“Ik hou van jouw ketting.” Dakota, an artist from the U.S. points to Ziba’s brand new necklace.
“Wat lief”, the Iranian store manager replies.
Every NT2 teacher encounters a moment like this. A moment when you weigh what’s more important: that your students speak Dutch at all, or that they speak ‘correctly’.
Our current course is at level B2. It’s no longer about basic grammar, but increasingly about subtleties. ‘Echt’ Nederlands—not from grammar books, but Dutch as it is actually spoken.
Apart from the three of us, the classroom is still empty. And so, after some hesitation, I ask Dakota if she’s in love with Ziba’s necklace. If she might want to marry it, or at least move in together.
Taking a linguistic issue to the point of absurdity helps clarify it and etch it into the brain.
I know from experience that taking a linguistic issue to the point of absurdity helps clarify it and etch it into the brain.
Dakota of course doesn’t get my remark. In love? With a necklace? Marry it? She and Ziba chuckle.
In English people say “I love this, I love that” very easily. I do so too (see below). But in Dutch, it’s more nuanced.
“Nederlands genuanceerd? Dat is nieuws.” More giggles from both.
I explain that when you say, “Ik hou van…”, this implies a degree of connection, een band, however superficial. Perhaps it’s a remnant of the Dutch Calvinist streak, but when you see something or someone for the very first time, you can’t declare your love—or hate, for that matter. There’s no shared history yet. “Saying ‘Ik hou van die ketting’ sounds awkward.”
More students are trickling in now.
“Zij kan niet zeggen dat ze van Ziba’s ketting houdt?” Sergi, a technical engineer from Spain is baffled too.
“Maar wat zeg ik dan?” Dakota wants to know.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.