Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
How This Book Is Organised 3
Part I: Getting Started 3
Part II: Dutch in Action 4
Part III: Dutch on the Go 4
Part IV: The Part of Tens 4
Part V: Appendixes 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: Getting Started 7
Chapter 1: You Already Know Some Dutch 9
The Dutch You Know Already 9
Close relatives 9
Kissing cousins 10
Dunglish 10
Street language for Dummies 12
Useful Responses and Wishes 13
A Mouthful of Pronunciation Rules 14
Dealing with pronunciation in this book 15
Reciting Your ABC 15
Pronouncing Vowels 16
The vowel a 16
Open and closed syllables 17
The vowel e 18
The vowel i 18
The vowel o 19
The vowel u 20
Pronouncing Dutch Diphthongs 20
Pronouncing the diphthongs ei and ij 20
The diphthong oe 21
The diphthongs ou and au 21
The diphthong eu 22
The diphthong ui 22
Pronouncing Consonants 23
Pronouncing the Dutch 'g' 24
Pronunciation and Stress 25
Questioning and Exclaiming 26
Chapter 2: Low-cal Grammar: Just the Basics 27
Parts of Speech 28
Using the Definite Articles 'de' and 'het' 28
Using the Indefinite Article 'een' 29
Relating Adjectives to 'de' and 'het' Words 31
Finding Your Way with Prepositions 32
Prepositions of place: aan, binnen, buiten, in, langs, op, over, tegen, tot, and tussen 32
Prepositions of time: aan, in, na, sinds, tot, voor 34
Phrasal verbs: verbs that go together with a preposition 34
The Tenses: Present, Perfect, and Past 35
Using the present tense 37
Mother's little helper: using the perfect tense 37
Talking about former times: using the past tense 39
Talking about the future 42
Five Basic Sentence Constructions 44
Construction one: in normal sentences the verb goes second 44
Construction two: after an expression of time, the verb comes first 45
Construction three: after an expression of place, the verb comes first 46
Construction four: after 'misschien', 'soms' and 'toch', the verb comes first 47
Construction five: in questions, the verb comes first 47
Chapter 3: Number Magic: All Kinds of Counting 49
1, 2, 3 - Cardinal Numbers 49
Over 1000 51
Doing sums 53
Playing with fractions, per cents, and metres 53
Discovering Ordinal Numbers 55
Using ordinal numbers 55
Telling Time: Klokkijken 57
You can tell time 57
Rock around the clock 58
In the morning, in the evening? 59
Days, Months, Seasons 59
Making them small 60
Getting used to the Dutch seasons 61
Part II: Dutch in Action 65
Chapter 4: Greetings and Introductions 67
Being Formal and Informal 67
Hallo! Greetings 68
The how question: how are you? 70
Giving the right answer 71
Introducing Yourself 73
Introducing Others 74
Introductions at special occasions 75
Saying Goodbye 76
Chatting about Towns, Countries, and Languages 76
Telling where you are from 77
To be: the verb 'zijn' 78
Asking Where Somebody Is From 79
To come: komen 80
Learning Something about Nationalities 80
Using these terms in a sentence 81
Chatting about languages 82
Chapter 5: Getting to Know Each Other Better 85
Inviting the Other to Talk 85
Talking about Yourself 87
Talking about your work 87
Asking and giving a telephone number 88
Telling about your family 91
Negating: 'niet' and 'geen' 94
Talking How's about the Weather 95
How's the weather? 95
Talking about the temperature 96
Chapter 6: Enjoying a Meal and Eating Out 99
Enjoy Your Meal 99
Is it time to eat? 100
Setting the Table 101
Using more of them: plurals 102
Essential Verbs at the Table 104
To drink: the verb 'drinken' 104
To eat: the verb 'eten' 105
At the Restaurant 105
Choosing your restaurant 106
Places for lunch 107
Making a reservation 108
Entering a Restaurant and Sitting Down 110
Getting what you want: the verb 'willen' 111
Ordering something special: 'graag' 112
What's on the Menu? 112
Having breakfast or not: that's the question 113
Lunch strolling: to catch a flying bird 113
Taking Your Time for Dinner 114
Starters 114
Main dishes 115
Desserts 116
Drinks 116
Ordering something unusual 118
Handling the routine question 118
The bill, please 120
Your Own Restaurant at Home: Take-away Food 121
Separating your verbs The take-away food verb: 'meenemen' 121
Shopping for Food 123
Where to get your food? 123
Finding what you are looking for 123
Paying and getting change back 125
Cashing the question: Bonnetje erbij? 126
Shopping for Food at the Traditional Market 126
Handling the question: Mag het ietsje meer zijn? 127
Chapter 7: Shopping 'til You Drop 131
Finding the Best Places 131
Using the shopping verb: kopen 133
Getting Around the Store 133
Finding out politely 134
Just looking around 135
Getting help 135
Buying Clothes 136
Requesting colour and size 137
Knowing your size 138
Pointing: 'deze', 'die', 'dit', 'dat' 139
Getting the right fit and trying things on 141
Comparing Better or Best: The Degrees of Comparison 143
Asking for the price 145
Replacing 'de' and 'het' words 146
Shopping at the Traditional Market 148
Chapter 8: Making Leisure a Top Priority 149
The Days of the Week 149
Specifying when 150
City Life: A Never-ending Offer 151
What shall we do? 151
Using the going out verb: uitgaan 152
Using the verb 'stappen' 152
Going to the movies 153
Buying tickets 154
Having a Good Time at Festivals and Events 156
Enjoying a Concert 157
Visiting the Museum 157
Giving Your Opinion 158
Asking your opinion 158
Telling people what you think 159
Going to a Party 162
A birthday party 162
Birthday objection: the alternatives 163
Being Invited 164
Declining an invitation 164
Accepting 164
Talking about a party 165
Going Out of Town 165
Talking about Hobbies and Interests 166
Verzamelen' (collecting) 166
Telling people about your hobby 166
Reflexive Verbs: 'Zich ontspannen' 167
Leaving Town 169
Going for a walk 169
Biking: 'fietsen' 169
Going to an amusement park 170
Going to the beach 170
Watching the sea 172
Sport, Sports, Sports 172
The most popular ball game: 'voetbal' 172
Skating: 'schaatsen' 173
Boating: 'varen' and 'zeilen' 174
Playing golf: 'golfen' 175
The playing verb: 'spelen' 175
Sporting verbs: false friends 175
Chapter 9: When You Have to Work 177
Telephone Talk 177
Opening lines 179
Calling 179
Prompting the person you're talking to 180
Making the connection 180
Not being there: the routine 181
Making an appointment 181
Some special verbs: 'kunnen' and 'zullen' 184
Leaving a message 186
Spelling your name: the Dutch telephone alphabet 187
Better Send an E-Mail 188
Inside the Office 191
Mastering your desk and supplies 191
Small is beautiful: the diminutive 192
Dealing with the Dutch 194
Doen: the doing verb 194
Maken: the making verb 195
Saying hello and goodbye 196
Dealing with Your Colleagues 197
Part III: Dutch on the Go 199
Chapter 10: Money, Banks, and Post Offices 201
Changing Money 201
PINs and Chips 204
Pins and chips everywhere 205
Knowing What You Are Talking about: 'Die', 'dat', 'wat' 206
At the Bank 208
Internet banking 208
'Acceptgiro' and 'automatische overschrijving' 209
At the Post Office 209
Chapter 11: Asking for Directions 215
Going North, South, East, and West 215
Asking for help with directions 216
How far is it? 217
Going 'hier' and 'daar' 218
Asking how to get there 219
Describing a Position or a Location 220
The preposition 'to' 220
Finding Your Way: 'Rechts', 'links', 'rechtdoor' 222
Left and right 222
Travelling by car 223
Understanding where to cross and turn 224
Doing first things first: 'eerst', 'dan', 'daarna' 225
Coming into action 227
By Car, Train, Bus, or Plane: 'Gaan' 227
Chapter 12: Staying in a Hotel 231
Looking for a Hotel 231
Reserving the room 232
Telling when you arrive and how long you want to stay 232
Telling what kind of room you want 233
Asking the price 234
Finalising the reservation 234
Checking In 237
How long are you staying? 237
Filling in the registration form 237
Possessive pronouns: 'mijn', 'jouw', and the rest 239
Extras and facilities 241
The hotel 241
Checking Out and Paying the Bill 244
To ask for the bill 244
Asking about special charges 244
Using separable verbs in the perfect and the past 245
Leaving 246
Chapter 13: Using Transport 249
At the Airport 249
Getting your ticket 249
Checking in 250
Going through passport control 253
Going through customs 254
Travelling by Car 255
Renting a car 255
Understanding maps and road signs 260
Verbs in the past tense: some irregular ones 267
Getting to work 270
Mopeds and scooters 271
The Train Station 273
Buying tickets 273
Reading timetables 278
Asking for information 279
Going by Bus, Tram, Metro, or Taxi 279
Taking the bus or tram 279
Taking a taxi 282
Chapter 14: Coping with Emergencies 283
Asking for Help in Case of Accidents and Emergencies 283
Crying for help 283
Reporting a problem 284
Asking for help in your own language 285
Solving a problem on the road 285
Talking to a Doctor 286
Describing what's wrong with you 286
Announcing any special conditions 289
The present perfect of verbs that start
with ont-, be-, ge-, her-, ver-, and er- 290
Being examined 291
Understanding the diagnosis 292
Getting treatment 295
Going to the Dentist 296
Understanding the diagnosis 296
Understanding what the dentist is going to do 297
Talking to the Police 297
Describing what has been stolen 298
Answering questions of the police 299
Protecting your rights abroad 300
Part IV: The Part of Tens 303
Chapter 15: Ten Ways to Pick Up Dutch Quickly 305
Learning Dutch in the Street 305
Looking Things Up in the Dictionary 305
Writing Your Own Dictionary 306
Verbs in Your Pocket 306
Using the Downloadable Content of This Book 307
Listening to Dutch Radio and TV 307
Celebrating a Dutch Hour 307
Asking the Dutch to Explain 308
Reading the Free Papers 308
Surfing the Net 308
Chapter 16: Five Things You Should Never Say 309
Nice Car, How Much Did It Cost? 309
Give Me a Cup of Coffee! 309
I Couldn't Sleep at All Last Night 309
How Much Money Do You Make? 310
The Dutch Are Boring! 310
Chapter 17: Ten Favourite Dutch Expressions 311
We bellen he? 311
Ik ga het niet redden 311
Niet te geloven 311
Tjonge jonge 312
Mij niet gezien 312
Echt niet! 312
Maakt niet uit 313
Niet verkeerd 313
Wat leuk! 313
Ik ga ervoor 313
Chapter 18: Ten Public Holidays to Remember 315
Oudejaarsavond en nieuwjaarsdag 315
Carnaval 315
Pasen 316
Koninginnedag 316
Dodenherdenking en Bevrijdingsdag 317
Hemelvaartsdag 317
Pinksteren 317
Sint-Maarten 318
Sinterklaas 318
Kerstmis 318
Chapter 19: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Professional 321
Komt het gelegen? 321
Stoor ik? 321
Je hebt gelijk! 322
Afgesproken 322
Ik hoor het graag 322
Klopt dat? 322
Wat is er aan de hand? 323
Daar word ik niet blij van 323
Daar zitten wij niet op te wachten 323
Dat is koffiedik kijken 323
Part V: Appendixes 325
Appendix A: Dutch Verbs 327
Regular Verbs 327
Separable verbs 327
Reflexive verbs 328
Irregular Dutch Verbs 328
Appendix B: Minidictionary 341
Dutch - English 341
English - Dutch 348
Appendix C: About the Downloadable Content 355
Index 357
