house → us
BeginnerStory context
Intro
Neighbor Fernand comes by with his 'ond'. You look at his hands worriedly. He looks at you worriedly. You clearly have a communication problem.
Setting
Monday morning, your front yard. Fernand has a Labrador on a leash that sniffs your pants enthusiastically.
Challenge
You don't want to seem rude, but you really have no idea whether Fernand is talking about a fowl or something completely different.
Vocabulary (11)
| General | West-Flemish |
|---|---|
| house | us |
| dog | oend |
| to have | en |
| to belong | ôorn |
| to help | elpn |
| her | eur |
| it | em |
| here | ier |
| head | ooft |
| heart | art |
| hand | and |
Exercises (9)
Plot twist: in West Flemish the H disappears at the beginning of words. Yes, completely gone. So 'dog' becomes 'ond', 'house' becomes 'us', and 'have' becomes 'and'.
Fernand points to his 'us' down the street. It is a beautiful terraced house. How do West Flemish people say 'house'?
Fernand's labrador is called Bello. Or rather: his son is called Bello. How do you write 'dog' in West Flemish?
Fernand asks if you are 'uncomfortable'. You suspect he's asking if you're hungry. How do West Flemish people say 'have'?
Fernand says he is 'originating' something. You now understand that he means 'should' - the H is dropped in West Flemish. Which word loses the initial H?
Fernand says that Bello is good at 'earing'. You understand that the fowl can hear well. How do you say 'hear' in West Flemish?
You take notes in your head. You need to remember this for the next neighborhood party. Match the Dutch words with their H-less West Flemish version.
You want to tell Fernand that you also have a fowl. 'I have a dog' - but in West Flemish style. Note: two words lose their H!
Fernand asks where you live. You want to say, 'My home is here.' Put the words in the correct order. Tip: not a single H to be seen.
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