Double Dutch

Pushing on with my Dutch lessons - sometimes having French as my second language is a hindrance (I tend to adopt the French pronounciation of words in preference to the Dutch). But, sometimes it is an advantage. So it is with the two verbs kennen and weten - both mean to know - but in different contexts, and this largely follows the same pattern as savoir and connaitre in French. And having understood that principle some time ago it is easy to transpose it. Its difficult to pick up why a different language uses two words when yours only uses one.

This week's Dutch lesson was an interactive one. I had a lot of meetings and obligations yesterday so suggested to my Dutch teacher that we locate this week's lesson at the tennis club where I was due to do my twice annual voluntary bar service at lunchtime. I assumed it would be quiet there, serving a few coffees and lemonades - but in fact there was a children's tournament and I had to learn how to operate the chip fryer, the tosti maker and master the fine art of preparing croquettes - all this under the unforgiving gaze of my Dutch teacher who was able to recognize all of my weakest spots in Dutch (like speaking, comprehension and writing - reading I can almost manage if I put my mind to it and keep a dictionary close to hand). It felt like my worst idea of an exam. Still by the end I knew most of the words for the essential items and activities round a bar and have my homework for the week- practising pronouncing words with combinations of g and k in them. Apparently I am verbally dyslexic when it comes to distinguishing between the two sounds. So if you come across someone sitting on park bench with a dictionary and sounding like he has an advanced throat disease come over and say hi to the textual healer.