Welcome to the latest instalment of English and the Dutch, the newsletter with tips and tricks, fun facts, new translations and other good stuff about how Dutch speakers speak English. In your inbox every third Wednesday of the month. The newsletter is written by me, Heddwen Newton. Iām half Dutch, half British, and I work as a translator, teacher, and linguist. I am the owner of the website
Fun newsletter! I'm a Brit, now living in the US. I lived in Den Bosch 79-85. At the time, I was fluent in Dutch and almost in Brabants. My Dutch friends and I would play language games all the time. A favorite was to speak in literal translations of Dutch idioms, especially in meetings with American visitors, who expected Europeans to understand "behind the 8 ball" and so on. "It doesn't make me out".
This āoff by heartā thing is interesting. That is /not/ how we say it in the US. We would just say āby heartā, as in āI know that piece by heartā.
FWIW when I hear āI know the piece out of my head,ā that doesnāt really connect to the English idiom for meāitās too weird. Of course, I know enough Dutch to know what is intended, but I think I would have just thought it was a bit rareā¦. :)
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Fun newsletter! I'm a Brit, now living in the US. I lived in Den Bosch 79-85. At the time, I was fluent in Dutch and almost in Brabants. My Dutch friends and I would play language games all the time. A favorite was to speak in literal translations of Dutch idioms, especially in meetings with American visitors, who expected Europeans to understand "behind the 8 ball" and so on. "It doesn't make me out".
Thank you for giving me another chance to play.
This āoff by heartā thing is interesting. That is /not/ how we say it in the US. We would just say āby heartā, as in āI know that piece by heartā.
FWIW when I hear āI know the piece out of my head,ā that doesnāt really connect to the English idiom for meāitās too weird. Of course, I know enough Dutch to know what is intended, but I think I would have just thought it was a bit rareā¦. :)