15 Lekker Dutch Words and Phrases

Dutch is a hilarious language to learn. Especially for an English speaker. There are sounds involved heretofore unknown to this English speaker's ears. Consonants like the guttural "g" and dipthongs like "ui" which cause a person to contort her mouth into previously unknown positions. The dead giveaway that you are not a native Dutch speaker is not being able to flow through those sounds without knitting eyebrows together and crinkling the nose into a knot to try and get your lips around it all. Really, the hilarity of it all is knowing the facial antics I run through as I not only try to remember the words to speak, but also the pronunciation rules, is a side-show worthy of Marcel Marceau. Or to update the refererence just a bit: Step aside Mr. Bean! I am speaking Dutch!

Following is a list of some of my favorite words and phrases. Some I chose because they are particularly fun to say, and some are on this list because the 'similarity' to English words which mean something totally different is just too funny to pass up mentioning. Read on and you will see what I mean. I have done my best to give you a pronunciation guide and a definition for each. There shall be no holding me to the mistakes within this post, please. I am not a language teacher, and really only muddle through it myself. The language I mean, not my life. But, you really should try to wrap your trap around these words. After all, I have to.

Oh, where to begin?

1. Goedenmorgen (khoot-ahn-more-khen) Good morning.
Gotta give that guttural "g" a push at the beginning and the middle of this word.

2. Langzaam (Lahng-sahmm) Slowly.
A useful word to use in the phrase "Spreek je langzamer?" (spreak ya lahng-sahmm-er) Will you speak slower?

3. Uitstekend (OWT-steak-ent) Outstanding.
I love this word. It is simply outstanding fabulous.

4. Gereserveerd (Kheh-ress-er-feart) Reserved.
Not to be confused with the word Geserveerd (Kheh-sir-feart) which is Served.
I don't know why but my brain can't keep these two straight. I get confused when I read a menu and it says the entree will be served with a side of potatoes, and I always wonder why I have to reserve the potatoes?

5. Broodje (Brrroat-cha) Bread, or sandwich.
Roll that "r" in the first syllable. It's a lot of fun. And a lot of fun to eat.

6. Geen Geld Gegeven. (Khayn Khelt Khe-khay-vahn) No money given.
I don't know that you would ever hear this as an actual phrase in Dutch, but it's a dandy way to practice the "g" sound. In the early months of living here, this was a constant chant around our house.

7. Vliegtuig (Flea-kh-tukh) Airplane.
Again two "g" 's in a single word. Now that's just silly.

8. Patatkraam (pah-taht-krahm) Frites stand. French Fry place.
Yummy in my tummy.

9. Rond Vaart (rrroant fahrt) Round trip.
Once you get the pronunciation and translation of this one, you alter it slightly and get "round fart". And if you are a 13-year old boy, this cracks you up every time.

10. Aardappel (ahrrt-ahpell) Potato.
Literally: Earth apple. Other favorites on this theme Aardbei (ahrrt-buy) Strawberry or lit: Earth berry; and Aardworm (ahrrt-verm) You guess this one. Yup. Earthworm.
Incidentally, the word for "pretty" is Aardig (ahrrt-ikh) which given the root of the words here, as 'earth' or 'natural' gives that compliment lovely, fresh meaning. As in natural beauty.

11. Hoe heet je? (hoo hate ya) Who are you? or literally 'how are you called'?
This phrase can cause a little consternation on the playground because the benign 'what's your name' question sounds an awful lot like "who hates you?" to a native English speaker.

12. Achtentachtig (ahkht-en-tahkh-tikh) Eighty-eight. As in 88.
Another really great practice word to get your mouth around the 'ch' sound which is oh-so-similar to that lovely "g".

13. Wil je iets eten? (Vill ya eights ate-en) Would you like something to eat?
Seriously this is like my favorite phrase ever, and not just because of the content of the question. I love the way it rolls off the tongue. I look for ways to work it into conversation often. The other phrase working its way into my vocabulary in abundance lately, "Wil je koffie?" (Vill ya kohf-ee)
Yeah, I am pretty much a coffee junkie now. Would you like a cup?

14. Hoe gaat het met jou? (hoo khat het met yow) How is it going or How are you.
Really. That's my question. How are you doing with your Dutch lesson?

15. Gefeliciteerd (kheh-fell-iss-ah-teart) Congratulated or Congratulations.
As in Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag! (kheh-fell-iss-ah-teart met ya fur-yahr-dahkh) which is to say 'Happy Birthday'. But far more fitting would be U beëindigde uw Nederlandse les. Gefeliciteerd! (oo buh-ayn-dikh-tahn oo nay-der-lahns less) You just finished your Dutch lesson. Congratulations!

Fijne Weekend Allemaal!
Tot straks.

Friday Fifteen