Dutch/Example 1

Children learn a lot of language skills by playing, singing, dancing. They know how to make learning fun. This is why children's songs and rhymes are a wonderful way to acquire a foreign language. Here are three examples. Enjoy being a child again!

Poesje en Hondje

The following text was taken from a Mother Goose rhyme and translated into Dutch.^[1] In order to get a literal translation, the Dutch text was not made to rhyme.

Note that in Dutch the word poesje does not have the same connotation as in English. It merely means pussycat.

Read the text and use the hover method to figure out what the text means.
Use the "Vocabulary" box on the right to listen to the pronunciation of the individual words and memorize them.
Once done open the translation box to check the translation

Poesje zit het

Hoe kan zij zijn?

Dan komt het kleine hondje

"Poesje, ben je ?

Poesje,

Zeg me, hoe gaat het met je?"

"Dank je, dank je, Hondje,

Het gaat heel goed met me ."

Vocabulary
het poesje		pussycat
het vuur		fire
braaf		good, well-behaved
het hondje		little dog, puppy
kan		can
binnenkomen		to enter, come inside
binnen		inside
zeggen		to say
het moment		moment

Translation • Example 1 • Poesje en hondje

Kittycat sits beside the fire,

How can she be fair?

In comes the little dog,

"Pussycat, are you there?

So, so, dear miss Kittycat,

Pray tell me how do you do?"

"Thank you, thank you, little dog,

I'm very well at the moment."

Woordenlijst

noicon en:	and
noicon het vuur:	fire
noicon met:	with
noicon heel:	very; also whole
hoe gaat het met je:	lit. 'How goes it with you', how are you?, how do you do?

Poesje Mauw

The following is a Dutch volksliedje (folk song).

Use the hover method to figure out the meaning
Use the vocabulary box on the right to listen to the words and memorize them
Once you think you have figured out what it means, open the translation box to check

Poesje

Kom

Ik heb voor jou

En voor mij

O wij!

Vocabulary
eens		once; modal particle
gauw		quickly
lekker		tasty, nice
de melk		milk
de rijst		rice
heerlijk		wonderful
smullen		munch, eat with delight

Translation • Example 1 • Poesje mauw

Pussycat Meow

Come quickly

I have tasty milk for you

And for me

Rice porridge

Oh how we will enjoy this meal!

The meter in the Dutch version is nearly perfect and should provide hints for pronouncing the words.
Lekkere is pronounced as 'le-kre' in this case, to fit the meter (but this poetic license, not non-standard pronunciation).

Now that you understand the poem, go see a video of it, see here (Notice that in some dialects ij and ei are pronounced more like [ɑɪ̯] than as [ɛɪ̯].)

There is a pretty astounding 'performance' of this song by (the late) Corrina Konijnenburg that was recorded in 1967 in a children's show by Dorus (real name Tom Manders). Note that the performer took a few liberties. Notice that she pronounces poesje as poessie as is usual in Hollandic dialects.

Woordenlijst

noicon

de brij: mash, porridge

noicon

smullen: to thoroughly enjoy food

Ba, ba, black sheep

This nursery rhyme is well known in English, but here is the Dutch version.

Hover to figure out the meaning
Use the vocabulary box to listen to the pronunciation and memorize the new words
Open up the translation box to see if you figured it out right
Go see the youtube video

Schaapje, schaapje, heb je witte wol?

Ja baas, ja , drie zakken

Eén de en voor z'n vrouw

Eén voor het dat bibbert van de

Schaapje, schaapje, heb je witte wol?

Ja baas, ja baas, drie zakken vol.