From our blog
News, developments and articles from Regina Coeli
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.
Sing along to Dutch classics
The later it gets in evening, the bigger the chance that the entire cafe you are in will break out in a sing-along of Dutch hits. And then there you are—the expat. Why not seize the day and take that opportunity to improve your Dutch? No one will even hear you in a cafe full of music and merrymakers belting out tunes? So join in! There is no better way to work on a language than singing. Read why!
From being understandable to speaking Dutch powerfully
Many people who learn foreign languages would like to sound like native speakers. But even when you exclusively speak the new language for years, you can still end up with a noticeable accent. How can you work on proper pronunciation from the start? We spoke about this with Yvonne Tupker, a speech therapist and Dutch language trainer at Regina Coeli.
New Year festivities in the Netherlands
December is a month of festivities in the Netherlands. It all starts with St. Nicholas which is celebrated by young and old. But almost as soon as he has weighed anchor and set sail for Spain in his trusted steamboat, the Dutch are making plans for Christmas and the New Year. Whereas Christmas is generally a more intimate celebration when families get together for a festive meal, New Year’s celebrations are much more exuberant. How do you survive New Year’s Eve and the countless New Year’s drinks parties that are held in January?
Learning Dutch at the kitchen table and in museums
Most people know Regina Coeli thanks to our “week with the Nuns” concept. At times, clients have somewhat unique training requests, which we do not at all mind because we then get the opportunity to rise to the challenge. Fifteen-year-old Dafna Heule’s programme is a good example of a course that was composed entirely according to the client’s needs.
Correct word order in Dutch sentences
The structure of Dutch sentences is something that many people who learn Dutch struggle with. That is not surprising. While many languages have a fixed sentence structure, Dutch has three! In this article, we look at the general rules concerning Dutch sentence structures.