In my last post, I talked about how I normally write and translate the phrase, “I am beautiful” from English to Dutch. If you have not read it yet, you can click the title of the link below and go through it carefully.
It will give you some great ideas about how you can use it with yourself, how you can phrase it with different people and most importantly, how you can practice it in different situations. Now, in today’s Dutch phrase post or lesson, what am I going to share with you?
- Ik ben slim.
Translation?
- I am smart.
It is one of the most popular Dutch phrases that people use here in the Netherlands. Now, that is the first phrase that we are going to learn today. You have just learned how to write, “I am smart” in Dutch. Not only the phrase, how about the vocabulary?
Vocabulary
| English | Dutch | |
| 1) | I | Ik |
| 2) | Am | Ben |
| 3) | Smart | Slim |
That’s how I write and translate the English Phrase, “I am smart” into Dutch. And when it comes to understanding the vocabulary of Dutch phrases in English, that is how I like to break them down. It makes it easier to understand, recall and use. The fact that the phrase has only three words makes it even more fun to learn.
Challenge #1
Ready for a challenge? Great! I have plenty for you. Your first challenge today is to read the first six English phrases below. When you are done, your job is to translate them from English to Dutch as we did in this lesson. You have plenty of examples on this website to draw from as your guide. Notice how the first phrases below are about addressing yourself and others in the singular form.
Singular
| English | Dutch | ||
| 1) | I am smart. | Ik ben slim. | Example |
| 2) | You are smart. | Informal | |
| 3) | You are smart. | Formal | |
| 4) | He is smart. | Masculine | |
| 5) | She is smart. | Feminine | |
| 6) | It is smart. | Object |
Challenge #2
Are you done with the first challenge? Wonderful! How did you do? If you have done well, congratulations! Want another challenge? If so, I have more for you. Your second challenge is to read through the four English phrases below. When done, your job is to translate them from English to Dutch.
Plural
| English | Dutch | ||
| 1) | We are smart. | ||
| 2) | You are smart. | Formal | |
| 3) | You are smart. | Informal | |
| 4) | They are smart. |
Are you done with the second challenge? If you are, well done. You have done very well. I can imagine that many visitors and students of simple Dutch phrases will just ignore them and not overcome or finish the challenges above.
Communicate
If you like the idea, you can forward your challenge to me by using the contact page above. I will go through it. If I like the idea, I will publish your phrases in future posts. The 10 Dutch exercises and challenges above are future posts. I will be writing, translating and publishing them soon.
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