Learn how to pepper your Dutch with colloquial words and expressions and start speaking Dutch like a native. Plunge into the world of interjections (huppakee, doeidoei, prima), short, but significant words (Kom nou toch eens even!) and everyday phrases that defy all the grammar rules you learnt in Dutch class (Piet z’n fiets).
Speaking Dutch requires more than just mastering the formal language skills taught in coursebooks. It also requires proficiency in informal Dutch, which is packed with colloquialisms, interjections and slang.
Do you sometimes feel bewildered by the strings of words that don’t seem to mean anything, like: maar eens even and nou toch? Are you confused by farewells like dag, doeg, and doei; and is ja dag a farewell, too? Who, or what, is puntje puntje puntje? What is the difference between jawel en welja, and what does welnee mean?
This reference guide discusses over a hundred words frequently used in real, everyday speech. Discover Dutch slang and hard-to-make-out expressions, expressions of annoyance, reassurance or warmth, as well as grammar-defying idiomatic phrases. And learn how to speak Dutch like a native.
This book will be of interest to intermediate and advanced learners of Dutch as well as native speakers with an interest in language and language learning. In this book, Dutch learners will find a treasure trove of words to be interspersed in their conversations. It will help them take their Dutch to a higher level and bridge the gap between classroom Dutch and authentic, everyday Dutch. Native speakers will become more aware of the language’s complexity, their intuitive sense of its subtleties and nuances, and the instinctiveness of their use of the words under discussion.
From professional language teacher Dr Lijntje Pronk, this is the first basic guide to colloquial Dutch.
