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"Talk sometimes in a foreign language, not to forget how bad you know it."
- Boleslav Paszkowski
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As a Dutch officer's wife and mother of two, Margaretha Geertruida would scarcely have taken the sophisticated French capital by storm. But as an exotic dancer from the East, she could attract the attention she craved.
And so, by 1905, she had assumed a new identity, successfully passing herself off as the daughter of an East Indian temple dancer who had died in childbirth.
To replace her mother, Margaretha Geertruida now claimed, she had been dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and instructed in the erotic rituals of his worship.
Tall and shapely, with blue-black hair, dark eyes, and a slightly brownish complexion, she was easily taken for an Indian. The exotic name she gave herself, Mata Hari, meant "eye of the dawn."
See more facts here
Mata Hari statue in Leeuwarden Friesland Holland
English
Dutch:
Transcription:
Dialogue 2
You: - .................../e.g. Good morning/!
Mata Hari: - Hallo! Mijn naam is Mata Hari.
Wat is uw naam? /What's your name/
[ʋɑt is yw naːm]
You: - ........../My name is.... e.g. Johnny Depp/
Mata Hari: - Hoe gaat het met u?
Johnny Depp: - ............. /e.g. I'm doing well, thank you/
Mata Hari: - Hoe is het weer vandaag?
Johnny Depp: - Pardon?
Please meet Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod,
better known by the stage name Mata Hari,
a Dutch Frisian exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted
of being a spy and executed by firing squad in France
under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.
Do you want to ask her what it's like
to be the most famous courtesan... I mean, spy in the world?
I don't.
Anyway, let's greet her.
The question "hoe is het weer vandaag?"
[ɣu is ət ʋɪːr vɑn.ˈdaːx]
means "what's the weather like today?".
Let's how you can answer to this question:
It is cold
Het is koud
[ət is kɑut]
It is cloudy
Het is bewolkt
[ət is bəˈwɔlkt]
It is nice and cool outside
Het is lekker fris buiten
[ət is ˈlɛ.kər ˈbœytə(n)]
Now, you are ready
to continue the dialogue.
The phrase "Nee, het regent" means "No, it's raining".
[ne:j ət rəˈxɛnt]
Here are some other useful expression you can use
to describe the weather.
The sun is shining
De zon schijnt
[də szɔn sxɛi̯nt]
English
Dutch:
Transcription:
The sun is coming out
De zon komt door
[də szɔn kɔmt doːr]
Now, let's continue
the conversation.
It is a nice weather
Het is mooi weer
[ət is moj ʋɪːr]
It's going to rain
Het gaat regenen
[hɛt ɣaːt 'rəxɛnen]
Dialogue 3
It is hot
Het is warm
[ət is wɑrm]
English
Dutch:
Transcription:
In these expressions you met new verbs:
"schijnen" [ˈxɛi̯nə(n)] = "to shine"
"regenen" [rəˈxɛnen] = "to rain"
"komen" [ˈkoʊ̯mə(n)] = "to come"
"worden" [ˈʋɔr.də(n)] = "to become"
These are regular verbs.
They all form the present tense in the same way:
It is sunny
Het is zonnig
[ət is zonix]
Het [ət] /it, that/
(demostrative pronoun)
is used as a formal subject
in sentences with
the verb zijn /to be/ + a noun
or an adjective
Ex.: Het is koud /it is cold/
Conjugation of the verb
to be (present) = zijn [zɛin]
I am = ik ben [bĕn]
you are = jij bent [bĕnt]
s/he/it is = hij/zij/het is [is]
we are = wij zijn [zɛin]
you are = jullie zijn [zɛin]
they are = zij zijn [zɛin]
It's getting dark
Het wordt donker
[hɛt ʋɔrt ˈdɔŋkər]
There is no wind
Het is windstil
[hɛt is wɪntˈstɪl]
There's a chilly wind blowing
Er is een koude wind
[ær is eːn kɑute wint]
to come (present) = komen [ˈkoʊ̯mə(n)]
I come = ik kom [kɔm]
you come = jij komt [kɔmt]
s/he/it comes = hij/zij/het komt [kɔmt]
we come = wij komen [ˈkoʊ̯mə(n)]
you come = jullie komen [ˈkoʊ̯mə(n)]
they come = zij komen [ˈkoʊ̯mə(n)]
Dialogue 1
Mata Hari: - Nee, het regent.
You: - ........../No, it's going to rain/
Mata Hari: - Tot ziens dan (then).
[dɑn]
Johnny Dep: - ................../e.g. Bye/
English
Dutch:
Transcription:
UNIT 2: Weather
Mata Hari: - Hoe is het weer vandaag?
You: - ............/e.g. It is a nice weather/.
Mata Hari: - Nee, het regent.
You: - Eh?