I had my first Dutch course last night

I ended up sitting there chuckling to myself thinking….wtf?  this is ridiculous

I learnt that I was already the worst in the class and far behind everyone else just in the first lesson

Even half-way through the first lesson

There were 2 people that have lived in Leiden for 2 years already

1 that is Austrian and speaks German…which I assume is a similar language base,  everyone speaks multiple languages, and everyone also has an environment that facilitates way more learning than I do

Like… just being on the bus or train and hearing stuff that is said.
On the other hand, I drive to work so all I see is bus = bus

and uit = exit on the freeway

hooray!

It probably didn’t help that the tutor started off with phrases that we ‘should have all heard since being in the Netherlands’

The only thing I know, and I’m not joking on this is Kip = chicken. Only because I thought I was buying pork once and it turns out it was chicken, so I learn from my mistake. …but that is it.

And when the tutor’s first lesson seems to glance over the fact that ‘g’ is pronounced ‘heh’ just very quickly and as it turns out that many words include this, then I don’t think I’m off to a very good start.

Anyway, as much as it’s for my own little review, and as much as it can be for you all to see what is what, here is a little insight into what we covered in the 1st lesson:

(note there was no pronounciation of the alphabet, or of compound sounds…it was just straight into it, assuming that everyone could pronounce everything…way too presumptuous for my liking)

Oh and whenever you see “  “   this means to show how I would pronounce it using standard English sounds.

ic ben = I am

ij = “eye”

stomerij “stom-mer-rye”= laundry

hoe heet je  “who hate yai” = how are you?

Gat “hat” = hole   (no idea why we learnt that)

Gaat “haaht” = go (or something)

Waar kor je “ye” vandam = where do you come from?

Leug “leauhh” = nice/ pretty   (yep it sounds like the kind of word that should be pretty, ie. The one that sounds like someone trying to get fleghm up)

Niet “neet” = not

Geen “hayne” deenst = not working

Ic ben moe “moo” = I am tired

Bijn “bihn” = almost

hoe laat is hot? = how late is it? (what time is it?)

“who” lang ben “yeh-eye” al in Nedeland?  = How long have you been in the Netherlands?

Ic ben al een maand = I’ve been 1 month

Wij “v-eye” = we

Het rey-hend = it’s raining

Het hart “hohood” = it’s going good

Het haart niet “hohood” = it’s not going well

Bietje “beer-he-jer” = beer

Ic heb een “aihn” vraag = I have a question

V = “f”

W = “v”

G = “heh”

Graag “hraah” = please

Hraah hedaan = you’re welcome

“wat is yao life-tiyd” = what is your lifetime (how old are you?)

“who out ben yeh-eye” ? = how old are you

ic ben vihf “fihf” en tentih yaar oud” = I am 5en 20 years old (apparently 5 en 20 is the dutch way of saying 25)

vaar “far” kom yc (I have no idea what ‘yc’ is) vandam = from come you where…I assume (where do you come from?)

ic kom aiht “austrah-lee” = I come from Australia

“vaar von yeh-eye”? = where do you live?

Ic vohn in Leiden = I live in Leiden

Ic vohn neit in Leiden, maar in Amsterdam = I come from not Leiden, but Amsterdam

Doe maar! “do maar” = do it, 随便

Finer daah = have a nice day

“Vee is het” = who are you?

“Het haart hood”? = it is good

“het haart vell” = it is going well

tot so = soon

tot ziens “zeens” = good bye

de & het = gender of words,  but most words are ‘de’

de tafel = the table

hij “high” is blauw “bl-ow” = it is blue

volgende “voh-hen-de” = next

—

So as you can see, not exactly the kind of standard class I was hoping for.

I think Dutch might be a bit too difficult for me, or perhaps I just need to find a better teacher…hmm something to think about.