a total of 5 tests: listening comprehension, writing, reading comprehension and two kinds of speaking. I did my best. Later we had a meeting with one of the teachers who was going to give us the results. She sat down and asked me:  “What are you here for?”. I was puzzled. She went on: “Your scores are so high that there is not much we could teach you. Why don’t you just speak Dutch?” I don’t recall what I answered exactly but it must have been something like: “I cannot speak a language I haven’t learnt!” She probably thought something was very wrong with me. 

I have found the results of that test and see that I had a 4 for listening, writing and reading and a 2 for speaking (unfortunately I don’t know which scale was used, but 2 was the lowest score of the four).

In the end I was able to attend lessons once a week for 2,5 hours each. There was a group of students I joined, most of them were Polish, the others were all from different countries. The lessons were diverse, but not what I felt I needed. I wanted to learn how to write in Dutch, grammar rules, words – the heavy stuff, from the beginning. Maybe the other students had already had all that in previous lessons. It came as a big surprise to them  when they heard that I was beginning my study of the Dutch language together with them, who had already attended several courses, starting at lower levels. I was just as surprised. We discussed lyrics of popular Dutch songs, we were commenting pictures, we had to prepare a speech on a subject of our own choice, we exercised. I didn’t quite feel this is the right way to start learning a language, but this wasn’t the aim of the course either, as it was not meant for beginners like me.

In the end, 4 months later, I finished the course. My exit level was “on the way to B2”, the levels being A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 (this last one is the highest). 

– to be continued –

 

How I began to learn Dutch

I came to the Netherlands after trying for a few months to learn Dutch by myself, at home, helped by a book and a CD (for the connaisseurs: Het Groene Boek).

I knew that Dutch is a Germanic language, so I expected it to have a lot in common with German and English, languages I had learned for many years. But the strange words and certainly sounds that came out of the CD were quite different. The first lesson in the book was of a more general nature and contained among other things the question: “Hoe heet jij?”, meaning: “What are you called?”. It does resemble the German question: “Wie heißt du?”, but only if you know how to look at the words 🙂  But the same question on the CD didn’t sound Germanic at all, if anything, it was definitely Chinese. It sounds something like: “who hate chai?”. Fake a Chinese accent while reading this and you’ll understand what I mean 🙂

Still, I did not despair. I went on with the lessons in the book and tried to learn words, the few grammar rules in the book that were not really explained further than by examples and, what was more difficult, I tried to learn how to pronounce the Dutch words. I recall listening to some words over and over again and still not understanding a certain sound. Like the infamous (if it isn’t officially infamous, it should be!) “ui” sound, I would like to explain it to you, but it is impossible. If I spoke to you in person I would still not be able to pronounce it like Dutch people do. And in the context of more letters, like “huis” (=house) I think I can mimic a sound which is acceptable, but when the sound is completely naked, in the word “ui” (=onion) I have no place to hide and it becomes obvious how infamous a sound it is 🙂

The reason I was learning the language was that Romania, where I was living, was not a member of the EU at that time and in order to be accepted to live in the Netherlands I was supposed to pass a language test. I had read more than half of the book and I was not really optimistic about passing the test. But I could call a certain number and have a test on the phone in order to get an idea of my level. I don’t remember exactly how long the test was, but it seemed to take forever. I was unable to answer most of the questions. Panic struck as I already thought I will never be permitted to live in the Netherlands. The result of the test revealed however (the following day) that I hadn’t done so badly, if I remember well it was something like 60% OK. Which could only mean that the expectations weren’t high at all, as most of my answers were “I don’t know” 🙂

A few weeks later I was finally saved by the EU, when the announcement came that Romania would join it on January 1st 2007, meaning for me that a language test was no longer necessary.

 

Mergellandroute: Margraten

Cimitirul american din Margraten este foarte impresionant: pe doua ziduri lungi vezi toate numele soldatilor inmormantati aici, iar apoi toate crucile care le marcheaza mormintele.

Olandezii sunt profund recunoscatori pentru libertatea de care se bucura dupa cel de-al doilea razboi mondial. In fiecare an, cu multa seriozitate, olandezii marcheaza pe 4 mai Nationale Herdenking, ziua in care se comemoreaza toate victimele cazute in razboi, la ora 20.00 culminand in 2 minute de reculegere. Regele Olandei este prezent in acea seara in piata centrala din Amsterdam, De Dam, ca sa depuna o coroana la monumentul dedicat acestor victme si in fiecare an piata este plina de olandezi de rand care vor astfel la randul lor sa isi exprime gratitudinea.  Chiar si magazinele sunt obligate sa fie inchise dupa ora 19.00 si se evita organizarea de petreceri publice. In ziua urmatoare se sarbatoreste Bevrijdingsdag, ziua eliberarii, o zi la polul opus celei precedente, cu multe petreceri, concerte in aer liber, pentru a sarbatori libertatea, democratia si drepturile omului. Pentru incheierea acestei zile, regele si regina participa in Amsterdam la concertul traditional pe raul Amstel, concert la care publicul poate asista gratis si care este transmis in direct la televizor.

Anul acesta s-au implinit 68 de ani de la incheierea razboiului dar concluziile care se trag in urma lui sunt inca actuale si pastrate vii in Olanda prin aceste doua zile.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

The American cemetery in Margraten is very impressive: you see on two long walls all the names of the soldiers buried here and then all the crosses marking their graves. 

The Dutch are deeply grateful for the freedom they are enjoying after WW II. Every year they take two days very seriously. On May 4th the Nationale Herdenking is the day when the victims of war are being commemorated and at 8 p.m. a 2 minutes’ silence is held. The king of the Netherlands is present in the evening in the central square in Amsterdam, De Dam, for a wreath ceremony at the victims’ monument and every year the square is full of Dutch people who want to express their gratitude this way. Even the stores have to be closed after 7 p.m. and there are no public celebrations and parties that day. The next day is Bevrijdingsdag, Liberation Day, the complete opposite of the previous day. with many parties,open air concerts, to celebrate freedom, democracy and human rights. At the end of the day there is a traditional concert in Amsterdam on the Amstel river,attended by the king and queen as well, and by regular Dutchmen (free of charge). It is also broadcasted live on TV..

This year it’s been 68 years since the war ended but the conclusions of it are still very much alive in the Netherlands, surely during these two days.

 

Mergellandroute: verde crud si galben tipator / grass-green and bright yellow

 

 

Mergellandroute: Eijsden

Cea mai sudica provincie a Olandei, cu Belgia in vest si Germania in est, se numeste Limburg.

Aici exista o ruta turistica care poate fi parcursa cu masina (110 km) sau cu bicicleta (125 km) numita Mergellandroute, un drum care iti dezvaluie dealuri verzi (da! dealuri in Olanda cea plata), sate, un castel si, cu o mica abatere, un cimitir american al soldatilor cazuti in Olanda in timpul celui de-al doilea razboi mondial. 

Am strabatut ruta acum cateva zile si am ceva poze de impartit 🙂 In acest articol: Eijsden, un sat + castel pe ruta.

Source: www.goeievraag.nl

*********************************************************************************************************************************

The most southern province of the Netherlands, with Belgium to the West and Germany to the East, is called Limburg.

There is a touristic route here which can be done by car (110 km) or by bicycle (125 km) called the Mergellandroute, a road through green hills (yes! hills in the flat Netherlands), villages, a castle and, with a small detour, an American cemetery for the soldiers who died in the Netherlands during World War II.

We have been on the route a few days ago so I have some pictures to share 🙂 In this post: Eijsden, a village + castle on the route.

Details

 

Vreme, parada florala si sparanghel / Weather, flower parade and asparagus

Dragi cititori,

Am o gramada de vesti de pe meleagurile olandeze.

Una bombastica tare este ca, anul acesta, primavara olandeza pica in data de 14 aprilie. 🙂
Dupa toate prognozele meteo, duminica vom avea o temperatura maxima de cel putin 20 de grade.
De unde sambata va fi o zi mohorata, cu ploi, lipsita de soare si cu max. 14 grade, duminica vom avea 8 ore de soare si caldura asta teribila.
Dupa care luni urmeaza o zi tot calduta dar cu 65% sanse de ploaie.
Cum fix in weekendul asta de primavara am sa ma aflu in tara vecina si prietena Germania, nu am sa pot sa confirm daca asteptarile se vor adeveri. Nu m-ar mira deloc daca se amana primavara 2013. Din nou.
 
Pe acelasi subiect meteo, o noua belea: din cauza frigului rabdat indelung, natura pare sa se afle cu 3 saptamani in urma fata de aceeasi perioada din alti ani. Astfel, parada anuala a florilor din bulbi (bloemencorso, vezi site-ul) nu va prezenta zambile autohtone, ci din import, din Franta. Celebrele campuri olandeze de flori inca nu sunt inflorite, iar cum parada va avea loc sambata, 20 aprilie, nu exista alta solutie. Acest lucru nu s-a mai intamplat pana acum niciodata in cei 66 de ani de cand se organizeaza acest eveniment.

Din arhiva personala: asa aratau campurile de zambile la 10 aprilie 2011:

 
Iar o alta veste legata tot de starea naturii este ca ieri, 11 aprilie 2013, s-a deschis oficial sezonul de sparanghel in Olanda! Acest sezon incepe intr-a doua zi de joi a lunii aprilie.
Evenimentul se ia in serios, prin organizarea unei ceremonii si numirea unui ambasador care sa popularizeze timp de un an sparanghelul, supranumit “aurul alb” – nu glumesc, in caz ca asta credeti! 

Ba exista chiar si un slogan, anul acesta este: “Gusta primavara!”.
Vestea buna esta ca, datorita toamnei lungi si blande si a frigului iernii care a facut ca sparanghelul sa ramana timp mai indelungat in pamant, sparanghelul de anul acesta este deosebit de gustos.
Pe un site, numit “centrul sparanghelului” aflu ca mai am la dispozitie 73 de zile pentru a cumpara sparanghel proaspat, mai exact pana  pe 24 iunie, cand se incheie sezonul conform traditiei, de Sf. Jan.
 
Pentru cei dintre voi care se afla in Olanda, bucurati-va de primavara de duminica, de zambilele importate si sparanghelul nou atat cat vor tine! 🙂
 
*********************************************************************************************************************************
 
Dear readers,
 
I have plenty of news from the Dutch territory.
 
The breaking news is that this year, the Dutch spring will take place on April 14^th. 🙂
According to all weather forecasts, Sunday we will have a maximum temperature of at least 20°C.
Saturday will be a grey day, with rain, no sun and 14°C, but Sunday will have 8 hours of sunshine and this terrible heat.
After which the Monday will also be warm but with 65% chances of rain.
As I will spend this spring weekend in the neighbouring and friendly country of Germany, I will not be able to confirm if the expectations will come true. But I would not be surprised if the spring 2013 will be postponed. Again.
 
On the same weather related subject, a new problem: because of the long lasting cold weather, the nature seems to be about 3 weeks behind schedule. Therefore, the yearly bulbflower parade (bloemencorso, see the site) will not show indigenous hyacinths, but imported ones, from France. The famous Dutch flower fields are not in bloom yet, and since the parade is planned for April 20^th there is no other option. This is unprecedented in the 66 years of bloemencorso.

From my personal archive, this is how the hyacinth fields looked on April 10th 2011:

 
And another piece of news also related to the state of nature is that yesterday, April 11th 2013, the official asparagus season has started in the Netherlands! The season begins every year on the second Thursday in April.
The event is being taken very seriously, including a ceremony and appointing an ambassador who will advertise for a year the asparagus, also known as “white gold” – I am not joking, if you think I might be!  

There is even a slogan, this year it’s: “Taste the spring!”.
The good news is that, due to the long and soft autumn and to the cold long winter, the asparagus is very tasty this year.
On a site, called “asparagus center” I find out that I have 73 more days to buy fresh asparagus, that means until June 24^th which is traditionally the end of asparagus season, on St. Jan.

For those of you in the Netherlands: enjoy Sunday’s spring, the imported hyacinths and the new asparagus for as long as they all last! 🙂