
Tagarchief: praten


Dutch For Beginners in February

Dutch conversation BEGINNERS II
Spreken is zilver..
Spreken is zilver, zwijgen is goud
- Literal Translation: “Speaking is silver, being silent is gold.”
- Meaning: It’s better to keep your silence, than to speak (for example in diplomacy or politics).
- English equivalent: “A still tongue makes a wise head.”

In de trein
kijk, daar komt de trein aan
look, the train is coming
(Two people meet for the first time in the train)
Ze raken al gauw aan de praat
Soon they are having a conversation
kletsen
to chat
Een praatje maken
to have a little chat

Aan de praat
This is an expression in Dutch that you can use whenever a machine refuses to work or you don’t know how to turn it on exactly, for instance an old car, a second hand copier, a coffee machine, a brand new computer … So it isn’t necessary that the object actually t a l k s (praat > praten = to talk ).
Hoe krijg ik ‘m aan de praat?
How do I turn it on?
Hoe krijg ik ‘m weer aan de praat?
How do I fix it, how do I make this thing work again?