30 August 2009

ANSWERS, exercise 2

 Dutch Language: Plural nouns
ANTWOORDEN van OEFENING 2:
1. baby's                                                          11.ski's
2. ramen                                                          12. dansen
3. ganzen                                                         13. kloven
4. filosofen                                                       14. kaarsen
5. spelen                                                          15. letters
6. films                                                             16. eisen
7. aderen                                                         17. dakken
8. schoonheden                                              18. leraren
9. plooien                                                        19. beenderen
10. secretaressen                                           20. ooms

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28 August 2009

DUTCH GRAMMAR: Plural Nouns

Dutch nouns form their plural by the addition of either -s or -en to the singular.
Rules:

A. when to add -s:
1. all nouns ending in unstressed -el, -en and -er.
tafel - tafels
jongen - jongens
spijker - spijkers
Exceptions: aderen, artikelen, christenen, engelen (angels), maatregelen, middelen, mosselen, redenen, wonderen
 2. nouns ending in -erd and -aard and designating masculine beings
sufferd - sufferds
grijsaard - grijsaards
Exceptions: Spanjaard - Spanjaarden
3. all diminutives ending in -je:
koekje - koekjes
huisje - huisjes
4. foreign words mostly of English and French origin
club - clubs
perron - perrons
5. nouns of French origin ending in -eur and -trice
auteur - auteurs
actrice - actrices
ingenieur - ingenieurs
6. foreign words ending in -ier and -oor take -s when referring to people and -en when referring to things
kruidenier - kruideniers
winkelier - winkeliers
portier - portiers
Except: officier - officieren, scholier - scholieren
7. a few native Dutch word denoting male beings
broer - broers
bruidegom - bruidegoms
kok - koks
8. many foreign words ending in -e
dame - dames
garage - garages
9. foreign words ending in unstressed -ie
familie - families
patitie - petities
B. when to add -'s:
Nouns ending in -a, -o and -u (all foreign origin)
firma - firma's
auto - auto's
paraplu - paraplu's
C. when to add -en:
1. nouns with the suffix -sel and compounds with -sel
beginsel - beginselen
opstel - opstellen
toestel - toestellen
When the -en suffix is added to nouns to form the plural the ff. spelling changes apply:
2. nouns with aa, ee, oo or uu drop one vowel an the open syllable produced by the suffixing of -en
maan - manen
peer - peren
muur - muren
3. nouns with long vowels or diphthongs ending in -s change to z
Chinees - Chinezen
huis - huizen
kies - kiezen
4. nouns ending in -ms, -ns and -rs change to z
gems - gemzen
gans - ganzen
vers - verzen
Exceptions: dans - dansen, kikvors - kikvorsen, koers - koersen, krans - kransen, lans - lansen, mens - mensen, pers - persen, prins - prinsen, tendens - tendensen, wals - walsen, wens - wensen
5. nouns with long vowels or diphthongs ending in -f change to v
brief - brieven
neef - neven
Exceptions: nouns of Greeks origin ending in -graaf fotograaf - fotografen, paragraaf - paragrafen
nouns ending in -lf and -rf change to v
golf - golven
wolf - wolven
Except: elf - elfen
6. nouns containing a short vowel and ending in a consonant double the consonant to preserve the short vowel
bok - bokken
fles - flessen
mus - mussen
7. nouns with middle vowels i and a change to e and add -en
lid - leden
stad -steden
schip - schepen
smid - smeden
8. nouns ending in -heid change to -heden
moeilijkheid - moeilijkheden
schoonheid - schoonheden
D. when to add -n:
Nouns ending in -e
echtgenote - echtgenoten
seconde - seconden
bladzijde - bladzijden
E. when to add -ien:
Nouns ending -oe, -o
koe - koeien
vlooi - vlooien
F. these nouns can be pluralized by adding -eren
kind - kinderen
blad - bladeren
ei - eieren
Suggestion: Dutch grammar has so many rule Exceptions. Try to learn the Exceptions.
EXERCISE 2:
1. baby                                        11. ski
2. raam                                        12. dansen
3. gans                                         13. kloof
4. filosoof                                    14. kaars
5. spel                                         15. letter
6. film                                          16. eis
7. ader                                          17. dak
8. schoonheid                                18. leraar
9. plooi                                         19. been
10. secretaresse                            20. oom
  
ANTWOORDEN

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TaLL ShiPs ShoW, DelfSaiL 2009



DELFSAIL 2009
DelfSail is a maritime Dutch event.
It was first organised in 1986 by a group of representatives of the Municipality of Delfzijl and port companies. 
Delfsail 2009 was held last Aug. 22-26. There were 36 tall ships on the show. 
the Netherlands (17)
Brazil (1)
Bulgaria (1)
Germany (4)
England (3)
Norway (2)
Poland (3)
Russia (3)
Uruguay (1)
U.S.A. (1)
One of the participating ships was an eye-catching, the replica of the famous ship HMS Bounty, which was built in 1960 for the film company MGM, for the filming of the Mutiny on the Bounty. This ship is now used as a training vessel, was first in Europe.
The ships were AmaZing.

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27 August 2009

ANSWERS, exercise 1

 The Articles "DE" and "HET"
ANTWOORDEN van OEFENING 1:
1. het bed                                                       11. het huis
2. de stoel                                                      12. het jongetje
3. het resultaat                                               13. de boerderij
4. het boek                                                     14. het avontuur
5. het antwoord                                              15. de dijk
6. het raam                                                     16. de lengte
7. de toets                                                      17. de betekenis
8. de computer                                               18. de hoofdpijn
9. het papier                                                   19. de drum
10. de drieling                                                20. het racisme

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WHen to Use the ArTicLes "DE" and "HET"

It is very important to know the Dutch Articles: een, de and het
The articles (LIDWOORDEN):
Here are the rules:

A. THE ARTICLE "DE"
1. words ending in:
-de of -te: de liefde, de begeerte
-ine: de cabine, de discipline
-se: de analyse, de metamorfose
-xis: de syntaxis
-st: de gunst, de komst, de winst
-suur: de dressuur
-ij: de boerderij, de stomerij
-ing, -ling: de regering, de leerling
-eit: de universiteit, de kwaliteit
-aard, -aar, -erd: de standaard, de leraar, de mosterd
-el, -er: de beitel, de gieter
-em, -lm, -rm: de bezem, de helm, de term
-heid: de vrijheid, de waarheid
-nis: de kennis, de geschiedenis
-age: de plantage, de slijtage
-ie, -iek: de harmonie, de fabriek
-theek: de apotheek, de bibliotheek
-schap (signifying a condition): de zwangerschap, de vriendschap
2. musical notes and instruments: de do, de la, de piano (exceptions: het spinet, het clavecimbel)
3. names of diseases: de griep, de koorts
4. certain abstract nouns: de mens, de natuur
5. names of virtues and vices: de woede, de genade, de liefde
6. names of streets: de Hoofdstraat, de Erasmusweg
7. religions: de moslem, de katholiek
8. names of airlines: de KLM
9. after Meneer and Mevrouw when the profession (not the personal name) Meneer de Voorzitter, Mevrouw de Presidente
10. all plural nouns: de mensen, de meisjes, de steden
11. names of days, months and seasons: de maandag, de april, de lente
12. names of mountains and rivers: de Nijl, de Rijn
13. names of letters of the alphabet: de a, de b, de c
14. names of figures: de zeven, de honderd, de duizend
15. adjectives used as nouns and referring to a person: de rijke, de zieke
16. most monosyllabic words derived from verbs: de lach, de val, de zucht
B. THE ARTICLE "HET"
1. words ending in:
-um: het album, het gymnasium (except de datum)
-dom: het eigendom, het mensdom
-schap (signifying a function): het vaderschap, het priesterschap
-isme: het communisme, het socialisme
-aat: het resultaat
2. the infinitives (verbs): het geven, het werken
3. all diminutives: het kindje, het huisje
4. names of young animals: het kalf, het veulen
5. metals: het blik, het goud
6. minerals: het asbest, het barium
7. names of towns and cities when they are preceded by adjectives: het mooie Amsterdam, het oude Friesland
8. names of squares and parks: het Vondelpark, het Waterlooplein
9. all colors; het blauw, het rood
10. points of the compass: het noorden, het zuidoosten

* Compound Nouns always take the gender of the last noun in the compound:
het ontbijt + de tafel = de ontbijttafel
de kraam + het bed = het kraambed

NOUNS EITHER "DE" OR "HET"
de bal (ball) het bal (ball, dance)
de bos (bouquet) het bos (forest)
de doek (cloth) het doek (canvass, curtain)
de jacht (hunting) het jacht (yacht)
de pad (toad) het pad (path)
de patroon (patron, sponsor) het patroon (pattern)
de punt (point of a needle) het punt (mark, point)
de soort (species) het soort (kind, sort)
de stof (material) het stof (dust)
de veer (feather) het veer (ferry)
You will know the meaning and article ("de" or "het") when it is used in the sentence.

EXERCISE 1:
de or het
example: tafel = de tafel
1. bed                                         11. huis
2. stoel                                       12. jongetje
3. resultaat                                  13. boerderij
4. boek                                       14. avontuur
5. antwoord                                15. dijk
6. raam                                       16. lengte
7. toets                                        17. betekenis
8. computer                                 18. hoofdpijn
9. papier                                      19. drum
10. drieling                                   20. racisme


ANTWOORDEN
If you don't know the articles, look at the dictionary.

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TIPS HOW TO LEARN THE DUTCH LANGUAGE (I)

I had my Dutch Language NT2 II Diploma in 1999. I want to share with you how I learned the Ducth language.
Here are some few tips:

be a good imitator. imitate your mentor, especially the pronunciation of the letters and words
be a good listener. listen what they say and try to remember
be observant. what they do and say
be expressive. tell freely what you feel, express yourself, do it in a polite way
be honest. tell the mentor that you don't understand
be a member of (library) club
be a researcher, do not stop looking for answers till you find them.
be social. expose yourself to Dutch people, join the group
be an interrogator. ask if you don't understand
self study. don't rely the teachers.
listen to yourself. record your voice so that you will know if you get the right pronunciation
know your ability to learn. if you learn fast it is fine, if not then give enough time to study
study in your own tempo
don't give up. perseverance (doorzettingsvermogen)
lastly, be broad minded. accept individual differences, don't be angry if you are corrected. don't compare. everyone is unique.
GOOD LUCK TO YOUR DUTCH LESSON!!!

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20 August 2009

HER MAJESTY, QUEEN BEATRIX


Beatrix was born on January 31, 1938 as the first child of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. She has 3 younger sisters: Margriet, Irene and Christina. On March 10, 1966, she married to diplomat Claus von Amsberg. They have 3 sons: Willem Alexander, Johan Friso and Constantijn. Willem Alexander since he is the eldest will succeed his mother in time. Initially, there was quite some opposition to the marriage. With fresh memories of the Second World War, a part of Dutch people didn't appreciate a German prince. As time went on, however Claus became one of the most popular members of the Dutch monarchy and his death in 2002 was widely mourned.
When Beatrix was a young girl, the Dutch royal family fled the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War 2 moving to Great Britain in May 1940 and then to Ottawa, Canada. They returned home in 1945.
In Canada, Princess Beatrix had attended nursery and primary school. On her return to the Netherlands, she continued her primary education at the Workshop (De Werkplaats), Kees Boeke's progressive school in Bilthoven. In April 1950, Princess Beatrix entered the Incrementum, part of Baarns Lyceum, where she passed her school-leaving examinations in arts subjects and classics in 1956.
Beatrix began her university studies the same yeat at Leiden UNiversity. In her first years she attended lectures in sociology, jurisprudence, economics, parliamentary history and constitutional law. In the course of her studies she also attended lectures on the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international affairs and law, history and European law. In 1959, she passed her preliminary examanition in law, and she obtained her law degree in July 1961.
On April 30 1980 she was crowned QUEEN of the NETHERLANDS. She lives in the Hague at Palace "Huis ten Bosch".
Many speculations that she will give her throne to her son Prince Willem Alexander next year. If that will happen it will be the biggest event of the year. We will just wait and see.
Who will succeed Queen's Betrix throne? and why?
What is monarchy?
What form of government you have in your country?

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19 August 2009

HoW To Use ThE DuTCh DIcTIOnARY

When you look up a word in the Dutch dictionary be sure to take down what part of speech it is. If you know the part of speech then it is easy to construct a sentence.
1. NOUN -
zelfstandig naamwoord
meisje, znw (means zelfstandig naamwoord)
meisje o
(means onzijdig, when it is onzijdig the article is HET)
het meisje (singular),
meisje + -s = de meisjes (plural)
So, when you use it in a sentence, the sentence will go like this:

The girl eats strawberries.
a. Het meisje eet aardbeien.
b. Het meisje zit aardbeien te eten.

The girls eat strawberries.
a. De meisjes eten aardbeien.
b. De meisjes zitten aardbeien te eten.
Sentence b gives the position of the girls.

(The girl/girls sits/sit eating strawberries.)

2. PRONOUN - voornaamwoord

(she) zij/ze,
pers vnw (means persoonlijk voornaamwoord)
3. ADJECTIVE - bijvoeglijk naamwoord
(red) rood, bn (means bijvoeglijk naamwoord)
4. ADVERB -
bijwoord
(now) nu, bijw (means bijwoord)
5. VERB
- werkwoord
(cook) koken (kookte, past tense), (h. gekookt, participle)
, ww (means werkwoord)
Hij kookte gisteren ons avondeten.

Hij heeft gisteren ons avondeten gekookt.

These two sentences have the same meaning.
Actions took in the past.

6. PREPOSITION -
voorzetsel
(to, on) aan, op; voorz (means voorzetsel)
7. CONJUNCTION -
voegwoord
(and, or)
en, of; voegw (means voegwoord)

You should know the abbreviations in your dictionary
znw means zelfstandig naamwoord
Zelfstandig naamwoord
(noun) can be v (vrouwelijk), m (mannelijk) and o (onzijdig)
Dutch nouns are divided into three groups. Words can be feminine (vrouwelijk), masculine (mannelijk) and neuter (onzijdig)
If the noun is vrouwelijk and mannelijk then the article is DE
If the noun is onzijdig then the article is HET

per vnw means persoonlijk voornaamwoord
bn means bijvoeglijk naamwoord
bijw means bijvwoord
ww means werkwoord
voorz means voorzetsel
voegw means voegwoord

When you take notes don't forget to:
a. write the vrouwelijk, mannelijk and onzijdig. So that you will know the article you are going to use when you construct a sentence.
b. jot down the tenses of the verbs

c. take note sample sentences

d. choose the correct meaning of the word which fits your sentence. One word has many explanations dus choose the right one.

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PART OF SPEECH (DUTCH LANGUAGE)

 English - Dutch translation
1. noun (name of persons, places and things) - zelfstandig naamwoord

example: the people, the girl, a woman, the Netherlands - de mensen, het meisje, een vrouw, de Nederland
2. pronoun - voornaamwoord
example:
he, she, it, they - hij, zij/ze, het, ze/zij
3. adjective - bijvoeglijk naamwoord
example:
red, large, good - rood, groot, goed
4. adverb - bijwoord
example:
now, here, quick - nu, hier, snel
5. verb (action words) - werkwoord
example: write, read, speak, listen - schrijven, lezen, spreken, luisteren (mostly ends with -en)

6. preposition - voorzetsel

example:
at, with, over - aan, op, bij, met, over, in, voor
7. conjunction - voegwoord
example:
and, or, yet, because, however - en, of, nog, toch, omdat, echter, maar

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11 August 2009

tHe WoOdEn ShoES or CLoGs


The Netherlands is known of its wooden shoes or clogs. ONe of the country's pride. Many years ago the European people wore wooden shoes, the most in Holland because of the swampy ground. It was very popular for a long time everywhere here in the Netherlands and also this time. The farmers wear wooden shoes for the following reasons:
1. for protetion
they won't feel or won't even notice when they are standing on the point of a nail or things but when they are wearing boots or rubber shoes the nails will go through the rubber shoes.
2. easy to wear
they can get in and out from them easily without wasting a lot of time.
3. no sweating foot
they won't sweat in wooden shoes, since it is open the fresh air refreshes the foot
Three million wooden shoes which are made every year, a big part of them are destined for tourist. There are lots of souvenir shops where you can buy wooden shoes souvenir like: keyholders, stuffed toys, can openers, etc. One of the best selling souvenirs in Holland.

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03 August 2009

GaY MaRRiagE, GaY pRidE




The first Gay Pride in Amsterdam (the capital of the Netherlands) was in 1996. Since then the event is celebrated every year, the first weekend of August. It is a 3-day event. This year was from July 31, Aug.1 until Aug. 2. The annual highlights of the Amsterdam Gay Pride are the gay street parties, gay dance parties and the world famous Canal Parade on the Amsterdam canals. The Canal Parade is a colorful parade of boats on the first Saturday of August, which starts from the Westerdokseiland through the Prinsengracht, Amstel, Zwanenburgwal and Oude Schans to Oosterdok. Further there are street parties in various gay night streets in Amsterdam.
In 2001, the Netherlands became the first modern nation to grant same-sex marriages. During the cruise Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen wed five Dutch-American gay couples.
Thousand of visitors and viewers (around 560,000) came to witness the event. They stood along the side of the canals to watch the parade. Homo, hetero, young and old found the event amusing and entertaining.
It was a cheerful and colorful day.
GAY MARRIAGE, what can you say about it? Is it allowed in your country? What is your idea?
In my point of view, I can say "
RESPECT INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES".

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About this Blog

I make this blog for foreigners who will live in this country, THE NETHERLANDS. Foreigners who are engaged or married they have to learn a lot of things about their new home like the culture, architectures, landscape, government, dikes etc. Especially the Dutch language which is very important in their social life. It is very difficult if they cannot communicate with other people. Most people speak Dutch, only few speaks English.
For visitors and readers, this will give you an idea what this country is. This small country ranks no. 5 in the economic stability in EUROPE. Their architectures like palaces, castles, dikes, ports (air and sea) are amazing.
Their culture is very interesting.

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