Lesson Notes

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Grammar

The focus of this lesson is Self Introduction in Dutch

Topic 1: How to introduce yourself

Sentence from the lesson:

Hallo, ik heet Marleen. Leuk je te ontmoeten.
"Hi, I'm Marleen. Nice to meet you."

 

  1. Let's first see how Dutch people introduce themselves in an *informal* situation.
    Hallo, ik heet Marleen. Leuk je te ontmoeten.
    "Hi, I'm Marleen. Nice to meet you."
    Start by saying Hallo, ik heet ... then, say your name. Hallo, ik heet Marleen. Finally, say Leuk je te ontmoeten.
  2. And now let's see the same sentence in formal speech:
    Goedendag, ik heet Marleen van den Berg. Aangenaam.
    "Good day, I'm Marleen van den Berg. Pleasure to meet you."
  3. Hallo has been substituted with the formal greeting Goedendag, which is Dutch for "good day."
    Ik heet Marleen has not been changed; ik heet simply means "I am called," however during a formal self introduction we also say our last name, so I said Marleen van den Berg. Here, you would say your full name.

 

Language Tip!

When you introduce yourself, it's a good habit to shake hands. If you are not sure whether to use Leuk je te ontmoeten or Aangenaam just say simply aangenaam, as this expression can be used in both the formal and informal introduction. If you use the correct sentence with Dutch people, they're definitely going to be impressed!

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Lesson Transcript

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Welcome to DutchPod101.com’s “Nederlands in 3 minuten”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Dutch.
Hallo, ik heet Marleen. Leuk je te ontmoeten. Hi, I'm Gabriella. Nice to meet you.
In this series, we’re going to learn basic Dutch expressions. It’s super easy and it only takes three minutes!
In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to introduce yourself in Dutch. We’ll start speaking right away, but first it’s important to clarify that in Dutch there is a difference between formal and informal language.
Let’s first see how Dutch people introduce themselves in an *informal* situation.
Hallo, ik heet Gabriella. Leuk je te ontmoeten. Hi, I’m Gabriella. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Hallo, ik heet Gabriella. Leuk je te ontmoeten.
Start by saying Hallo, ik heet ... then, say your name. Hallo, ik heet Gabriella. Finally, say Leuk je te ontmoeten.
Hallo, ik heet Marleen. Leuk je te ontmoeten.
Now, let’s see the same sentence in formal speech
Goedendag, ik heet Gabriella van den Berg. Aangenaam. “Good day, I’m Marleen van den Berg. Pleasure to meet you.”
[slowly] Goedendag, ik heet Gabriella van den Berg. Aangenaam.
So, what has actually changed from the previous introduction?
Let’s take a closer look at these expressions together.
Hallo has been substituted with the formal greeting Goedendag, which is Dutch for "good day."
Ik heet Marleen has not been changed; ik heet simply means "I am called", however during a formal self introduction we also say our last name, so I said Gabriella van den Berg. Here, you would say your full name.
One more time - The informal way to introduce yourself in Dutch is Hallo, ik heet Marleen. Leuk je te ontmoeten. The formal way to introduce yourself is Goedendag, ik heet Gabriella van den Berg. Aangenaam.
Now it’s time for Marleen’s Insights.
When you introduce yourself, it's a good habit to shake hands. If you are not sure whether to use Leuk je te ontmoeten or Aangenaam just say simply aangenaam, as this expression can be used in both the formal and informal introduction.
If you use the correct sentence with Dutch people, they’re definitely going to be impressed!
That’s it for this lesson! Do you know how we say “thank you” in Dutch? You’ll learn how to say this and many other words in the next Nederlands in 3 minuten lesson. Tot ziens!
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