From our blog
News, developments and articles from Regina Coeli
The language of Dutch weather
One of the hottest topics in the Netherlands is the weather. That’s not surprising of course, since it changes quite a lot. If you’re learning Dutch—no matter how early in the process you may be—it’s best to learn how to chat about the weather. It’s always a good way to strike up a conversation with someone.
Take a journey by reading a book
When you were in school, you probably frequently heard that reading books was good for your language development. No matter how much education has changed, schools still really promote reading, so an idea that has survived all these years must have some merit to it, you might say. In fact, reading books helps you develop your language skills even when you learn a foreign language as an adult.
The language of the ‘Hollandse pot’
Every winter, steaming hot plates of food magically appear on tables in Dutch homes everywhere—things like big pots full of snert, boerenkool or hutspot. These are collectively called Hollandse pot, or stamppot. These are quite hearty meals that fill the belly and warm up you right down to your toes. Even though Dutch winters aren’t as cold as they used to be, these dishes are still wildly popular in the winter months.
Groetjes!
You’ll come across the word ‘groetjes’ in all sorts of places in the Netherlands. In the closing phrases of emails, on postcards in souvenir shops (groetjes uit Amsterdam), but also during conversations when you’re out and about. You might hear ‘groetjes’ instead of ‘doei’ or ‘tot ziens’ when someone says goodbye. And have you ever heard someone say, ‘Doe de groetjes aan Jan’?
Dutch expressions about money
Hard work and thriftiness have long been important values in Dutch culture. That’s why you’ll come across lots of sayings that have to do with money in the daily language of the Dutch. If you’d like to enrich your use of Dutch, then expressions are a godsend. With them, you can say a lot with just a few words. The Dutch themselves use them all the time. There are several common expressions about money in this article. Can you use them in a conversation or writing?
Writing emails in Dutch
Emails are generally fairly quick and easy things to write and send off. But it’s more difficult if you haven’t yet mastered the details of the language in which you’re writing. In this article, you’ll read how to write a typical Dutch email and find some helpful standard sentences.