Blog Archives

Hoe zot is dees!? (It's everywhere #5)

8/2/2016

Since I started this project, I noticed there's tons of Flemish sentences and slogans in commercials out there! Today while walking to work, I noticed one from BASE with the slogan:

"Hoe zot is dees!"                            "How crazy is this!"

"zot" is the Flemish word for "crazy", for example:

Die kerel is zot!
That guy is crazy!
Laten we ne keer zot doen!
Let's get a little crazy!
Die is zo zot als een deur!
He/She is crazy like a fool!                   (Getting some "daddy cool"
                                                                          vibes here)

Here are some useful variations on the formula "Hoe ... is dees!":

Hoe lekker is dees!
How delicious is this!
Hoe zalig is dees!               (check out the Twitter example)
How awesome is this!
Hoe saai is dees!
How boring is this!
Hoe plezant is dees!
How fun is this!
Hoe ambetant is dees!
How annoying is this!

So there you have another key phrase to stun your Flemish friends and co-workers!
#soundlikealocal

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The basics of Flemish - New exercise

5/2/2016

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"Hebt gij een minuutje?"

"Zijt ge zeker?"

In our most recent exercise, we go back to the basics of Flemish: the conjugation of "to be" and "to have".
These are the basic building blocks of any language. Check it out if you have just started to learn Flemish or if you are curious what's the difference between spoken Flemish and standard Dutch!

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How to say "hi" and "bye" in Flemish

3/2/2016

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Saying hi and bye might seem like the easiest thing in the world. But actually creating the same interaction as the Flemish requires some observation and getting used too. Take a look at the formulas below and especially at the example dialogues. They will give you a realistic view of how Flemish people greet each other.

Saying hi

Saying bye

Hallo!                                                 Hello!
Hey!                                                    Hi!

Dag Sarah!                                      Hi Sarah!
Dag iedereen!                               Hi everybody!

Goeiemorgen                                Good morning
Goeiemiddag                                 Good afternoon
Goeienavond                                 Good evening

Hoe is’t?                                            How are you?
Goed, en met u?                           Good, and you?

Alles goed?                                     Everything's going well?
Ja, alles goed.                                Yeah, everything's great.

Ça va?                                               You're doing okay?
Ja, ça va, en met u?                    Yes, I'm okay, and you?
(this last one is difficult to translate in English)

Bye!                                                             Bye!
Salu / salukes / saluutjes                 Bye!

Tot de volgende!                                  See you next time!
Tot morgen!                                            See you tomorrow!
Tot binnenkort!                                    See you soon!

Goed weekend!                                   Have a nice weekend!

Tot maandag!                                        See you on Monday!
Tot volgende week!                           See you next week!
Tot op het feestje!                              See you at the party!

Tot sebiet!                                               See you in bit!
Tot straks!                                               See you later!
Tot dan!                                                    See you then!

Joe!                                                            Bye / See you!
(the last one is usually a reaction to someone else saying bye)

Example dialogues

- Hey Julie, alles goed?
- Ja, alles goed. En met u?
- Ça va, een beke stress voor de examens.
- Ja, da’s normaal hè. Ça va tot nu toe?
- Ja, het valt mee.

- Hey Julie, everything's going well?
- Yeah, everything is good. And with you?
- I'm okay, a bit stressed for the exams.
- Yeah, that's normal huh. It's going okay so far?
- Yeah, not bad.

-Hey, dag Peter! Da's lang geleden! Hoe is't?
- Goed goed, en met u?
- Ja, alles goed. Druk met de kindjes.
- Ja, dat zal wel.

- Hi Peter! It's been a while! How are you?
- Good good, and you?
- Yeah, everything's great. Busy with the kids.
- Yeah, I'll bet.

Do you want to learn more? Check out our Survival Guide and stay up-to-date by liking our Facebook page!

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Hoe zot is dees!? (It's everywhere #5)

The basics of Flemish - New exercise

How to say "hi" and "bye" in Flemish

Saying hi

Saying bye

Example dialogues

Sofie Begine

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