Re: Oooooo! I hates that varmint! Attn: Dutch speakers

En riponse ` Irina Rempt <irina@...>:

>
> No, we write -t if we use it at all, in the past tense as well:
>
> gij zijt (jij bent)
> gij waart (jij was)
>
> Regular weak verbs:
>
> gij hoort (jij hoort)
> gij hoordet (jij hoorde)
>
> Regular strong verbs:
>
> gij gaat (jij gaat)
> gij gingt (jij ging)
>
> Strong verbs ending in -d in the past tense:
>
> gij doet (jij doet)
> gij deedt (jij deed)
>
I see. Well, at least in the present for all verbs but 'zijn' (what
about 'hebben'?), the 'jij' and 'gij' forms are identical, so it's no wonder I
hadn't heard a difference ;))) .

> Note that final -d and -dt are pronounced /t/ so it doesn't make a
> difference. In northern (non-Flemish) Dutch, all the "gij" forms are
> rare and the past-tense forms are extremely rare, and nobody will take
> it ill if you say* "gij hoorde".
>
I didn't hear any past form from Belgian speakers using 'gij', so I don't know
what they do. I'll have to ask my friend. He lived his childhood at the Belgian
border (and even lived in Belgium about ten years ago), so he should know about
it.

>
> > Don't worry too much about 'gij'. You won't be expected to use it,
> > just to recognise it if it appears.
>
> Unless you're in Flanders and on first-name terms with people who have
> it in their dialect, no.
Well, it will be mostly a matter of changing the first letter of the personal
pronoun, so that shouldn't be much of a problem. Also, IIRC Flemish speakers
understand you very well when you use ABN (the "standard" Dutch of the
Netherlands). They don't really expect foreigners to speak in their own
dialects. At least that's what a Belgian colleague I had when I worked at
Philips told me, in 1999.

 Anyway, the rules in Flemish are probably
> different and don't appear in the Teach Yourself book (Ooh, I wish
> there was a "Teach yourself Flemish").
>
I think I've seen that once, just like I saw a "Teach Yourself Wallon". But I
don't remember where it was. Maybe on the net...

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.

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