Like learning the language, learning about the culture helps you feel more at home in a new country. You understand people better, you can communicate more easily, and you also gradually discover how language and culture influence each other. In our language courses, we therefore also devote attention to cultural aspects. In this blog post, we introduce you to some ‘typically Dutch’ things – which can be useful if you are new to the Netherlands (and a feast of recognition for those who have lived here longer)!
Cycling
The Netherlands is a true cycling country. Children learn to ride a bicycle from an early age, and cycling is a very popular activity. As a sport, for fun trips during holidays, but also to commute to work! The countless bicycle paths will take you anywhere you want. Be careful though: using your phone while cycling can cost you dearly, and you can also be fined for cycling in the dark without lights. Be warned!
‘Lekker’
The word ‘lekker’ is used a lot in Dutch, and not only to talk about food! Used as an adjective, ‘lekker’ means tasty or nice, but as an adverb, it means nicely, well, or very. As a result, Dutch people go ‘lekker’ outside when the weather is ‘lekker’, because the sunshine is so ‘lekker’ warm. If you have ‘lekker’ some time off, you go ‘lekker’ on holiday, and hopefully your journey goes ‘lekker’ smoothly. Oh no... did your car break down on the highway, and was the weather awful after all? ‘Lekker dan!’ (Too bad!).
Favourite topic of conversation: the weather
It is no coincidence that the example above is about the weather, as this is a popular topic of conversation. Ideal for having an easy-going chat with anyone, but also for complaining. If it hasn't snowed by January, it's ‘not a real winter’, but as soon as the freezing cold sets in, everyone starts complaining: “Cold, huh!” Come summer, a few days of heat are enough for everyone to start groaning and moaning. So it's useful to learn to talk about the weather, as this will immediately help you feel like you belong!
Diminutives
Did you notice how often Dutch people say ‘zonnetje’, rather than ‘zon’, to mean sunshine? Now the sun is not really what you would call small... But the Dutch do love their diminutives. And not just for things that really are small, like a child's bike (‘kinderfietsje’), but also for things that are nice: “Shall we grab a ‘terrasje’ (terrace) and have a ‘lekker wijntje’ (a nice glass of wine)?” But diminutives can also be used negatively, for example when a strange man is referred to as a ‘raar kereltje’ (‘a weird little guy'’).
