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Passive versus active Dutch vocabulary | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| tommus Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5866 days ago 979 posts - 1688 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish | Message 1 of 11 28 October 2011 at 12:20am | IP Logged | |||||
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Vocabulary learning slowly changes into "expression learning". Expressions are two words or more that are frequently used together by native speakers. You may be able to communicate in your L2 using appropriate individual words, but it will be better if you can use the combinations of words in the way the natives do.
To me, the word list below illustrates the difference between my active and passive vocabulary. I can understand these Dutch words and expressions as I read them, but they are not readily available in my active speaking and writing. They were derived from my reading. To help put them into my active vocabulary, I have started a new Anki deck with some of these combinations and, in some cases, individual words that may not be the most obvious literal translation. The list below contains the first 50 of those. If anyone finds these useful, I will post some more. Native Dutch-language speakers are invited to offer any corrections they may find. clear the way >>> de weg banen essential >>> van wezenlijk belang savings >>> het spaargeld for these reasons >>> Om die reden contribution >>> de bijdrage develop >>> ontplooien: Ik ben een laatbloeier en wil graag mijn kwaliteiten ontplooien. continued education >>> voortgezet onderwijs performance >>> de prestatie promotion of excellence in research >>> het bevorderen van excellentie in onderzoek connection, association >>> de aansluiting is aware of that >>> is zich ervan bewust dat pre-eminently >>> bij uitstek organised crime >>> de georganiseerde misdaad enduring >>> bestendiger negotiate >>> onderhandelen such a high position >>> een zodanig hoge positie irresponsible >>> onverantwoord indication >>> de indicatie self-evident >>> vanzelfsprekend principle >>> het principe given that: pay attention >>> gelet op het feit dat: opletten basis, support, foundation >>> het draagvlak benefits >>> uitkeringen interweaving >>> verwevenheid shifts >>> verschuivingen support and appreciation >>> steun en waardering extensive >>> omvangrijk size >>> de omvang Yet there is reason for optimism >>> Toch is er reden voor optimisme contribute >>> een bijdrage te leveren our close connections >>> ons nauw verbonden exchange of ideas >>> de gedachtenwisseling a broad-based solution >>> aan breed gedragen oplossingen They are at each others throats >>> Ze vliegen elkaar in de haren transparent, translucent >>> doorschijnend is uncertain >>> staat op losse schroeven smalltalk >>> koetjes en kalfjes praten experience >>> belevenis gratification >>> bevrediging personality >>> persoonlijkheid tolerable >>> verdraagbaar flourish >>> floreren benefit >>> de baat to delay >>> uitstellen researcher, to research >>> de vorser, de onderzoeker, vorsen, onderzoeken handle, employ, use >>> hanteren disturb >>> verstoren breathtaking >>> adembenemend there is no question >>> staat buiten kijf whimsicality >>> grilligheid 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6272 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 2 of 11 28 October 2011 at 6:08pm | IP Logged | |||||
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I have a large passive vocabulary in Dutch and could recognise most of the Dutch words on this list. This comes from some exposure to the language, but much more from its relative closeness to German, which I speak fluently. I doubt whether the Dutch vocabulary I can actively use is much more than a hundred words, however.
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| tommus Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5866 days ago 979 posts - 1688 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish | Message 3 of 11 01 November 2011 at 1:59pm | IP Logged | |||||
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There doesn't seem to be too much interest in these words and expressions. I don't want to "flog a dead horse" ("een dood paard afranselen"). So I'll make this the last entry unless there is some interest.
Again, these are words and expressions that I can understand or figure out in my passive reading. But they are not available to me in my active vocabulary. I'm sure there will always be this big difference between my passive and active vocabulary. The inclusion of some single words violates my preferred approach of learning as much vocabulary as possible in context. The expressions pretty well put themselves in context. I wish I knew a way to more rapidly move items from passive to active. Mainly, it is just lots of reading. reality >>> de werkelijkheid Experience it a little bit yourself >>> Ervaar het een klein beetje zelf preceded >>> voorafgegaan assignment, task >>> de opdracht actually >>> daadwerkelijk stop, prevent, shade >>> tegenhouden hijacked aircraft >>> gekaapte vliegtuigen melted aluminum >>> het gesmolten aluminium oblige, force >>> nopen junk, derelict >>> afgedankte very low, very small >>> zeer gering extremely low, extremely small >>> extreem gering stress, emphasize >>> beklemtonen warn, alert >>> verwittigen dumbfounded >>> stomverbaasd The unimpeachable president >>> De onkreukbare president intelligent and straightforward >>> intelligent en recht door zee the hard power struggle >>> de harde machtsstrijd more and more openly at odds >>> steeds vaker openlijk overhoop doe, deer, stag >>> de hinde, het hert, de hertenbok bystander >>> de omstander under the influence of something or other >>> onder invloed van het een of ander they will be subdivided >>> ze worden onderverdeeld left completely in the lurch, completely abandoned >>> helemaal in de steek gelaten the remote control >>> De afstandsbediening They come from far and wide >>> Ze komen van heinde en verre perpetrator >>> de boosdoener Hence >>> Vandaar dat blame >>> wijten very curious if >>> heel benieuwd of provide, supply >>> verschaffen a bit wiser from >>> een stuk wijzer van frolicking in the water >>> ronddartelen in het water This gap in the data >>> Deze lacune in de gegevens the previous assumptions >>> de vorige aannames atmospheric constituents, components >>> atmosferische bestanddelen dewpoint >>> het dauwpunt dew >>> de dauw impeded >>> belemmerd the supply of >>> het aanbod van somewhat less >>> iets minder agree >>> overeengekomen More research is needed to determine if >>> Meer onderzoek is ook nodig om te bepalen of the closest to the earth >>> het dichtst bij de aard the chemical composition >>> de chemische samenstelling potassium >>> kalium the forming of the solar system >>> de vorming van het zonnestelsel sodium >>> natrium Our results tell us that >>> Onze resultaten vertellen ons dat as we see today >>> zoals we zien vandaag Edited by tommus on 01 November 2011 at 2:00pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
 Fasulye Heptaglot Winner TAC 2012 Moderator Germany fasulyespolyglotblog Joined 5847 days ago 5460 posts - 6006 votes 1 sounds Speaks: German*, DutchC1, EnglishB2, French, Italian, Spanish, Esperanto Studies: Latin, Danish, Norwegian, Turkish Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 11 01 November 2011 at 2:38pm | IP Logged | |||||
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OK, I have skimmed through the two bilingual lists. There are some very common expressions, which you really should bring into active usage. But there are others which seem to have no real importance so you should not overflow your memory with such expressions. I think that you yourself perhaps cannot decide which of the here quoted expressions are more and which are less important?
bystander??? = omstander??? > if it even exists, this cannot be important! Fasulye Edited by Fasulye on 01 November 2011 at 2:42pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | ||||||
| tommus Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5866 days ago 979 posts - 1688 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish | Message 5 of 11 01 November 2011 at 3:25pm | IP Logged | |||||
Yes. It is difficult for me to know if some of these words and expressions should be in my active vocabulary. But they are common in native usage. They all come from my reading, mainly in the mainstream news.
"bystander" is a very common English word. Van Dale translates it as "omstander", with toekijker, toeschouwer as secondary alternatives. If you search Google with nieuws omstander, you will get 2 million hits. If not "omstander", what do you suggest as the translation of "bystander" that most Dutch speakers use? 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Fasulye Heptaglot Winner TAC 2012 Moderator Germany fasulyespolyglotblog Joined 5847 days ago 5460 posts - 6006 votes 1 sounds Speaks: German*, DutchC1, EnglishB2, French, Italian, Spanish, Esperanto Studies: Latin, Danish, Norwegian, Turkish Personal Language Map | Message 6 of 11 01 November 2011 at 3:51pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Tommus, I have just written a very abundant and helpful post on this topic (it took me half an hour to write it!) but there was a forum server error, so my post is now lost. And I hadn't saved it externally, so I can't restore my post.
Answer to your question: In my opinion "toekijker" "toeschouwer" is more widely used. Fasulye Edited by Fasulye on 01 November 2011 at 3:54pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| tommus Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5866 days ago 979 posts - 1688 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Dutch, French, Esperanto, German, Spanish | Message 7 of 11 01 November 2011 at 3:57pm | IP Logged | |||||
Fasulye: Sorry to hear about your lost post. That has happened to me and it is very frustrating. For long posts, I now compose them in a text file, offline. Edited by tommus on 01 November 2011 at 3:57pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Fasulye Heptaglot Winner TAC 2012 Moderator Germany fasulyespolyglotblog Joined 5847 days ago 5460 posts - 6006 votes 1 sounds Speaks: German*, DutchC1, EnglishB2, French, Italian, Spanish, Esperanto Studies: Latin, Danish, Norwegian, Turkish Personal Language Map | Message 8 of 11 01 November 2011 at 4:10pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Tommus, this is a very important advice, I should type such a well-composed post as the lost one on my virutal keyboard. I will rewrite my list of most relevant Dutch expressions which I had slightly altered. But I can't do this in 5 minutes.
So, my new post will come... Fasulye 1 person has voted this message useful |
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