Some of you will already be aware that I have Long Covid, and that hampers my activity here on the blog. My primary focus is on my writing and translation clients, and there is often no energy left in the pot for other writing activities. For those of you not aware of the Long Covid troubles, bij deze, as the Dutch say. I haven’t written about our journey with Long Covid for a couple of years now, but it is something I have been wanting to write about. A lot has happened in the space of those years, and not much of it positive. Today I have some energy and the brain fog is as minimal as it get ..read more

Today the letter I is up on the stage, ready to be adorned. It’s time for the next instalment of the A-Z of Turning Dutch! So I asked you guys what I word springs to mind when you contemplate life in the Netherlands. So without further ado, here is the A-Z of Turning Dutch – the Letter I list – in no particular order. The Letter I and the Netherlands I is for the IND the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (who did quite a good job helping Brits become registered in NL after Brexit, says this tweeter). Ijsjes / Ijs (ice cream) Inburgering (civic integration process – see below) Ibbeltje (book ..read more

Today it’s time for another instalment of The A-Z of Turning Dutch – the Letter H. What H words do you associate with life here in the Netherlands? Or with the Dutch as a people? Here’s what you said…. Houdoe Hoge Veluwe (famous for the KRÖLLER-MÜLLER MUSEUM, the red deer and the non paint balled wolves) – @DannyKeg Haven Hutspot Huisarts Hondelul Hakkelen Hagelslag Haring Holland Handschoenen Hachee Hete Bliksem Hollandsche nieuwe (Haring) Haring/ herring Heerlijk Hoor Honden Hatseflats Hup Høken Huzarenstukje Haringkje Happen Hoera The Undisputed Winner of the H Popularity Stakes Hagelslag ..read more

It’s time for a new instalment of The A-Z of Turning Dutch – the Letter G is up today. It’s a letter many foreigners dread in the Dutch language, but today we are embracing it. Which G words ring out when you think about with life here in the Netherlands? Or which G words do you associate with the Dutch themselves? The G Words Here’s what Twitter followers said: Gooise matras Gezellig (cosy, sort of – see below) gvd (short for godverdomme, which is cursing) Geëerd (honoured) Gratis (see below) Gezever (drivel, nonsense – that kind of idea) Goegemeente (explained beautifully below in the tweet ..read more

Up today in the The A-Z of Turning Dutch – the Letter F. What words beginning with F do you associate with life here in the Netherlands? Or with the Dutch themselves? That’s the question I posed on Twitter as part of the A-Z of Turning Dutch series. With no further ado, here’s what you said: Frieten Femke Halsema Fietsen Flipje Fabeltjeskrant Fiets Fietspaden Frietjes met fritessaus (en pindasaus) Floddertje Frikandellen Fabritius van ‘t Puttertje Flipperkast Florijn or guilder, the currency before the Euro Fierljeppen Funda Febo Fokke & Sukke Friet met Fried food Flensjes Frituren The D ..read more

Up today in the The A-Z of Turning Dutch – the Letter E. What words beginning with E do you associate with living here in the Netherlands? Or with the Dutch themselves? That’s the question I posed on Twitter as part of the A-Z of Turning Dutch series. With no further ado, here’s what you said: Eekhorns and the Eekhornbrug (I’m going to come back to this) Eikel (the word I had expected to hear first, and multiple times) Eigenwijs E zelsbruggetje: which is further explained by a tweeter, “…the mnemonics that help you learn and remember things (like languages). I always thought the name was grea ..read more

Welcome to the A-Z of Turning Dutch. What’s that? I hear you cry. Simply put: what springs to mind about life in the Netherlands when you think of the letter A? What aspect of life in the land of the Dutch do you associate with the letter B? And C? You get the picture. And this post, what with it being the fourth in the series, is all about the Dutch associations you have with the letter D. The A-Z of Turning Dutch – The Letter D Firstly, I apologise for the long time gap between C and D. You can blame long covid, or as it is now known in the Netherlands, Post Covid Syndroom. Referring to it b ..read more

Welcome to the A-Z of Turning Dutch. What’s that? I hear you cry. Simply put: what springs to mind about life in the Netherlands when you think of the letter A? What aspect of life in the land of the Dutch do you associate with the letter B? And C? You get the picture. And this post, what with it being the third in the series, is all about the Dutch associations you have with the letter C. The A-Z of Turning Dutch – The Letter C My expectation was that you would struggle with the letter C, seeing as it’s not commonly used at the start of Dutch words. But no, you knocked C out of the park. Here ..read more

Want to join in with the A-Z of Turning Dutch? What’s that? I hear you cry. Simply put: what springs to mind about life in the Netherlands when you think of the letter A? What aspect of life in the land of the Dutch do you associate with the letter B? And C? You get the picture. And this post is all about the responses you gave for the letter B. The The A-Z of Turning Dutch: Letter B If you missed A then check out the fruity list here. Without further ado, let’s turn our attention to B. It turns out there’s a fair bit of food you associate with B, and bread features heavily…..and bikes of cour ..read more

Want to join in with the A-Z of Turning Dutch? What’s that? I hear you cry. Simply put: what springs to mind about life in the Netherlands when you think of the letter A? What aspect of life in the land of the Dutch do you associate with the letter B? And C? You get the picture. The A-Z of Turning Dutch has been running for a few days on Twitter now, so you can jump in over there. Or you can read along here with the responses. And I can assure you there are worth reading! So let’s get going, from the beginning. The The A-Z of Turning Dutch: Letter A This series provides a fascinating insight i ..read more