Question for a Dutch-English speaker

Excuse me for intruding on your list in English, but I'm looking for some help in translating the Dutch word "vrouw." My online translator gives me this definition of the English word "wife." I'm wondering if vrouw is used like the German word frau, or like the German word weib. Would you refer to your spouse as your vrouw? If your spouse is not your vrouw, what word do you use instead? Thanks for your help, and apologies again for intruding in another language.

a woman = een vrouw
wife/spouse = vrouw, but echtgenote is a better term in a marriage context. But when talking about your wife/spouse, both vrouw and echtgenote can be used. Echtgenote is also a more polite term.
wife/weib = wijf in Dutch, but considered a more vulgar term when talking about a woman (not necessarily a spouse).

Thank you! You've explained it perfectly.

I think Dutch is such an interesting language! I'm from Sweden, know English and a bit of German, and I can almost read Dutch (understand about 80%) without learning it! Förstår ni också svenska lika bra?

I've read a Swedish "Kalle Anka" (Donald Duck) magazine. It was very easy to understand even though I don't know anything about Swedish! I still want to learn it a bit though, because I want to go on holiday to Sweden in the summer (this year or another year I don't know yet).

I am in the process of learning to read Dutch. The thing that really confuses me is the Dutch word for "you." There are so many! Can anyone give me some pointers?

>6 Christie:: Christie

It depends on the context and how you address a person. I'll try some examples, hoping to bring clarity to the situation.

you in the context of "friends" = jij/je (both are the same, both are good, although jij puts more stress on the person itself in case of a group situation, while je is used more often and in general), jou
- jij is used as subject: you have done this or that = jij hebt dit of dat gedaan
- Where are you? = Waar ben jij/je?
- jou can be used in this manner: a) I see you = Ik zie jou. b) I gave the book to you/I gave you the book = Ik heb het boek aan jou gegeven/Ik heb jou het boek gegeven.

you as form of politeness = u
- Hello sir, how do you do? = Goeiedag meneer, hoe gaat het met u?
- Have you filled out the form? = Hebt u het formulier ingevuld?
- I gave the book to you / gave you the book = Ik heb het boek aan u gegeven / Ik heb u het boek gegeven.

you in plural form (two or more persons / group) = jullie
- What are you doing? = Wat zijn jullie aan het doen?
- I met you at (event) = Ik ontmoette jullie op (evenement)

I think this should already give you a good impression of when "you" can be used and how it translates in each situation. Feel free to ask if you need a better explanation and I'll see what I can do.

> 6: Christie

Some contexts, taken from Van Dale Engels Nederlands Woordenboek

Context 1:
she is another you = ze is een evenbeeld van jou
poor you! = arm schaap!
find the real you = zoek jezelf zoals je werkelijk bent

context 2:
‘You're a fool’ ‘You're another’ = ‘Jij bent een stommeling’ ‘Jij ook’
you brat = jij schooier
she ran away from you = ze liep van je weg
where are you going? = waar ga je heen?
she will make you a good wife = ze zal een goede vrouw voor je zijn
I saw you chasing her = ik heb gezien hoe je haar achterna zat
here's to you = op jouw gezondheid
I'm Sarah to you = voor jou heet ik Sarah

Context 3:
the thief among you = de dief die zich onder jullie bevindt
what are you two up to? = wat voeren jullie twee uit?
I heard you quarreling = ik hoorde jullie ruziemaken
Idioom:
to you = in gewone taal
zie ook you-all

context 4:
if you consider all these things = als men / je al deze dingen overweegt
he'll dance you a dance = hij zal je eens een dansje tonen
that's men for you = zo zijn de mannen
that's fame for you = dat noem ik nou nog eens beroemd zijn

context 5:
build you a castle = bouw uzelf een kasteel
rest you a while = rust even uit

And this is about us trying to speak/write English:
http://weblogs3.nrc.nl/denglish

Dank u, TechThing, you've really advanced my understanding of this pronoun!

By the way, is there a less formal way of thanking someone in Dutch?

Marieke54, thanks for all the info and for directing me to the Denglish website. It's very informative and also quite funny!

At your service. ;-)

Formal thanks: "Dank je" instead of "Dank u". Or "Bedankt." (= "Thanks" / "Thank you"), which is used the most.

Or you can exaggerate a bit and go for "Heel erg bedankt.", which means "Thank you very much."

Bedankt!

> 10 Christie

Graag gedaan!

I would like to read some Dutch authors, (fiction), and I wonder if you have any suggestions where to start? I have tried to check under some threads in this group, but maybe you can give some advice?

@ 14 Anna-Marie

In Dutch or translated in English or Swedish?
Relatively few Dutch authors are translated and if you want to read in Dutch it would advice something not that hard for starters.

I would like to try my ability to read in Dutch, with a dictionary for help. But I would also like to read authors translated into English. I am so unaware of the litterature from your country, and I want to change that.

Check out this site. http://www.nlpvf.nl/ for a start. For instance one of the famous works of the Dutch writer Willem Frederik Hermans is translated in English (again) and made it on a best translated fiction shortlist.

I looked up some contemporary Dutch authors on Amazon.com, books by the next persons are translated in English:

Literature: Renate Dorrestein, Hella Haasse, Arthur Japin, Tessa de Loo, Margriet de Moor, Cees Nooteboom, Harry Mulisch, Leon de Winter

Recent history: Ian Buruma (a little bit Dutch), Geert Mak

Hella Haase is the Grand Lady of the historical novel, Harry Mulisch the Nestor of Dutch literature. Renate Dorrestein is very funny/tragic and very critical of the social structures. Cees Nooteboom is a fine travel writer. Geert Mak and Leon de Winter are each others opposites in ideas about our society. De Winter writes novels and Mak a genre called "literary history".

And the touchstones let me down.

Thank you, marieke and zwelbast! You have been of great help, and I have now ordered some books to start with. And the site is a good one for a start to get more knowledge about your authors.

I will add three dead Belgian Dutch-writing authors to Marieke's excellent suggestions.

Willem Elsschot is a great novelist who should have won the Nobel prize if there was ever any justice. Most of his books are short, easy to understand and have a very dry sense of humor. Cheese, or Kaas, has been translated into various languages.

Hugo Claus who died last year is Harry Mulisch' Belgian counterpart, but his novels are often multi-layered and not easy to read. His most famous work is The Sorrow of Belgium.

Louis Paul Boon is probably the most 'Flemish' of the three; he was a socialist, got in trouble for offending the Catholic church a few times and can cause a riot even years after his death: about a year ago, an official censored the exhibition of Boon's Fenomenale Feminateek (that's hard to translate but I guess you'll understand), basically a very large pseudo-scientific collection of erotic images. Boon's writing style was very peculiar, his Kapellekesbaan for instance is written completely in second person and in colloquial language.

*edited in an attempt to fix the touchstones but they're not working...

Oh and as a bonus, all three books mentioned are in the 2nd edition of the 1001 books you have to read list!

Thank you Steven! I will add them to my list. Reading the authors suggested above will be my spring project.