‘What is this song about’, I ask the group as the last sounds of the ballad IJskoud by Dutch singer Nielson die away.
‘Een ijskoude vrouw’ (an ice-cold woman), Gunnars from Latvia answers with confidence.
Excellent, Gunnars.
Does this mean he understood the song I just played verbatim?
By no means. But he got the gist of it.
That's the beauty of listening to songs in the aspirational language. They help you get to know and understand new lingo in a very natural manner.
The theme of the song is consistently carried through in successive verses in different, often evolving, ways.
If you don't fully understand the first, it may still help you to understand the next, or else the subsequent verse.
Verses aplenty.
In most songs.
In fact, the very best thing about songs is the repetition that happens in such a pleasing way that it sticks in your brain.
Thanks to the small variations the singers allow themselves in the process, you get the subtleties of the word usage as a bonus.
With any luck, you'll never forget certain phrases after the last chords fade away.
And so, by the end of the tune, you have subconsciously learned something new.
A word, a phrase, an expression.
I myself can still recall exactly from which songs I picked up particular words or expressions that are now fixtures in my English vocabulary.
On karaoke nights with friends or colleagues, Ernesto from Argentina used to sing along wholeheartedly to Bloed, zweet en tranen (blood, sweat and tears) by the late Dutch crooner André Hazes without giving the text much thought.
Then he dove into the lyrics of his favorite song in preparation for our next lesson.
When he walks into the classroom, I ask how he is doing.
‘Ik ben heel triest’ (I’m very sad), Ernesto answers. ‘I always thought of Bloed, zweet en tranen as a happy song, but now I know it’s the complete opposite.’
Still stricken, he remarks, throwing his hands in the air, ’Hij heeft het opgegeven!’ (He gave up!)
At least now Ernesto will never forget.
Sure, I am Always Talkin’ Food, but I teach NT2 (Dutch as a second language) on the side. Mainly to young internationals who came to Amsterdam for or with love and intend to stay. For privacy reasons the names in these columns are fictitious.
Food lingo
De Bossche bol - giant profiterole covered in chocolate; a specialty from Den Bosch
De ceremonial matcha gekoelde havermelk latte - ceremonial matcha iced oat milk latte
Capitalizing on de Bossche bol
True Amsterdammers are known for never setting foot outside the city ring, with the exception of long-distance trips to Cape Town to hibernate on ceremonial matcha iced oatmilk latte. Visiting the Dutch countryside? Hell no. That's why rural shopkeepers and food suppliers regularly come to the capital. Like Jan de Groot, the reputed Bossche bollen bakery from Den Bosch in the south of the Netherlands. Most Amsterdam residents know the viennoiserie only from hearsay, or maybe from some work-related chance visit to Den Bosch. Now they can stay in town and still have a taste of it, as Jan de Groot has placed a small truck at the entrance of the Van Gogh Museum, from where he sells his pastries for the first time ever in the Dutch capital - of course at capital prices (twice as high as in Den Bosch). Unconfirmed rumor has it that Jan will leave town again on February 18, so be quick. Or else have another ceremonial matcha iced oatmilk latte in Cape Town.
Jan de Groot’s Bossche bollen truck in front of het Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Opening hours are the same as the museum’s.