In this intermediate episode, you'll learn and practise words for feelings like relieved, surprised and disappointed. They're worked into a realistic dialogue for you to repeat, with some typically Flemish expressions.
In this intermediate episode, you'll learn and practise words for feelings like relieved, surprised and disappointed. They're worked into a realistic dialogue for you to repeat, with some typically Flemish expressions.
Hi all, and welcome to no-nonsense Nederlands. Welkom bij no-nonsense Nederlands. In this podcast, you get to practise your Dutch with short dialogues for you to translate and repeat.
I speak the Flemish variety of Dutch, and I will sometimes use the typically Flemish ways of saying things. I always try to add some details in the transcript. So excellent for those of you planning to live in Flanders, but if you live in the Netherlands, this podcast is great for you as well.
So today we’re going to review some vocabulary about emotions, feelings. This is an intermediate class, so I’m assuming you already now words like blij and bang; happy and scared. In this dialogue we’ll have words like opgelucht – relieved – and verrast – surprised.
At the same time, you’ll practice your past tenses in a casual way as well.
So I’ll read through the dialogue once first, only in Dutch. It’s about a girl calling her mother, to tell her she has passed her exams. Her mom is very proud, and asks her daughter about her friends’ results as well. So let’s listen.
- Mama, ik ben erdoor!
- Fantastisch nieuws, proficiat!
- Ik ben zo opgelucht!
- Dat kan ik me voorstellen.
Je was zo bezorgd.
Heb je goeie punten?
- Ja, ik ben verrast dat ik zelfs voor economie een zeven heb.
- Ik ben niet verrast, ik was er gerust in.
Je mag fier zijn op jezelf!
Ik ben ook trots op jou.
Zijn Amelie en Kyana geslaagd?
- Amelie heeft een buis voor filosofie.
Ze is erg teleurgesteld.
Ze had het niet verwacht.
Ze is boos op zichzelf dat ze niet harder gestudeerd heeft.
En Kyana… ze is betrapt op afkijken.
Ze schaamt zich dood.
Ze heeft het nog niet aan haar ouders verteld, ze durft niet.
Niet doorvertellen he mama!
- Nee nee. Wanneer kom je naar huis? Papa en ik worden ongeduldig.
Vanavond vieren we!
So usually I don’t spend much time explaining things in English, I want you to practice as much as possible. But I do want to point out a couple of things, to prime your brain. It will make your practice more efficient.
A couple of typically Flemish expressions in this text. First, when we talk about passing or failing exams. For I’ve passed the exam, you could say: ‘Ik ben geslaagd’. ‘Ik ben geslaagd’, meaning something like ‘I have succeeded’. But in Flanders we’ll more often say ‘Ik ben erdoor’, meaning ‘I got through’. When you study Dutch and you take an exam, people will ask ‘Ben je erdoor? Was je erdoor?’, asking you if you passed.
Similarly, if you have failed, you are ‘gebuisd’. ‘Ik ben gebuisd voor Nederlands.’ And for each course you failed, you have ‘een buis’. ‘Ik heb twee buizen, voor Nederlands en voor Frans’. Everyone says this!
And if you cheat on your exams, well… The correct translation would be ‘spieken’, trying to look at someone else’s answers. But in Flanders we’ll say ‘afkijken’, which is what I use in the dialogue. But spieken is fine as well. So ‘spieken’ and ‘afkijken’.
Also, lastly, in the dialogue you will hear me use two different words for ‘proud’. One is ‘trots’, which is standard Dutch and you’ll definitely hear that, but in Flanders the word ‘fier’ is more common. ‘Fier’. It has a bit of a warmer, kinder, folkier feeling to it, I think. But it basically means the same as ‘trots’.
Alright, so now it’s your turn. I’ll give you the sentence in English, and leave a little pause so you can try and translate. Don’t worry if you don’t have the same translation as I do, you could still be right, translating is not an exact science. After your translation I’ll give you my sentence, twice, with a little pause each time for you to repeat. And please do repeat, not just in your head. Even if you get weird looks on the bus. There’s lots of scientific proof that repeating helps you anchor these words, sounds and structures in your brain.
Here we go!
Mom, I passed!
Mama, ik ben erdoor!
Fantastic new, congratulations!
Fantastisch nieuws, proficiat!
I’m so relieved.
Ik ben zo opgelucht!
I can imagine.
Dat kan ik me voorstellen.
You were so worried.
Je was zo bezorgd.
Do you have good grades?
Heb je goeie punten?
Yes, I’m surprised I even got a seven for economics.
Ja, ik ben verrast dat ik zelfs voor economie een zeven heb.
I’m not surprised, I was confident.
Ik ben niet verrast, ik was er gerust in. (* ergens gerust in zijn is hard to translate literally, but it's used a lot; it means not being worried at all about something. eg Ben je er gerust in?)
You can be proud of yourself!
Je mag fier zijn op jezelf!
And I’m proud of you as well.
Ik ben ook trots op jou.
Did Amelie and Kyana pass?
Zijn Amelie en Kyana geslaagd?
Amelie failed philosophy.
Amelie heeft een buis voor filosofie.
She’s very disappointed.
Ze is erg teleurgesteld. (A synonym for teleurgesteld is ontgoocheld)
She didn’t expect it.
Ze had het niet verwacht.
She’s angry at herself that she didn’t study harder.
Ze is boos op zichzelf dat ze niet harder gestudeerd heeft.
And Kyana… she got caught cheating.
En Kyana… ze is betrapt op afkijken.
She’s so ashamed.
Ze schaamt zich dood. (You could also say Ze is zo beschaamd; maar ze schaamt zich dood, literally she shames herself to death, is very common and stronger)
She hasn’t told her parents yet, she’s afraid to.
Ze heeft het nog niet aan haar ouders verteld, ze durft niet.
Don’t tell anyone, right mom?
Niet doorvertellen he mama!
No I won’t. When are you coming home? Dad and I are getting impatient.
Nee nee. Wanneer kom je naar huis? Papa en ik worden ongeduldig.
Tonight we celebrate!
Vanavond vieren we!
Alright, well done guys. Congrats for taking time to practice your Dutch, it will really help you get to know people and create opportunities for you here in the Low Countries. If there is a topic you would like to see covered, just send me an email at no nonsense nederlands (all in one word) at gmail punt com.
See you next time, tot de volgende keer, daaag!