Lesson 8 - Momentje...


Intro

This lesson teaches you how to place and accept phone calls. There's also some information on postal services in the Netherlands. Furthermore, you'll learn how to make plurals and you'll get some theory on passive sentences.



The first thing you should know about phoning in the Netherlands is that a lot of Dutch people find it quite rude that some people answer the phone without saying their names. So don't answer with Hallo, Ja? or with your phone number, but with Met xxx, U spreekt met xxx or xxx, goedemorgen (or -middag or -avond).

Text 8.1 - Met Kees Vermeulen...
  • Met Kees Vermeulen, goedenavond.
    		•
  • Goedenavond, met Katja.
    		•
  • Ha, dag Katja. Alles goed?
    		•
  • Ja hoor, prima. En met jou?
    		•
  • Uitstekend.
    		•
  • Zeg, is Ineke er ook?
    		•
  • Ik zal even kijken. Momentje ...
    		•
  • ... nee, het spijt me, Ineke is net weg.
    		•
  • Weet je ook hoe laat ze thuis is?
    		•
  • Ik heb geen idee.
    		•
  • Kun je vragen of ze me terugbelt?
    		•
  • Ja, dat is goed.
    		•
  • Ik ben tot twaalf uur wakker.
    		•
  • Ik zal het doorgeven
    		•
  • Goed, bedankt.
    		•
  • Graag gedaan hoor. Dag Katja.
    		•
  • Tot ziens.
    		•

    It's quite common to ask Is ... er ook, while ook just means 'too, also' and does not really make any more sense then saying Tot ziens at the end of a telephone conversation with someone you'll probably hear before you see him or her. In the case of ook: just don't translate it if it doesn't make any sense - it means something like 'by the way...'. In case of tot ziens: to most Dutch people, it seems less silly to use this common way of saying goodbye, than to use something like 'tot horens' - though some Dutch people do use this.

    Just to check if you got it right, here's the translation:

    If you call a company, of course the phone is picked up with the company name, often followed by the name of the department (afdeling) and person. If you want to know what phrases to use to get to someone in a company, go to 'lists & sounds' and click on 'Phoning'.




    Up untill the 1980's telephone and mail services were exclusively delivered by the Dutch PTT. At the end of the 80's, this company was completely privatized (so it's no longer related to the gouvernment) and the telephone and postal services where seperated: the phone company is now called PTT Telecom and the postal services are into KPN (Koninklijke PTT Nederland).

    As far as phoning is concerned, there is quite some competition now. But for regular postal services there hardly is, except for express mail. The regular mail boxes are emptied by KPN and the stamps on the letters are sold by the same company.

    Some mail related words and phrases you might need:

    Text 8.2 - Mail
  • het postkantoor
    		• the post office
  • Mag ik tien postzegels van 80 cent?
    		• Can I have ten 80 cent stamps?
  • Deze brieven moeten naar het buitenland.
    		• These letters are to be going abroad
  • Wat voor postzegel moet er op deze brief?
    		• What stamp should be on this letter?
  • Ik wil dit pakje aangetekend versturen.
    		• I want to send this package by registered mail
  • per luchtpost
    		• by air mail
  • per expresse
    		• by express mail
  • drukwerk
    		• printed paper
  • port betaald
    		• postage paid
  • de postbus
    		• P.O. Box
  • Op brievenbussen:
    		• On postboxes:
  • streekpost
    		• local mail
  • overige bestemmingen
    		• other destinations
  • Hoe laat wordt de brievenbus geleegd?
    		• At what time the postbox is being emptied?




    In the phrases above, you can see the major two different kinds of plurals: on -s and on -en in postzegels and bestemmingen. Here's the main rule for plurals - for more details, please study the pages on plural in the grammar section:





    In text 2, this sentence may have drawn your attention:


    This is called a 'passive construction'. In English you use forms like '... is being...', '...has been ...', when in Dutch you use the verb worden (more or less 'to become') or the verb zijn (for the perfect tense).

    Here's an overview, comparing active phrases to passive equivalents. What happens in the first three sets is, that a dog is biting a man - in the last three, the man beats the dog:

    Text 8.3 - Active & passive
  • Active
    		• Passive
  • De hond bijt de man
    		• De man wordt gebeten
  • De hond beet de man
    		• De man werd gebeten
  • De hond heeft de man gebeten
    		• De man is gebeten
  • De man slaat de hond
    		• De hond wordt geslagen
  • De man sloeg de hond
    		• De hond werd geslagen
  • De man heeft de hond geslagen
    		• De hond is geslagen

    The passive sentences would be tranlated in English as follows:




    Vocabulary
    aantekenen to register (mail)
    de agenda the agenda, planner
    de bestemming the destination
    betalen to pay
    bijten to bite
    de brievenbus the postbox
    het buitenland foreign countries
    het drukwerk printed paper
    de expresse express mail
    de haven the harbour
    de hond the dog
    het idee the idea
    legen to empty
    de luchtpost air mail
    het moment the moment
    net just
    ook also
    overig other
    het pakje the packet
    per per, by
    de port the postage
    de postbus the P.O. box
    het postkantoor the post office
    de postzegel the stamp
    de radio the radio
    slaan to beat
    de streekpost local mail
    de tafel the table
    de taxi the taxi
    terug back, returned
    thuis home, at home
    uitstekend excellent
    de vader the father
    versturen to send away
    wakker awake
    weg away




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