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Porthos · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 8:53 am Post subject: Dutch-English game

I propose a game. Could somebody who is fluent in both Dutch or Afrikaans and English please write at least a small paragraph in Dutch that would be relatively easy for an English speaker to read and comprehend? I'm trying to show my friends of the close relationship between English and another West Germanic language like Dutch. And like most English speakers, they find it hard to believe that English is any way related to Dutch.

_________________
Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods

Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch

Pauline · Guest

Hallo Porthos

I will compose a paragraph in dutch for you and I will try to use the words who are similar with the english ones. I will write some things not interesting but chosing the english vocabluary ( the alternative would be german vocabulary) :

Ik zit in mijn huis : dit huis is oud. De straat is lang. De bank in de straat is open. Een man werkt daar en hij heeft blond haar. De bakker is open vanaf 10 uur ; het brood is goed.

Probably it's possible for you understand this, but I will translate it in english :

I sit in my house : this house is old. The street is long. The bank in the street is open. A man work there and he has blond hair. The baker is open from 10h ; the bread is good.

Some examples for you of the german vocabulary of ducth :

mogelijk = possible (german : möglich)
waarschijnlijk = probably (german : wahrscheinlich)

Fredrik · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:19 pm Post subject:

Goed werk, Pauline!

Although in Frisian, not Dutch or Afrikaans, I thought I might add the famous line:

Bûter, brea, en griene tsiis is goed Ingelsk en goed Frysk =
Butter, bread and green cheese is good English and good Frisian.

_________________
Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen. = Those who don't know foreign languages, know nothing of their own. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

André in Zuid-Afrika · Site Admin Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 1908

Porthos · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:42 pm Post subject:

Good work Pauline.

I thought I might add some Afrikaans-English comparision.

My pen was in my hand.

My hand is in warm water.

Can anyone else add to Pauline's contribution.
_________________
Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods

Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch

André in Zuid-Afrika · Site Admin Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 1908

Porthos · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 1:55 am Post subject:

Deborah · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:03 am Post subject:

Pauline · Guest

i've written some more dutch for you Porthos !!!This time you will translate it.

Hoe oud is de man in de bus ? Hij is zestig en zijn zuster is zeventig. Zijn naam is Jim. Hij had een amerikaanse vader en een italiaanse moeder. Als hij jonger was werkte hij in een school. Zijn familie is enorm : hij had drie zonen en zeven dochters ! Hij eet chocolade en drinkt bier in de bus. Zijn zuster eet een appel en drinkt een glas water.

Now I will include some german -dutch, so it will be more difficult for you but I will write down the german words and tranlstae them in enlgish so you will see the connections dutch/german like you've saw for dutch/english. It's a very stupid story but I wanted to include this specific type of vocabulary :

Waarschijnlijk zal Jim in het stadcentrum uitstappen, om de arts te bezoeken. Dan wil hij een paar dingen kopen. Het weer is slecht, dus hij zal niet veel in de stad willen blijven, maar terug naar huis gaan. Zijn vrouw kookt een lekker maaltijd : zijn lievelings eten is worst met fritten en voor nagerecht, pudding

wahrscheinlich = probably
Stadtzentrum = town centre
aussteigen = alight
Arzt = doctor
besuchen = visit
ein Par = a couple
Dingen = things
kaufen = buy
schlecht = bad
nicht viel = not much, not many
willen = want
bleiben = stay
zurück = back
nach = to
sein = his
Frau = lady, wife, woman
lecker = tasty, delicious
Mahlzeit = meal
lieblings = favourite
Essen =food
Wurst = sausage
Fritten = chips
Nachtisch = dessert
Pudding = custard

P.S. fortunatly for André his wife don't cook potato salad or chopped liver

David · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:47 am Post subject:

Dat is mijn bok!

Waar is dat...?
Waar is dit?

Hoe much kost dit?(I don't think that's right)

My Dutch isn't great...

André in Zuid-Afrika · Site Admin Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 1908

André in Zuid-Afrika · Site Admin Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 1908

Deborah · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:07 am Post subject:

André in Zuid-Afrika · Site Admin Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 1908

André in Zuid-Afrika · Site Admin Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 1908

wahrscheinlich = probably = waarskynlik
Stadtzentrum = town centre = middestad (sometimes stadskern)
aussteigen = alight = aansteek
Arzt = doctor = dokter/arts
besuchen = visit = besoek
ein Par = a couple = paartjie
Dingen = things = dinge (goed)
kaufen = buy = koop
schlecht = bad = sleg
nicht viel = not much, not many = nie baie nie
willen = want = wil
bleiben = stay = bly
zurück = back = terug
nach = to = na
sein = his = sy
Frau = lady, wife, woman = vrou
lecker = tasty, delicious = lekker
Mahlzeit = meal = maaltyd/ete
lieblings = favourite = gunsteling
Essen =food = kos
Wurst = sausage = wors
Fritten = chips = skyfies
Nachtisch = dessert = nagereg
Pudding = custard = vla
_________________
Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.

Porthos · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:58 am Post subject:

Pauline · Guest

Fredrik · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:27 pm Post subject:

Deborah · Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:04 pm Post subject:

I like it too. BTW, Porthos, adding "No offense!" doesn't decrease the offensiveness of statements such as "Dutch is terribly ugly" (IMO).

Pauline · Guest