| see also:
Birthday
|
Bedankt voor je brief
2
|
Thank you for your letter. |
| Hoe is 't ermee?
|
How are you? |
| Met mij gaat 't goed.
|
I'm fine. |
| Maak je geen zorgen over mij.
|
Don't worry about me. |
Hoe is het met je moeder?
alternatives: |
How is your mother?
vader
('father') -
baby
('baby') -
kindje
2
('little one')
man
('husband')
- vrouw
('wife') - see also:
Family
vriendin
('girlfriend') -
vriend
('boyfriend') |
| Heb je 't leuk gehad?
|
Did you have a good time? |
| Heb je wat leuks gedaan in het weekend?
|
Did you do something nice in the weekend? |
| Hoe doen je kinderen 't op school?
|
How are your kids doing at school? |
| Hoe is 't op school?
2
|
How are things at school? (in Dutch, 'school' is only
elementary or secondary school, not college or university.) |
| Hoe gaat 't met je studie?
|
How is school? (literally: your studies.) |
| Ik ben blij dat je voor het examen geslaagd bent.
2
|
I'm glad you passed the test. |
| Ik ben blij dat het goed is afgelopen.
|
I'm glad it came to a good end (ended well.) |
| Ik word droevig van de toestand in de wereld.
2
|
I'm saddened by the state of the world. |
| Phatic Remarks and Questions |
|---|
Heb je goed geslapen?
2
Heb je lekker geslapen?
2
|
Did you sleep well? |
| Heb je 't koud?
2
3
|
Are you cold? |
| Wat heb je gegeten?
2 |
What have you eaten? What did you have for lunch/dinner? |
| Waar heb je gegeten?
2 |
Where have you eaten? Where did you go to eat? |
| Heb je lekker gegeten?
|
Did you enjoy your meal(s)? |
| Was 't lekker?
2 |
Was it good? Did you enjoy it? |
| Dat is een goede vraag.
2
3 |
That's a good question. |
| Dat is een ander verhaal.
2 |
That's another story. |
|
| Weather |
chapter became separate page:
Weather 2
(more than 125 lines) |
|---|
|
| Travel |
chapter became separate page:
Talking about Travel
|
|---|
|
| Work |
chapter became separate page:
Jobs and Lines of Work
|
|---|
|
| Health |
moved to: Medical
|
|---|
|
| Opinion |
see also:
Conversation
Subjects
|
|---|
| Het boeide me niet.
|
[It did not grab my attention] It was not really
interesting. |
| Ik vind er niks aan
|
It's not interesting, I don't care for it |
| Dat geloof ik niet!
|
I don't think that's true! |
| Wat denk jij d'r van?
2 |
What do you think [of it]? |
| Vertel de waarheid!
2 |
Speak the truth! Tell us what really happened! |
Ik ben van gedachten veranderd.
|
I changed my mind. |
| Ik zag op het nieuws dat er ...
|
I saw on the news that ... |
| 't Is maar een verhaaltje.
|
It's only a story. |
| tegen beter weten in
2
3 |
against (my, his) better judgement |
| zonder nadenken
2 |
unthinkingly, without thinking about it |
| Colloquial |
|
|---|
| Gek hè.
2
|
Funny, isn't it? (literally: crazy, weird) |
| Nou en?
|
[Now and?] So what? |
| Echt waar?
2
|
Really? |
| Wat een onzin!
2 |
Such nonsense! |
| Wat een verschil!
2
3 |
What a difference! |
| Dat is interessant.
2
(3)
|
That's interesting. Fascinating! |
| Maar gaat U verder.
2
3
|
But - please continue. |
| Dat zie je zo.
2 |
You notice that right away. |
| Dat was te verwachten.
2 |
That was to be expected, no surprises here. |
| 't Verbaast me niks.
2 |
I am not surprised. |
| Dat is ook goed
2 |
That's also OK, that's all right too |
| Dat is een goed idee
|
That's a good idea |
Wat is er aan de hand?
2
Er is wat aan de hand
2
|
What's going on?
'There's something [unusual, fishy] going on' |
| Ga je gang.
|
Go ahead, do it your way. |
| Ben je boos?
|
Are you angry? |
| Wat vervelend!
|
What a bore! It sucks. (literally: How unpleasant,
annoying.) |
| Als 't moet
2 |
'if it has to be, if there is no other way'
|
| Moet je niet doen!
|
Not a good idea to do that! |
| Moet kunnen!
2 |
It should be possible, you should be allowed to do that |
| Ga je mee?
|
Are you coming (with us)? |
| Ga zitten
2
|
Have a seat |
| Wat kan ik voor U doen?
2 |
(What can I do for you?) Can I help you? |
| Te veel gedoe
|
Too much hassle |
| Dat is te veel gedoe
2 |
That's too much hassle |
| Wat jammer!
|
It's a pity. |
| Misschien valt 't mee
2 |
'Maybe it will not be as bad as we're afraid of'
|
| 't Had erger kunnen zijn.
|
It could have been worse. |
| Schiet op!
2 |
'Hurry up, don't be slow'
|
| Ik weet 't niet.
|
I don't know [it.] |
| Dat weet ik niet.
2
|
I don't know about that. |
| Dat wist ik niet.
2
|
I didn't know that. |
| Daar weet ik niks van.
2
|
I [know nothing] don't know anything about it |
| Hij weet waar-(d)ie het over heeft
( 2) |
He knows what he's talking about, he knows his stuff.
(Sometimes a D is added to 'ie' for easier pronunciation |
| Hij heeft er niet lang over nagedacht
2 |
'He didn't think long about it'
|
En jij gelooft dat?
2
En gij geleuft dat?
2
3 |
'And you believe that is true?'
Try a kind-of Limburg accent version:
|
| Al zeg ik 't zelf.
2
3
|
If I may say so (myself.) |
| Als ik dat vragen mag.
|
If I may ask [that.] |
| 't Gaat me niet aan.
|
It's none of my business. |
| 't Gaat je niets aan.
|
It's none of your business. |
't Geeft niet.
2
3
|
It doesn't matter, it's OK, don't worry about it. |
| 't Maakt me niet uit.
2
|
It doesn't matter to me. |
| 't Kan me niet schelen.
2
|
I don't care. |
| 't Kan me geen zier schelen.
2
3
|
I don't care at all. |
| Er is niks te lachen
2
3
| [There is nothing to laugh about.] It's not funny. |
| Ik moet er niet aan denken.
2 |
I'd rather not think about it, I'm afraid to consider. |
| Ik vind het heel erg
| I think it's very bad, I'm upset |
| Vertel eens wat leuks.
2 |
Tell (us, me) something nice. |
| Wie weet er nog een mop?
|
Anyone has a joke to tell? |
| Iets om naar uit te kijken.
2 |
Something to look forward to. |
Eerlijk zullen we alles delen
2
Eerlijk delen!
|
We'll share everything [honestly] fairly between us
telling children to share something fairly between them |
Er moet nog hard gewerkt.
('worden' is dropped from the line) |
It still needs a lot of work |
| Het is bewerkelijk.
|
It is a lot of work. |
| Dan hoor je het ook eens van een ander
2
|
~ You'll hear it from someone else, then. |
Heb je Piet gekend?
Heb je Piet nog gekend?
|
Have you known Piet?
Have you still known Piet? (Piet has died or moved away) |
| Wat is er van hem geworden?
2 |
What has become of him? |
| Wat is er met Jan?
2
3 |
What is with Jan? (There is something going on, he's not
his usual self) |
| Statement Modifiers |
Fine-tuning your comments |
|---|
| (het) commentaar
2
|
comment |
| volgens mij ...
|
[According to me ...] I think ... |
| als je goed kijkt ...
2
|
upon closer inspection, when you look closely ... |
| bij nader inzien ...
|
upon closer (inspection?) reflection,
now that I think about it ... |
| Het betekent dat ...
2 |
It means that ... |
| min of meer
|
more or less |
Een klein beetje
2
Een heel klein beetje
2 |
a little bit, a small amount
a very small amount |
| trouwens
|
by the way ... |
| eigenlijk
2
(3) |
actually |
ongetwijfeld
zonder twijfel
|
undoubtedly
without doubt |
| waarschijnlijk
2 |
probably |
| vermoedelijk
|
supposed(ly), supposed, presumptive |
| blijkbaar
|
apparently |
| schijnbaar
|
seeming, seemingly |
| geloofwaardig
|
[belief-worthy] credible |
| vanzelfsprekend
|
self-evident |
| natuurlijk
|
[naturally] of course |
| enzovoort
2 |
etcetera - think of: 'and so forth' |
| 't zou kunnen
2 |
it could be, it's possible |
| General |
See also: New
Year's Resolutions |
|---|
| Leer de regels!
|
Learn the rules. |
| Leer me de regels.
|
Teach me the rules. |
|
|
| |
| Conversation Problems |
chapter became separate page:
Speaking
Dutch, Speaking about Dutch |
|---|
| |
| Time |
See also: Lesson 6:
Time or
the
Time Thesaurus |
|---|
| Hoe laat is het?
2
|
What's the time? What time is it? |
| Weet jij hoe laat het is?
2
|
Do you know what time it is? |
| Heb je nog even tijd?
|
Do you still have a moment? |
| 't Wordt laat.
2 |
It's getting late. |
| Er is nooit genoeg tijd.
|
There's never enough time. |
| Op tijd naar bed
|
Go to bed in time |
| 't Komt slecht uit.
|
It's not a good time. |
| Ik wil er nog een nachtje over slapen.
2 |
I'd like to sleep on it, take a decision tomorrow. |
| Als 't mee zit is het morgen klaar
|
If we're lucky, if things work out well, it will be ready tomorrow |
| Als 't tegen zit kan 't nog wel een week duren
|
If we're unlucky, if things don't work out, it may take a week |
| Waar blijft de tijd?
2
3 |
Where does the time go? |
| |
| Food and Drinks |
chapter became separate page:
Conversations: Eating and Drinking, Food Phrases
(about 200 lines) |
|---|
| |
| Music |
see also:
Music Vocabulary -
Musicians
|
|---|
| Vorige week vrijdag was er een concert van ...
|
Last week Friday there was a concert by ... |
| Hij speelde Schubert en Chopin.
|
He played Schubert and Chopin. |
| Ik luister nog vaak naar ...
2
|
I still (often) listen to ... |
| De CD ... van ... draai ik ook nog vaak.
|
I still often play the CD ... by ... |
| Een paar maanden geleden zijn we naar een optreden
van ... geweest.
2
|
A few months ago we were at a ... concert. |
| M'n zoon vond 't erg leuk.
|
My son really enjoyed it. |
| Movies |
see also:
Media
|
|---|
| Vanavond gaan we naar de bioscoop.
|
Tonight we'll go to the cinema. |
| Zullen we naar de film gaan?
2
|
Shall we go see a movie? |
| Gisteren heb ik ... weer eens gezien.
|
Yesterday I've seen ... again. |
| Het is een fantastische film.
|
It's a great movie. |
| 't Was de derde keer dat ik 'm zag.
|
It was the third time I saw it. |
| Ik vond het nog steeds erg goed.
|
I still thought it was great. |
| De film ... van ... vind ik ook erg goed.
|
I also really like the movie ... by ... (literally: I think
it's very good.) |
| Vorige week hebben we ... gezien.
|
Last week we've seen ... |
| Ik vond er niet veel aan.
|
I did not like it. (I didn't care for it.) |
| Books |
|---|
| Ik heb een boek gekocht
2 |
I have bought a book |
| Heb je de laatste tijd nog een goed boek gelezen?
|
Have you read a good book lately? |
| Ik heb laatst 'Startide Rising' nog eens gelezen.
|
Recently I've read ... again. |
| 't Is een van m'n favoriete Science-Fictionboeken.
|
It's one of my favorite Science Fiction books.
>> |
| Ik heb 't met veel plezier gelezen.
2
|
I really enjoyed reading it. (literally: I read it with
great pleasure.) |
| Het boek gaat over dolfijnen.
|
The book is about dolphins. |
| Ik wil weten hoe 't afloopt.
2 |
I want to know [how it ends] the ending. |
| 't Enige boek dat dit goed beschrijft.
2
3 |
The only book that describes (deals with) this well. |
| 't Deed me denken aan een boek ...
2
|
It made me think of a book ... |
| Ik heb 't boek uit
|
I finished (reading) the book |
| Laments |
|---|
| Er is nog zò veel te doen!
2
3
4
|
There is still soooo much to do |
| Er gaat altijd zoveel mis!
2
|
So many things go wrong, all the time! |
| Er is elke dag weer te weinig tijd
|
Every day again, [too little] not enough time |
| Het blijft tobben.
|
It's never easy, things never go entirely right. |
Ik word er doodmoe van.
2
Ik word er misselijk van
2 |
I'm getting so tired of it.
It makes me sick. (figuratively) |
| Al die moeite voor niks!
|
All that [effort] trouble wasted! (literally: for nothing) |
Er is altijd wel iets.
D'r is ook altijd wat.
|
There's always something
(bad, unexpected, complicating things.) |
Ik word geleefd
Ik heb geen moment voor mezelf
2
3
|
[I am being lived] I have no life of my own
I don't have any time to myself |
| Ik kan er niet meer tegen
2
3
|
I can't stand it anymore |
't Heeft toch geen enkele zin
2
3
't Maakt toch allemaal niks uit
2
|
It's no use, nothing can be done, it's hopeless
It doesn't make any difference, it's no use |
Ik word er gek van
Ik erger me dood
2
3
't Irriteert me mateloos
2
3
|
It's driving me nuts
I'm annoyed to no end
I'm very irritated by it, major annoyance |
| 't Had zoveel mooier kunnen zijn
|
It could have been so much [more beautiful] nicer |
| Alles blijft veranderen.
|
Everything keeps changing. (Not necessarily a lament.
Some change is good.) |
| Ik kan het niet meer bijhouden.
2 |
I can't keep up with it. |
Waaraan heb ik dit verdiend?
2
Waaraan heb ik dit te danken?
2
|
What did I do to deserve this? (misfortune, disability) |
| Waarom moet 't zo moeilijk zijn?
2
|
Why [should] is it so difficult? |
| Waarom kan 't niet gemakkelijk zijn?
2
|
Why [can't it be] isn't it easy? |
| Waar is de dankbaarheid?
2
3
|
Where is the gratitude? |
See also: