SOME MISUNDERSTANDINGS.
WHAT'S PUT IN DUTCH?--THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT.--THE BEAUTIFUL MAN.
Next evening Jack O'Neill resumed his narrative to myself alone, on the
understanding that our friends would drop in if they could.
"Where was I?" he said. "Ah, yes, I had just told you about the
wash-list.
"Well; I learnt many things in the next few days, said he,--especially
grammar. Rules and exceptions I committed to memory and could rattle
you off werkwoorden and voortzetsels, bijvoegelijke naamwoorden,
verleden deelwoorden and onbepaalde wijzen with vigour and promptitude.
In walking about the town and neighbourhood, too, I caught up more and
more of those native idioms that give colour and fragrance to one's
speech. Of course I was at a loss now and again to explain what I
heard and saw.
The notice boards, for example, of some inn such as "De Nieuwe Aanleg"
remained somewhat mysterious; and on enquiry a satisfactory translation
was never forthcoming. "The New Genius" was very wide of the mark,
evidently. "The New Tendency" was equally obscure.
Two common English verbs I found very difficult to render exactly.
These were 'drive' and 'put'.
'Put' you have to use so often that it is certainly provoking to hunt
for a new verb almost every time you have a fresh order to give. 'Put
it down', 'put it in the cupboard,' 'put it in the hall'--well, I
managed these somehow. But when it came to having letters posted, I was
a long time at sea.
I wrote a good deal; and 'put that letter in the box' was a common
order I had to give. Now 'box' was easy enough, for the receptacle
in the street was duly called 'Brievenbus'. But when I said, 'Plaats
dien brief in de brievenbus,' the maidservant stared at me as if I was
hardly human.
'Zet' and 'werp' were not much clearer, apparently. 'Gooi', I must
admit, always made her perform the task with alacrity, but with an air
that plainly said the matter was not very serious.
By a happy accident I became aware that all you need say for 'put' is
'_doe_'; but alas! it will only help you for a few of the simplest
'puts'.
Two functionaries called about orphans one day, and I said "Put me
down for five guilders". "Doe mij beneden voor vijf gulden". It wasn't
idiomatic, but they caught the idea when they saw the coins.
Of course the long and the short _a_ are notorious, and they perplexed
me nearly every time I worked with them. You can't be always sure that
you have hit the right one.
An important letter had to go off one evening, and I impressed on the
domestic that she must be careful.
'Voorzichtig hoor!--voorzichtig!' I repeated, 'want dit is een
gewichtige zak'.
I might have spared myself the trouble, for she tossed it in one hand
and said, "Een zak, mijnheer, ha!" and departed with a gaiety of manner
that augured ill for the safety of my missive. All the while I imagined
I had said _zaak_,--but my _a_ was too short.
One night when the landlady's son--a promising youth of
thirteen--brought up the supper, he appeared playful and excited. He
urged me, as I understood it, to come downstairs and admire a man that
was in the street. Surely it must be a fine specimen of manly grace
that could elicit this interest! Yes, the man there was 'erg mooi', he
assured me.
'U moet es eve kome kijke, mijnheer.'
The request was odd, and I refused at first. As he persisted, however,
I accompanied him downstairs, wondering whether there was an acrobat
performing in the market-place or if a statue had been erected whilst I
was at dinner.
When we came outside, there was nothing remarkable to be seen in the
street. My guide, however, didn't mind that, but pointing triumphantly
to the sky where the full moon was shining, he exclaimed with delight:
"Daar, mijnheer, kijk nou is, nietwaar?"
It looked like boyish chaff, getting the foreigner to leave his room to
gaze at the 'man in the moon', and I was dumb with indignation at his
audacity. Gradually, however, the facts of the case emerged. The youth
was only considerately anxious that I should not miss seeing the big
Dutch moon itself, which was indeed that evening particularly fine. It
was a 'mooi maan' not "man".
Yes; the long and the short _a_ are not to be trifled with, and you'll
get into no end of trouble if you ever mix them.