Are you going to be an au pair in the Netherlands (or in Belgium perhaps) for kids who don’t (or barely) speak English?
Then this post is for you!
You might be worried about dealing with the kids if you don’t understand them and they don’t understand you, right? Indeed that is a valid concern!
English is a widely spoken language in the Netherlands, however unless your kids have the parents speaking English to them, have had au pairs before who spoke English or are older (thus already learning it at school), chances are they don’t speak or understand English too well.
Although there are other ways of communicating and this normally is not a huge barrier, there are times that the language gap can become annoying and stressful – both for you and for the kids! Knowing some basics will help the routine run smoother and most likely help you establish a bond with your kids more easily.
Even if you start a Dutch language course right away, chances are that what you are learning there won’t be helpful with the kids. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of words, expressions and short phrases more related to children’s world and your routine as an au pair.
The list is extensive, so focus on what can apply most to your kids and daily life.
Ben jij klaar? Let’s go!
Words with an asterisk* are written the same way, although pronunciation might be different.
Pronouns:
Ik – I
Jij – You
Zij – She
Hij – He
Wij – We
Jullie – You (Plural)
Zijn – They
Questions:
Wat – What
Waar – Where
Waarom – Why
Wie – Who
Hoe – How
Hoeveel – How Many
Wanneer – When
Parts Of The House/Furniture:
Woonkamer – Living Room
Slaapkamer – Bedroom
Badkamer – Bathroom
Keuken – Kitchen
Spelkamer – Playroom
Trap – Stairs
Tuin – Garden/Yard
Tafel – Table
Zetel/bank – Couch
Stoel – Chair
Bed*
Kast – Wardrobe/Cupboard
Kolkast – Fridge
Binnen – In(Side)
Buiten – Outside
Boven – Upstairs/Above
Beneden – Downstairs/Below
Huis/Thuis – House/Home
Playtime:
Speelgoed – Toys
Pop(Tje) – Doll
Speeltuin – Playground
Schommel – Swing
Glijbaan – Slide
Trampoline*
Fiets – Bike
Step – Scooter
Voetbal – Football/Soccer
Schmink – Make Up, Facial Painting
Verf – Paint (Substantive)
Tekening – Drawing (Substantive)
Papier – Paper
Schaar – Scissors
(Kleur)Potlod – (Coloring)Pencil
Klei – Play-Doh
Boek – Book
Muziek/Liedje – Music/Song
Spelen – To Play
Springen – To Jump
Gooien – To Throw
Lezen – To Read
Kleuren – To Color
Zingen – To Sing
Dansen – To Dance
Colors:
Blauw – Blue
Groen – Green
Geel – Yellow
Zwart – Balck
Wit – White
Rose – Pink
Rood – Red
Oranje – Orange
Paars – Purple
Bruin – Brown
Animals/Nature:
Dier(En) – Animal(s)
Hond – dog
Kat/Poes – cat
Konijn – bunny
Kikker – frog
Giraffe*
Olifant - elephant
Slak – snail
Slang - snake
Vlinder – butterfly
Koe – cow
Paard – horse
Vis – fish
Voegel – bird
Eend – duck
Kuiken – chick
Kip – chicken
Zon – sun
Wolk – cloud
Regen – rain
Boom – tree
Blad – leaf
Body:
Hoofd – head
Haar – hair
Buik – belly
Neus – nose
Mond – mouth
Oog – eye
Oor – ear
Arm*
Hand*
Vinger – finger
Been – leg
Voet – foot
Teen – toe
Knie – knee
Rug – back
Bil(Len) – butt
Plaster – band aid
Bloed – blood
Ziek – sick
Ik heb pijn aan mijn... I have pain on my..
Dat doet pijn – That hurts
Kleding/kleren – clothing/clothes
Jurk – dress
Broek – pants
Rok – skirt
Handschoenen – gloves
Sjal – scarf
Muts – (winter) hat
Jas – jacket
Trui – sweater
Schonen – shoes
Larzen – boots
Sokken – socks
Onderbroek – underwear
Luier – diapers
"People":
Moeder – mother
Vader – father
Zus – sister
Broer – brother
Opa – grandpa
Oma – grandma
Juf – teacher
Vriend – friend
Oppas – nanny
Jongen – boy
Meisje – girl
Kinderen – children
Foods/Drinks:
Brood – bread
Kaas – cheese
Wortel – carrot
Komkommer – cucumber
Melk – milk
Rijst – rice
Kip – chicken
Vis – fish
Vlees – meat
Spinazie – spinach
Erwten – peas
Water*
(Fruit)Sap – juice
Thee – tea
Taart – cake
Snoepje – candy/sweets
Toetje – dessert
Groenten – vegetables
Soep – soup
Ei – egg
Koekjes – cookies
Appel – apple
Banaan – banana
Druiven – grapes
Peer – pear
Sinaasappel – orange
Mandarijn – tangerine
Aardbei – strawberry
Blauwbes – blueberry
Board – plate
Beker – glass
Lepel – spoon
Vork – fork
Mes – knife
Snijden – to cut
Stuk – piece
(Zonder/Met) Schil – (with/without skin)
Hap/Hapje – a bite, mouthful
Lekker – tasty, yummy
Eten – to eat
Drinken – to drink
Hygiene:
Tanden Poetsen – to brush
Tandpasta – toothpaste
Douche – shower
Bad – bath/bathtube
Handdoek – towel
(Tanden/Haar) Borstel – (tooth/hair) brush
Wassen – to wash
Drogen – to dry
Moods:
Blij – happy
Moe – tired
Bang – afraid, scared
Boos – angry
Verdrietig – sad
Verbs:
Eten – to eat
Slapen – to sleep
Kijken – to watch/to look
Plassen – to pee
Moeten – must
Willen – to want
Doen – to do
Zijn – to be
Gaan – to go
Maken – to make
Zegen – to say
Opruimen – to organize
Huilen – to cry
Roepen – to scream
Zitten – to sit
Kommen – to come
Pakken – to grab/take
Stopen – to stop
Luisteren – to listen
Other:
Klaar – ready, done
Genoeg – enough
Goed Zo – good job
Leuk – nice
Mooi – beautiful, pretty
Met – with
Maar – but
Nog – more
Een Beetje – a bit
Echt – really
Naar – to
Straks – later
Misschien - maybe
Vuil/Vies – dirty
Nat – wet
Honger – hunger
Rustig – calm down,
Wacht – wait
Op – finished
Pas Op – careful, watch out
Niet Doen – don’t do that
Some phrases/expressions:
http://www.acapela-group.com/ put the phrases on the “text to speech” tool and get accurate pronunciation
Luisteren naar mijn – listen to me
Waar ben jij? Kom hier – Where are you? Come here!
Wat zeg je? – What do you say? (when you want the kid to reply please/thank you/sorry etc)
Ik begrijp je niet – I don’t understand you
Ik hou van.. – I love…
Ik vind... leuk – I think… is nice
Alsjeblieft/alstublieft – Please and there you go
Dag/doei/tot straks/tot zo – Bye, goodbye, see you later, see you
Knuffel(tje) – hug (can also be teddy bear)
kus(je) – kiss
Mag ik...? May I..?
Nee, dat mag niet/ja, dat mag – No, you may not. Yes, you may.
Wat doe jij? – What are doing?
Wat wil jij…? What do you want…?
Het is tijd voor… school/eten/slapen – It’s time for…
Ben jij klaar? - Are you finished/done?, Are you ready?
Ben jij klaar? - Are you finished/done?, Are you ready?
J sounds like e/i
G/ch sounds like you're choking haha
Further tips:
First of all, no panic! Yes, you’ll go through a rough adaptation phase. But soon enough you and the kids will be understanding each other better. Most au pair go through this and we’re all here to tell the story. I myself didn’t do a Dutch course during my year in the Netherlands and learned a lot just from hearing the parents talking to the kids and also from the kids themselves. Soon enough, the kids also learned English from me and all was smooth.
Luckily, English can be very similar to Dutch. So if you learn some key words and add them in a phrase in English, that will already be very helpful!
Even if you don’t completely understand what the child is saying, try always to interact with them. They want to feel someone is paying attention! Look for facial expressions, body language to determine if the “story” they are telling is happy, sad, funny etc so you can react accordingly with a “cool”, “awwn”, “leuk”, “wow”, “niet leuk”, “echt?”.
If they want something from you and you really cannot understand, try to distract them with something else. It will work mostly with younger children. With older will be more difficult. Last case, you can try to call the parents (really last case.. otherwise the kid can ask for it all the time!).
It’s very important the parents’ involvement especially in the initial adaptation period, to help create the bond and clear misunderstandings between au pair and children. They must explain to the kids that you don’t speak Dutch, that they have to show you what they want (make a bit of a mimics and guessing game!). Also, always check how the day was. Sometimes, my kids would complain that I “ignored” them (their wishes) when in reality I just didn’t understand what they wanted! Therefore, the parents should always do this follow up to ensure the kids know the au pair is not doing this on purpose. If you feel this is not happening and it can be disturbing your relationship with the kids, sit down to talk to the parents to find the best strategy of how to implement this “communication circle”.
Have google translator app on your phone and download the Dutch (+plus your language of choice) packages so you can use it even if you are offline.
Have google translator app on your phone and download the Dutch (+plus your language of choice) packages so you can use it even if you are offline.
If you have the chance to take a Dutch course, do it! I know most girls come to the Netherlands wanting to improve their English, and think Dutch is “useless”. Oh, how I regret not taking a Dutch course while in the Netherlands! Now I live in Belgium, where Dutch is also one of the official languages, and I have to learn it anyway. Learning new things is never a waste of time!
In the beginning, Dutch can seem very harsh. It will grow on you, though! I promise! At some point probably you’ll be using some Dutch words such as leuk, mooi, lekker even when you’re speaking English hahah
For me, nowadays Dutch sounds natural and comforting! Allow yourself to know the language, it is the country’s official language after all, thus part of the cultural exchange component!
For those who are still in home country, what are your expectations towards Dutch language? What scares you most?
For those already in the Netherlands, how has your experience been? What are the key words/expressions you think any new comer must learn ASAP?
Do share!
Veel plezier and succes!
For those already in the Netherlands, how has your experience been? What are the key words/expressions you think any new comer must learn ASAP?
Do share!
Veel plezier and succes!
