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'misverstand'

Getting the wrong end of the stick is a risk you run in a foreign language, often resulting in een misverstand – a misunderstanding. It may be false friends who let you down in Dutch: een douche means a shower and nothing more; de brave jongen is just a well-behaved boy; een slim meisje is a smart girl, not necessarily slender, or if you’re German, bad. Likewise, a Swede may become impatient if you say ik kom straks, and you come later rather than immediately.
Alistair MacLean
(November 17, 2024)
'zwijgen'

One of the mysteries of language is the verbs, and in particular the irregular verbs. Why is the past of take “took” and not “taked”? Why are verbs at one time regular and a couple of centuries later irregular?
Alistair MacLean
(November 10, 2024)
uithoudingsvermogen

Our word this week is a mouthful: uithoudingsvermogen – stamina. It’s something that seems to be essential in so many situations, especially in politics. Belgian politicians no doubt wryly smile at the idea of a week being a long time in politics as they use up their uithoudingsvermogen jostling their way out of the present impasse.
Alistair MacLean
(November 3, 2024)
'walnoot'

Nuts, I’ve never seen so many nuts as this year. Our eikeboom – oak tree – has finished shedding its thousands of eikels or acorns; shame we don’t keep pigs. Standing unobtrusively a short distance away is another tree. I don’t know where it came from; we certainly didn’t plant it. It’s a walnotenboom, walnut tree, though usually it’s just called een notenboom. And like the eikeboom, it has produced a vast quantity of nuts. Which all means work for me.
Alistair MacLean
(October 27, 2024)
woordenschat

You get to a stage in a language where it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand each and every word. You reach the threshold for whatever use you are making of the language, whether it be to chat, to read instructions, understand the news or plunge into a novel.
Alistair MacLean
(October 20, 2024)
foto

The front page of last week's Flanders Today was an eye-catching splash of red, which made me want to tear off the plastic wrapper. It was photo of a star in the film Smoorverliefd - Madly in Love. I then turned to the back page to see my column, or rather to see what the photo would be that accompanied it.
Alistair MacLean
(October 13, 2024)
herfst

Leaves are falling just like embers from the tree outside my window; in colours red and gold they fire the autumn light. Not very original, but it's time to capture the glory of autumn while it lasts. You may think we're having an Indian summer but in fact het is al herfst - it's already autumn. (Sorry if it's raining when you read this: wishful thinking at the time of writing.)
Alistair MacLean
(October 6, 2024)
over

Over is one of those Dutch words that looks and sounds like English and is used in a similar way: dit is over van gisteren – this is left over from yesterday; als er genoeg tijd over is – if there’s enough time left.
Alistair MacLean
(September 29, 2024)
wandelen

The little rectangles that look like Polish flags are a bit like the markers made by tramps: they show the way and give help to those in the know. Every sizeable town has these inconspicuous red and white stripes on lamp posts and litter bins; in the countryside you’ll find them on trees and fenceposts.
Alistair MacLean
(September 22, 2024)
flitspaal
Either they are a nuisance or they are lifesavers. Whichever, we all have an opinion about flitspalen - speed cameras. Gone are the days when you could count the number of flitspalen in Flanders on your fingers and they could be easily avoided by speed merchants. Now there are 1,400 of the distinctly inelegant palen - poles looming over unsuspecting drivers in Flanders.
Alistair MacLean
(September 15, 2024)