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Originally Posted by Sandi
Well, this is the language exchange thread.
I'm ashamed to say I can only claim to be reasonably proficient in one language, but I think it would be fun and interesting to learn others. Where possible, it would be nice if some pronounciation guidance could be included in the translations.
Let's start with something really basic. I walk into a room and see a person I don't know. I hold out my right hand and say, "Hi, I'm Sandi, I don't believe we've met."
What would be the correct action and words in this situation?
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Sandi, the sentence you gave is rather formal in the sense that the Dutch are very informal and you won't hear them say "I don't believe we've met yet" soon. That said, let's start with greeting, as that would be what you start with if you walk into a group you never met (breaking the ice).
Almost always we differentiate our greetings according time of day, so much even that it can result in rather ridiculous / joking situations around noon when someone says good afternoon while it is still morning all of two minutes...
Anyway, you come into the room and say:
Gooduh môrgun - Good morning; remember G will always be a hard, throathy G (like existing in Arabic and Welsh) which you will have to practice after hearing as regular English speaker do not ever use this sound
Gooduh middawgh - Good afternoon
Gooduh ah-vônt - Good evening
You then could carry on with something informal/general like "How is everybody doing":
hu gaaht hat? (using aa as long a sound here as I don't know the phonetic alphabet)
When you do want to approach someone one-on-one and you are in a formal setting you might be able to use your suggestion:
ick guh-leauv neet dat wuh (or wy) alkaahr nog neet ontmoot habbuhn
informally you would just say something like "Do I know you? I am ...":
Ken ick u (u not as oo sound but short/high, sounding like ue; which is formal and used in conversation with unknown and older people) or
juh? (je=juh used informally to same age group people and younger persons)
Ick ben ...
Which concludes our lesson for today
Dutch abroad will be thrilled if you know the greetings and will pronouce them then properly, especially if you get the hard G right
No kidding, this is true.