I’ve started listening to Pimsleur Dutch lessons, and my Dutch is improving a little, but what’s really grown is my sense of self-importance.

In the first two lessons the narrator asks me to pretend I’m an American man on business, who’s just seen a Dutch woman he’d like to talk to.

The Dutch woman doesn’t seem interested and doesn’t look at me, so the narrator teaches me four different ways to try and get her attention in Dutch. The narrator says each one and I repeat them.

Excuse me miss.

Good morning miss.

Hello miss, are you a Dutch speaker?

Hey there, how are you?

After enough badgering she responds, and tells me that yes, she does speak Dutch. “You speak very good Dutch.” she tells me and the narrator tells me to agree with her.

I repeat after the narrator “Yes, I am an American man and I speak quite good Dutch.” It’s good to be an American man.

 

image: BBC