Autumn is officially here. Welcome back to a new season of Talkin’ Lingo!
He is applying for a job. As a college professor, for instance, because he likes to share his knowledge with others.
In Iran, he lectured at the university.
To get a job at that level, his Dutch must be outstanding. He does everything to achieve that.
Flipping through his Dutch textbook, I see the margins scribbled full of notes in tiny handwriting. He knows literally every word in this book by heart.
Each lesson, he displays samples of that. He will talk about de maatschappij, zich aanpassen aan, adembenemend or onvoldoende presteren.
Grandiose, to say the least. At this level, B1.
His name means ‘king’.
Tonight, my students’ task is to discuss in small groups what is important to them in a friendship. All kinds of traits come up, from loyalty to gezelligheid.
King thinks humor is ‘een pre’.
The others have no idea what he means by pre. He knows the word from job ads, which state, for example, ‘Beheersing van de Nederlandse taal is een pre.’ (Proficiency in Dutch is a plus)
Listening in to the discussion of King’s group, I detect a deep frown on his forehead. He is clearly looking for a word he can’t come up with.
What extraordinary lingo could that possibly be?
Then he asks me, ‘Marjan, wat is about in het Nederlands?’
I am dumbfounded.
‘That's what you, the king of words, want to know?’
He smiles at me apologetically.
‘Ik hou alleen van ingewikkelde woorden.’ (I only like intricate words)
I teach NT2 (Dutch as a second language), mainly to young internationals who came to Amsterdam for or with love and intend to stay. The conversations reproduced here were all held in Dutch. For privacy reasons the names are fictitious.
Intricate lingo
De maatschappij - society
Zich aanpassen aan - adapt to
Adembenemend - breathtaking
Onvoldoende presteren - performing inadequately