The Rough Guide to Dutch Dictionary Phrasebook (Rough Guide Phrasebooks) [Paperback]

Lexus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 1999 | ISBN-10: 1858284678 | ISBN-13: 978-1858284675

This phrasebook dictionary contains tips, travel notes and a guide to menu reading as well as Dutch phrases.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

The Rough Guide Dutch phrasebook is a highly practical introduction to the contemporary language. Laid out in clear A-Z style, it uses key-word referencing to lead you straight to the words and phrases you want - so if you need to book a room, just look up 'room'. The Rough Guide gets straight to the point in every situation, in bars and shops, on trains and buses, and in hotels and banks.

The main part of the Rough Guide is a double dictionary: English-Dutch then Dutch-English. Before that, there's a page explaining the pronunciation system we've used, then a section called The Basics, which sets out the fundamental rules of the language, with plenty of practical examples. You'll also find here other essentials like numbers, dates and telling the time.

Forming the heart of the guide, the English-Dutch section gives easy-to-use transliterations of the Dutch words wherever pronunciation might be a problem, and to get you involved quickly in two-way communication, the Rough Guide includes dialogues featuring typical responses on key topics - such as renting a car and asking directions. Feature boxes fill you in on cultural pitfalls as well as the simple mechanics of how to make a phone call, what to do in an emergency, where to change money, and more. Throughout this section, cross-references enable you to pinpoint key facts and phrases, while asterisked words indicate where further information can be found in the Basics.

In the Dutch-English dictionary, we've given not just the phrases you're likely to hear, but also all the signs, labels, instructions and other basic words you might come across in print or in public places.

Finally the Rough Guide rounds off with an extensive Menu Reader, giving a run-down of food and drink terms that you'll find indispensable whether you're eating out, stopping for a quick drink, or browsing through a local food market. goeie reis! have a good trip!

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides (December 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858284678
• ISBN-13: 978-1858284675
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,508,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Incredibly Useful (And You Won't Need It, Anyway), April 14, 2002

By 

Daryl A. WESTFALL "buitenlander" (White House, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Dutch Dictionary Phrasebook (Rough Guide Phrasebooks) (Paperback)

I took a copy of this along with me on a trip to the Netherlands, primarily for assisting in understanding signs and menu items more than as a phrase book. Unless you plan to travel to very rural areas, you will have absolutely no problem getting along/around in NL. Just learning a few phrases of greeting, please/thanks, and goodbye (for courtesy's sake) is sufficient.

A plus for providing some Dutch grammar basics, which might spark an interest in more in-depth study. A minus for an unnecessary section on vulgarisms. The translations of some phrases are a bit too "interpretive" for my taste, some of the translations could be a bit more literal (or provide a literal meaning of the Dutch phrase). The pronunciation guide is not completely accurate, either.

If you're just heading to the Netherlands or Belgium on a brief holiday, you really won't *need* a phrase book. A waiter will be happy to decipher the menu for you if it is not multi-lingual. You won't really need to know the road signs unless you're driving (and with the excellent public transportation system and bicycle paths/lanes, you probably won't). And if you're seriously interested in learning Dutch, it won't offer you anything you can't learn in a more substantial book.

Save the money, and put it toward your Lonely Planet guidebook.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very unuseful; do not buy, August 26, 2001

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Dutch Dictionary Phrasebook (Rough Guide Phrasebooks) (Paperback)

I bought this book before going over to the Netherlands for a business trip. I found the book VERY confusing and VERY unusable. The pronunciation guide is very misleading. For example, it leads you to think that the "n" at the end of every word should be pronounced as "u" as in bus, which is totally untrue. The content is arranged in dictionary format, and is thus unhelpful at all for the beginner. I highly recommend AGAINST this book. BTW, most people in the Netherlands can understand and many can speak English, so if you go over there for a short stay, you don't need to learn Dutch at all.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a USEFUL book, February 4, 2001

By 

"bp661240" (Taoyuan, TAIWAN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Dutch Dictionary Phrasebook (Rough Guide Phrasebooks) (Paperback)

Since I am a beginner in studying Dutch, I try every possible way to look for books and courses which are able to help myself improve my knowledge of the Netherlands. To know a country or a state or a nation, the best way is to understand what the people think, how the people lead their lives and the language they use. "The Rough Guide to Dutch" I think it is good for the beginners. It is a so-called "dictionary phrasebook." you can get not only basic vocabulary and phrases but also daily life information. In my opinion, to choose the book is a good idea to help yourself. It is a pocket book that you can bring it to everywhere without any trouble. Everytime and everywhere you want to enlarge your vocabulary, it is at hand. It is full of basic & daily vocabulary. The more you attempt, the more you earn!