Dutch Conversation-Grammar 1732 Studios

Dutch · Unit 30

Book III, Unit 3: Unit 3

Refresher Course, Books II and III

Unit 3

160 lines

De Nederlandse Taal

A conversation to listen to

A spontaneous conversation between two educated Dutch speakers, recorded in 1961 without a script. The text keeps what they said as they said it: hesitations, repeated words, words left out.

Listen first with the text, then without it. The aim is to follow the whole conversation by ear.

  1. 1

    Americans often think Dutch is only a dialect of German. That, of course, is completely wrong.

    AmerikanenAmerican
    menento think, to believe
    dikwijls,often
    datthat; that (conjunction)
    NederlandsNederlands
    alleenonly
    maarbut
    eena
    dialectdialect
    isto be (irregular)
    vanof, from
    hetit; the
    Duits.Duits
    Datthat; that (conjunction)
    isto be (irregular)
    natuurlijkof course
    helemaalentirely
    verkeerd.wrong
  2. 2

    But do you know, they won't believe at all that there are so many different dialects in a country as small as Holland.

  3. 3

    Yes, for instance, in Limburg you have the soft “g”.

  4. 4

    That's right.

  5. 5

    But the Frisian language isn't really Dutch.

  6. 6

    No, Frisian is a language all it's own. But did you know that Frisian resembles English most of all?

  7. 7

    No.

I. Dialog for Listening

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 15. De Nederlandse Taal

This is a spontaneous conversation between educated and imaginative Dutch speakers. No scripts were used in recording. The result is natural spoken Dutch.

All the dialogs entitled Dialog for Listening have been reproduced in your text in such a way as to capture their spontaneity. This includes hesitation sounds, repetitions, omitted words and other features that are characteristic of unrehearsed, non-selfconscious, conversational-style speech.

The Dialog for Listening section is for oral comprehension. The student should follow this section in his text, as he listens to it on tape, until such time as he can dispense with the text and understand everything from the tape alone.
  1. 8

    And then in the south of the Netherlands. Of course, in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen it resembles Belgian again.

  2. 9

    Then you have Flemish, yes . . . but I really think that the best language is spoken by the announcers over the radio.

  3. 10

    Yes, and most of the time, a very nice voice to listen to.

  4. 11

    And, of course, the pronunciation is the best.

  5. 12

    Perfect.

  6. 13

    And, of course, then there is the dialect of Amsterdam. The pronunciation of the language in Amsterdam or the pronunciation of the language in Rotterdam.

  7. 14

    Yes, that makes a lot of difference.

  1. 15

    Because when you hear somebody from Amsterdam, then you can really tell that it's low Dutch.

  2. 16

    Yes; what do they say again for a quarter, a “heitje”?

  3. 17

    And more words like that.

Uit Eten Gaan

  1. 18

    Good evening, sir. Can I help you?

  2. 19

    What do you have on the menu tonight?

  3. 20

    Haven't you seen the menu yet?

  4. 21

    No.

  5. 22

    Just a second, I'll get you one, look here, I don't know if you would like something special, but if you want one of these three . . .

  6. 23

    I don't like the goulash too much, but which of the other two would you recommend?

  7. 24

    I don't know whether or not you like roastbeef.

I. Dialog for Listening

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 16. Uit Eten Gaan

This is a spontaneous conversation between educated and imaginative Dutch speakers. No scripts were used in recording. The result is natural spoken Dutch.

All the dialogs entitled Dialog for Listening have been reproduced in your text in such a way as to capture their spontaneity. This includes hesitation sounds, repetitions, omitted words and other features that are characteristic of unrehearsed, non-selfconscious, conversational-style speech.

The Dialog for Listening section is for oral comprehension. The student should follow this section in his text, as he listens to it on tape, until such time as he can dispense with the text and understand everything from the tape alone.
  1. 25

    Yes, if it's good, that's what I wanted to know.

  2. 26

    Yes, of course, sir, we only have high quality here.

  3. 27

    Do you still have the asparagus soup?

  4. 28

    Yes.

  5. 29

    Put me down for the asparagus soup.

  6. 30

    Would you like a bowl or a cup?

  7. 31

    A cup, please.

  1. 32

    A cup and then the chicken with applesauce, and how would you like your potatoes? Fried or boiled?

  2. 33

    Fried potatoes.

  3. 34

    And would you like a salad with it?

  4. 35

    Yes, please.

  5. 36

    And what would you like for dessert; we have apple pie or ice cream or fruit pudding.

  6. 37

    I think I'll leave out the dessert completely, or is it included?

  7. 38

    It's included in the price, sir.

  1. 39

    Oh.

  2. 40

    One guilder, eighty-five cents the entire meal.

  3. 41

    Yes, well, then give me the apple pie.

  4. 42

    Apple pie and coffee, right?

  5. 43

    And coffee, please.

  6. 44

    Fine, then I'll order it for you, sir. It won't be long, because we aren't very busy at the moment.

Venetië

  1. 45

    I heard that you lived in Venice for a few years?

  2. 46

    Yes, we lived in Venice for two years, eh, we just came back.

  3. 47

    Oh, that's nice.

  4. 48

    It's a very charming city, but the two years we lived there, I didn't like it too much at the end, anymore.

  5. 49

    Oh, yes?

  6. 50

    They sometimes say that Amsterdam is the Venice of the North, but you can notice the difference in atmosphere.

  7. 51

    And, you mean that Amsterdam is so much more friendly in the winter?

I. Dialog for Listening

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 17. Venetië

This is a spontaneous conversation between educated and imaginative Dutch speakers. No scripts were used in recording. The result is natural spoken Dutch.

All the dialogs entitled Dialog for Listening have been reproduced in your text in such a way as to capture their spontaneity. This includes hesitation sounds, repetitions, omitted words and other features that are characteristic of unrehearsed, non-selfconscious, conversational-style speech.

The Dialog for Listening section is for oral comprehension. The student should follow this section in his text, as he listens to it on tape, until such time as he can dispense with the text and understand everything from the tape alone.
  1. 52

    Yes, Amsterdam is more a cosmopolitan city. The Venetians don't consider themselves Italians. They are really an aristocratic race in itself.

  2. 53

    Yes.

  3. 54

    Their own dialect is very strong and also, because of the custom regulations it is, eh, rather separated from Italy; it has a free port and there is separate customs inspection in Venice. I think that Venice came up during the thirteenth or fourteenth century.

  4. 55

    Yes.

Fotograferen

  1. 56

    John, I notice that you also have a camera.

  2. 57

    It isn't such an expensive instrument but I hope to start with it.

  3. 58

    Oh, that is beautiful, say.

  4. 59

    I have not bought a flash, and I have experimented a little to take pictures inside, anyway.

  5. 60

    Yes, you can't do to much about it unless you buy a flash, exactly. That is really the solution.

  6. 61

    And how necessary is a light meter?

  7. 62

    Not so much for indoor shots, it becomes really critical with color film. There are only few people who can judge with the naked eye how much they have to expose color film. With black and white it can be done with a little bit of practice and ingenuity.

I. Dialog for Listening

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 18. Fotograferen

This is a spontaneous conversation between educated and imaginative Dutch speakers. No scripts were used in recording. The result is natural spoken Dutch.

All the dialogs entitled Dialog for Listening have been reproduced in your text in such a way as to capture their spontaneity. This includes hesitation sounds, repetitions, omitted words and other features that are characteristic of unrehearsed, non-selfconscious, conversational-style speech.

The Dialog for Listening section is for oral comprehension. The student should follow this section in his text, as he listens to it on tape, until such time as he can dispense with the text and understand everything from the tape alone.
  1. 63

    And are these things very expensive?

  2. 64

    A light meter is not that expensive.

  3. 65

    It is worth the trouble to get better pictures.

  4. 66

    Yes, look, they only become expensive if they are very sensitive, and, in other words, if you want to use them when it's very dark.

  5. 67

    And my next step will be to buy a light meter.

  6. 68

    Yes, if you are planning to take color pictures, then I would certainly advise you to do that.

Bij de Bakker

  1. 69

    Good morning, sir. Can I help you?

  2. 70

    Yes, please. You really have to help me, because I'm substituting for my wife; she said she was too busy with the laundry and all kinds of things which came at the same time and asked me if I could perhaps take care of the bread for the weekend.

  3. 71

    Well, let me see, what kind of bread would you like? White or rye or wheat bread?

  4. 72

    Let me see, we usually have white bread and wheat bread.

  5. 73

    How big is your family?

  6. 74

    Yes, that is husband, wife and three children.

  7. 75

    Three children, well, then, you need at least two loaves of white bread for the whole weekend. What else would you like . . . pastry?

I. Dialog for Listening

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 19. Bij de Bakker

This is a spontaneous conversation between educated and imaginative Dutch speakers. No scripts were used in recording. The result is natural spoken Dutch.

All the dialogs entitled Dialog for Listening have been reproduced in your text in such a way as to capture their spontaneity. This includes hesitation sounds, repetitions, omitted words and other features that are characteristic of unrehearsed, non-selfconscious, conversational-style speech.

The Dialog for Listening section is for oral comprehension. The student should follow this section in his text, as he listens to it on tape, until such time as he can dispense with the text and understand everything from the tape alone.
  1. 76

    Well, eh, I think we always have fresh cookies for the weekend and then for Sunday, each of us has a pastry, that makes five.

  2. 77

    Well, here are the pastries. And would you like some candy maybe?

  3. 78

    Yes, give me some candy, too.

  4. 79

    Shall I wrap it up all together?

  5. 80

    Yes.

  6. 81

    Can you take it with you or shall I have it delivered?

  7. 82

    No, I'll take it myself.

  1. 83

    You will take it with you?

  2. 84

    Yes.

  3. 85

    Fine, that is, let me see, that is, then, three, four, four twenty-five, sir.

  4. 86

    Yes, excellent.

  5. 87

    Here you are.

  6. 88

    Good morning.

  7. 89

    Good afternoon.

  8. 90

    Good day, miss.

Substitution drill 1, part 1

Substitution drills

A drill starts from one sentence of the dialogs. Each turn gives a new word or phrase to put in the sentence in place of one of its parts.

Say the whole sentence again with the new part in place. The shape of the sentence does not change. Only the one part does.

  1. 91

    Dat is natuurlijk helemaal verkeerd.

    That, of course, is all wrong.

  2. 92

    Dat is natuurlijk helemaal niet waar.

    That, of course, is not true at all.

  3. 93

    Dat is natuurlijk langzamerhand zo gegroeid.

    That, of course, was slowly formed this way.

  4. 94

    Dat is natuurlijk niet goed voor de lijn.

    That, of course, isn't good for your figure.

  5. 95

    Dat is natuurlijk van belang voor onze maatschappij.

    That, of course, is of importance to our company.

  6. 96

    Dat is natuurlijk een vergissing.

    That, of course, is a mistake.

  7. 97

    Dat is natuurlijk niet te vermijden.

    That, of course, can't be overlooked.

Substitution Drills

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 20. Substitution Drill 1.

Listen to and repeat the first sentence of the drill on tape. Your voice will be followed by a low voice on tape to correct any mistakes in your utterance. You will now immediately hear a word or phrase that you are to substitute into the original sentence. Without hesitating, say the entire sentence again, this time with the new element in place of an element in the original sentence. You will again be corrected. Then you will hear, as before, another element for substitution. Again you will repeat the entire sentence, dropping the old element and substituting the new element in its place.

They are based on the previous five dialogs. Their purpose is to give you fluency in controlling sentences of the dialogs with additional variations provided by the substitution elements. You will observe that the basic structure of the dialog sentences does not change in these drills.

Substitution drill 1, part 2

  1. 98

    Dat is natuurlijk helemaal verkeerd.

    That, of course, is all wrong.

  2. 99

    Dat is natuurlijk niet te beschrijven.

    That, of course, can't be described.

  3. 100

    Dat is natuurlijk allemaal onzin.

    That, of course, is all nonsense.

  4. 101

    Dat is natuurlijk helemaal verkeerd.

    That, of course, is all wrong.

Substitution drill 2, part 1

  1. 102

    Ik weet niet of U van roostbief houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like roast beef.

  2. 103

    Ik weet niet of U van haring houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like herring.

  3. 104

    Ik weet niet of U van deze kaas houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like this cheese.

  4. 105

    Ik weet niet of U van zuurkool houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like sauerkraut.

  5. 106

    Ik weet niet of U van bloemkool houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like cauliflower.

  6. 107

    Ik weet niet of U van erwtensoep houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like pea soup.

  7. 108

    Ik weet niet of U van sla houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like salad.

Substitution Drills

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 20. Substitution Drill 2.

Listen to and repeat the first sentence of the drill on tape. Your voice will be followed by a low voice on tape to correct any mistakes in your utterance. You will now immediately hear a word or phrase that you are to substitute into the original sentence. Without hesitating, say the entire sentence again, this time with the new element in place of an element in the original sentence. You will again be corrected. Then you will hear, as before, another element for substitution. Again you will repeat the entire sentence, dropping the old element and substituting the new element in its place.

They are based on the previous five dialogs. Their purpose is to give you fluency in controlling sentences of the dialogs with additional variations provided by the substitution elements. You will observe that the basic structure of the dialog sentences does not change in these drills.

Substitution drill 2, part 2

  1. 109

    Ik weet niet of U van roostbief houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like roast beef.

  2. 110

    Ik weet niet of U van radijsjes houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like radishes.

  3. 111

    Ik weet niet of U van pannekoeken houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like pancakes.

  4. 112

    Ik weet niet of U van roostbief houdt.

    I don't know whether or not you like roast beef.

Substitution drill 3, part 1

  1. 113

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam zoveel gezelliger is in de winter?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam is much more pleasant in the winter?

  2. 114

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam zoveel drukker is om 5 uur?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam is much busier at five p.m.?

  3. 115

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam tot diep in de nacht druk blijft?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam remains active until far into the night?

  4. 116

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam zo'n aantrekkingskracht heeft?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam has such a great attraction?

  5. 117

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam een grotere haven zou moeten hebben?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam should have a larger harbor?

  6. 118

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam niet de hoofdstad zou moeten zijn?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam shouldn't be the capital?

  7. 119

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam verkeersproblemen heeft?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam has traffic problems?

Substitution Drills

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 20. Substitution Drill 3.

Listen to and repeat the first sentence of the drill on tape. Your voice will be followed by a low voice on tape to correct any mistakes in your utterance. You will now immediately hear a word or phrase that you are to substitute into the original sentence. Without hesitating, say the entire sentence again, this time with the new element in place of an element in the original sentence. You will again be corrected. Then you will hear, as before, another element for substitution. Again you will repeat the entire sentence, dropping the old element and substituting the new element in its place.

They are based on the previous five dialogs. Their purpose is to give you fluency in controlling sentences of the dialogs with additional variations provided by the substitution elements. You will observe that the basic structure of the dialog sentences does not change in these drills.

Substitution drill 3, part 2

  1. 120

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam zoveel gezelliger is in de winter?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam is much more pleasant in the winter?

  2. 121

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam auto's in de benedenstad zou moeten verbieden?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam should forbid any cars in the downtown area?

  3. 122

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam de grootste stad in Nederland is?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands?

  4. 123

    Bedoelt U dat Amsterdam zoveel gezelliger is in de winter?

    Do you mean that Amsterdam is much more pleasant in the winter?

Substitution drill 4, part 1

  1. 124

    Een belichtingsmeter is niet zo duur.

    A light meter isn't that expensive.

  2. 125

    Een nieuwe auto is niet zo duur.

    A new car isn't that expensive.

  3. 126

    Een televisie toestel is niet zo duur.

    A television set isn't that expensive.

  4. 127

    Een nieuwe radio is niet zo duur.

    A new radio isn't that expensive.

  5. 128

    Een koelkast is niet zo duur.

    A refrigator isn't that expensive.

  6. 129

    Een bontjas is niet zo duur.

    A fur coat isn't that expensive.

  7. 130

    Naar de film gaan is niet zo duur.

    Going to a movie isn't that expensive.

Substitution Drills

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 20. Substitution Drill 4.

Listen to and repeat the first sentence of the drill on tape. Your voice will be followed by a low voice on tape to correct any mistakes in your utterance. You will now immediately hear a word or phrase that you are to substitute into the original sentence. Without hesitating, say the entire sentence again, this time with the new element in place of an element in the original sentence. You will again be corrected. Then you will hear, as before, another element for substitution. Again you will repeat the entire sentence, dropping the old element and substituting the new element in its place.

They are based on the previous five dialogs. Their purpose is to give you fluency in controlling sentences of the dialogs with additional variations provided by the substitution elements. You will observe that the basic structure of the dialog sentences does not change in these drills.

Substitution drill 4, part 2

  1. 131

    Een belichtingsmeter is niet zo duur.

    A light meter isn't that expensive.

  2. 132

    Uit eten gaan is niet zo duur.

    Going out for dinner isn't that expensive.

  3. 133

    Uit dansen gaan is niet zo duur.

    Going dancing isn't that expensive.

  4. 134

    Een belichtingsmeter is niet zo duur.

    A light meter isn't that expensive.

Substitution drill 5, part 1

  1. 135

    Wat voor brood had U willen hebben?

    What kind of bread did you want?

  2. 136

    Welk boek had U willen hebben?

    Which book did you want?

  3. 137

    Welk onderdeel had U willen hebben?

    Which spare part did you want?

  4. 138

    Wat voor meubilair had U willen hebben?

    What kind of furniture did you want?

  5. 139

    Welke japon had U willen hebben?

    Which dress did you want?

  6. 140

    Welk paard had U willen hebben?

    Which horse did you want?

  7. 141

    Wat voor laarzen had U willen hebben?

    What kind of boots did you want?

Substitution Drills

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 20. Substitution Drill 5.

Listen to and repeat the first sentence of the drill on tape. Your voice will be followed by a low voice on tape to correct any mistakes in your utterance. You will now immediately hear a word or phrase that you are to substitute into the original sentence. Without hesitating, say the entire sentence again, this time with the new element in place of an element in the original sentence. You will again be corrected. Then you will hear, as before, another element for substitution. Again you will repeat the entire sentence, dropping the old element and substituting the new element in its place.

They are based on the previous five dialogs. Their purpose is to give you fluency in controlling sentences of the dialogs with additional variations provided by the substitution elements. You will observe that the basic structure of the dialog sentences does not change in these drills.

Substitution drill 5, part 2

  1. 142

    Wat voor brood had U willen hebben?

    What kind of bread did you want?

  2. 143

    Welke roeiboot had U willen hebben?

    Which rowboat did you want?

  3. 144

    Welk vliegtuig had U willen hebben?

    Which plane did you want?

  4. 145

    Wat voor brood had U willen hebben?

    What kind of bread did you want?

Unit 3 test, part 1

The unit's test

Fifteen sentences from the unit's dialogs, heard once each.

Write the English for each. Any English that says the same thing is right. The test asks only whether the sentence was understood.

  1. 146

    Yes, that also differs quite a bit.

  2. 147

    But the Frisian language isn't really Dutch?

  3. 148

    What is on the menu this evening?

  4. 149

    I don't know whether you like roastbeef.

  5. 150

    Yes, of course, sir, we only have good quality here.

  6. 151

    I think I'll leave out the dessert entirely, or is that included?

  7. 152

    It won't take long because it isn't crowded at the moment.

Test on the Unit

DLI Dutch Refresher Course (1961), Book III, Lesson 21. Test on Unit 3.

The test tape consists of a translation drill containing fifteen sentences taken from the dialogs of the unit. This is a test for comprehension.

Have pencil and paper ready. Listen to the sentences and write an English equivalent in the time allotted.

The test tape tests only your comprehension of dialog sentences. The English provided in these answers is an equivalent and not a literal translation. Any parallel English sentence would be acceptable.

Unit 3 test, part 2

  1. 153

    I'v heard that you stayed in Venice for a few years.

  2. 154

    I think that Venice became a power in the thirteenth of fourteenth century.

  3. 155

    It isn't such an expensive apparatus, but I hope to start with this.

  4. 156

    And how necessary is a light meter?

  5. 157

    There aren't many people who can judge at a glance how long to expose a color film.

  6. 158

    With black and white it can be done with a little practice.

  7. 159

    How big is your family really?

  8. 160

    Can you carry it or do I have to deliver it?

The particulars

The course
Valette, Dutch Conversation-Grammar (1913) and its Key (1893); Defense Language Institute, Dutch Refresher Course, Books I to III (1961). Public domain. The teaching pages, the readings' English, the answers to the conversations and the narration are ours.
Reading aloud
Digital narration, directed by 1732 Studios.
The book
Max Havelaar, the work this course leads to, free to read here.
Data
JSON · Markdown · A guide for agents
Two whoopie pies and a pine. An inside joke.