It’s 10:40am. Class was supposed to start ten minutes ago, but only Martin and Linda are present, notebooks at the ready. It’s the first lesson in Dutch for Beginners, a course specially tailored to (pre)-Master students of Rotterdam Business school, and 21 students are still missing. “I think they’re lost,” says Marije Brugman, who teaches Dutch, among other things. “We were supposed to start class at the Kralingse Zoom, but there was no more room because an entire wing was removed. I gave the students very clear instructions on how to get here. Maybe it’s a bit too complicated after all.”

Reciting the alphabet
“Today’s goal is for all of you to be able to introduce yourselves to each other in Dutch,” says Brugman while she’s preparing those present. “Thankfully there are only two of you, so we can practise proper conversations.” However, before they get to that, they first recite the alphabet. The German Linda clearly thinks the sounds are funny and is happily writing along. Both of them are growling out the sounds. Ggggg. Rrrrr. They’re the kind of sounds that don’t roll off the tongue very easily. That’s when student number three silently joins the class: the Vietnamese Hang.
Au, ui, ei, oe, eu. Brugman states that the Dutch compounds aren’t easy. “It’s very important that you master the sounds of compound letters, or you might end up in awkward situations. You wouldn’t want to order skin (huid) instead of wood (hout) in a store.”

Eternal fame
Brugman takes out some bingo cards. Naturally, numbers require practice as well, because people’s age and their phone numbers should be part of the introductions. The game is simple: Brugman calls out the numbers, and the students cross them off their cards. “If you get it wrong, you have to sing a song,” says Brugman. “A Dutch song.” OMG!! Linda buries her face in her hands. But she’s not at risk, because Martin completes his bingo in record time. “What do I win?” “Eternal fame,” says Brugman. He seems satisfied.
Martin, Linda and Hang finally get to introduce themselves to the others in Dutch. Linda tells Martin and Hang what street she lives on. When Brugman asks about the house number, she buries her face again: “OMG!!” It turns out her house number is 1183, and she isn’t quite sure how to say it in Dutch.

Scheduling conflicts
Brugman doesn’t let the students leave without giving them a homework assignment first. She believes exchanging a few words in Dutch in daily life is extremely important: in the bus, the tram, the supermarket, the store. “And listen carefully to what people around you are saying. Write down a few words you hear a lot, and bring them to class next time.”
Whether the remaining twenty students will be present during the next class remains to be seen. At the very least they weren’t lost, Brugman clarifies in an email afterward. It was a scheduling conflict that resulted in poor attendance.

Saskia Stavenuiter