Once upon a time there was a word that I just couldn’t quite my tongue round. It’s a word I’d avoid saying if at all possible: Scheveningen. In fact, the list of impossible words was, at one point, very long indeed. In fact, the list of words impossible to say was probably longer than the list of Dutch words I could utter without issue.
The good news is that it gets easier – so keep persevering with your Dutch language learning!
Brits Learning Dutch
Let’s face it, the Dutch language is not the easiest for a British person to get a grip on. There are lots of throaty sounds which simply don’t exist in the English language. I have had to learn to growl and gargle in whole new ways, just to communicate with the people in the country I now call home.
The Dreaded ‘sch’ Sound
When I first came to the Netherlands I lived temporarily in Voorschoten. Thankfully it was only for a few months because I really couldn’t pronounce it properly in those early days. It’s the “sch” part that caused issues. The same sound is the culprit when non-Dutch visitors are trying to say Scheveningen. It took a while, but I did eventually master the guttural sound.
‘Ui’ is the Other Sound to Avoid
Ui (the Dutch word for onion) was the other word that I avoided if I could, simple enough if you refuse to talk about food. But that also meant I couldn’t talk about leaving the house (uitgaan) or about exits (uitgang). But I eventually got over those hurdles.
Difficult
However, one word remains. It sits as a solitary, lonely word on my ‘impossible to say’ list. It glares at me, sits there with an evil smile, daring me to make a fool of myself, challenging me to find an alternative way of saying what it means.
Difficulty. I have difficulty with the Dutch word for difficulty. Moeite. There, I’ve said it out loud. Faced my Dutch demon but alas, I still can’t say it like a native. Tips welcome on how to say it like a real Dutchman…..
Over to You
Which Dutch words do you find hard to pronounce? What did you used to find difficult but have now conquered?
Dutch Language Learning Resources
Dutch in 3 Months with Free Audio App
Your Essential Guide to Understanding and Speaking Dutch (Hugo in 3 Months)
Before I left England and set foot in the Netherlands with my worldly possessions, I was already dipping hungrily into this book to get at least a basic grasp of the Dutch language.
This book – and the accompanying audio (a CD back in those days!) – helped me enormously. It gave me a useful starting point and, more importantly, helped me feel a little less daunted about arriving in a country where I didn’t speak the language.
A personal favourite and the first Dutch language learning book I’d recommend.
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