This weekend we finish level one of our Dutch language course. I’ve been really, really, REALLY enjoying it, and am looking forward to the next level already. There’s just something about learning verb conjugations that really appeals to me. (Ok, ik ben vreemd*.) I enjoy the challenge of the different sounds. And vocabulary, have I mentioned vocabulary? Het verjaarscadeautje, het winkelcentrum, het sinaasappelsap, de spijkerbroek, de kakkerlak, de geldautomaat**- glorious! Telling time? It is tien over half zes – ten past half before six – 5:40am as I write this. And then there’s the Time Manner Place rule which describes the order in which words appear. It’s hard work learning rules that just seem natural, that you just absorb when you learn your first language.
Before this course, it had been quite a few years since I attended any formal language classes. The last classes I attended were for Mandarin, over 10 years ago. I’d quite forgotten how much I enjoy learning languages. Is it something to do with the fact that language is abstract, yet you can have so many tangible goals to achieve? I like to think I just enjoy learning verb conjugation, vocabulary, and rules of expression…
Whatever it is, it’s always nice to find (re-find) things to do that you find extremely enjoyable.
*I am strange.
**Birthday present, shopping centre, orange juice, jeans, cockroach, ATM.
7 Comments
What incredible words! In the choral singing I do we often sing in different languages, and I have just done a concert featuring a series of pieces in Finnish. I’m not quick at learning languages in the normal way, but love the sounds of the words and the different ways of expression, especially, I confess, in Italian – such a musical language! The Finnish had lots of fun sparkly sounds and long words.
I do like the word for cockroach!
Mieke wants to know if you are planning a trip to the Netherlands? and also do you want web sites for Dutch recipes?
It’s really wierd ‘watching’ you learn dutch. I don’t get it, haha! But I’m very impressed!
Argh, the times! I always love explaining to people ‘we says half before instead of ‘half past’, but it makes me feel/seem dyslexic sometimes, also with counting or writing down phone numbers (two and twenty…)
And then there is the formulating of sentences, I get all the words around the wrong way!
But, my dual language upbringing is not only to fault for all of this, I just don’t think languages are my thing, I couldn’t get the hang of French in High School either.
Let me know if I can help with anything though, you never know. And I have lots of Dutch books (like Harry Potter 1 and 2, ha ha!)
I should just tell people I tell time the Dutch way–I’m always saying things like “it’s ten past half past” or “it’s five past quarter till.” Makes perfect sense to me.
Sheena I’d love to learn Finnish, but that’s one language that scares me 🙂 It does sound beautiful though…
TB, tell Mieke yes to both 🙂
Thanks Simone! I don’t think I am ready to try reading anything yet (although I might go and dig up my one Dutch language book, a children’s picture book called De jongen en het paard (The boy and the horse)… )
Laura another thing I love about learning a language is that you find out all these new ways of looking at things that wouldn’t have occurred to you in your own language…
Eeek – telling time sounds awkward!
I like learning new sounds and words though. Not so good on the grammar stuff.
I love it how my elderly Dutch friends say “Come on the table” when it’s time to eat.
Penny, grammar is always hard. It’s just as well we usually have so much time to absorb the rules of our first language when we’re babies/young children…