Spreek je een beetje Nederlands? (Do you speak a little Dutch?) Patrick is from the town of Westrozebeke, Belgium, which is in a region of Belgium called Flanders, The people from Flanders speak the unique language of Flemish (Vlaams), which is a dialect of Dutch. There is a large region in Belgium called Wallonia, where the predominant language spoken is French. There is a smaller region of Belgium in which a portion of the country speaks German.

Westrozebeke is located about a half hour from Brugge, Belgium, approximately 2 1/2 hours from Paris & 1 1/2 hours from Brussels. Belgium is a small country about the size of Maryland. Many Belgians speak a little English and Belgian children (kinderen) learn English early by watching many of our American shows and listening to our music. Patrick's granddaughter, Lara, could easily be put into an American school and not miss a beat and 5-year-old Maurits already knows his numbers, colors and many other English words. Feel free to practice a few Flemish words with our Belgian visitors or on your next travels to Belgium. Good luck on the pronunciation! Have a go at it!

Hello - Hallo

Do you speak English? - Spreek je Engels? (Sprake ya Angles?)

Goodbye - Tot ziens (Tot zeens)

It's nice to meet you - Aangenaam ("An-ha-nom")

Bon Appetit - Smakelijk (Schmockalick)

That was delicious - Dat was lekker

A toast to your health - Sante! (Sontay)

Would you like to dance? - Wil je dansen?) (Will ya dansen?)

Yes, thank you - Ja, dankje (Ya, donkya)

No, thank you - Nee, dankje (Nay, donkya)

Please - Asjeblieft (Ahsh - ya-bleeft) Good luck with that one!

How are you? - Hoe gaat het met je? (Hoo hot het met ya?) (Or in West Flanders they say Hoe 'est? (Hoowest?)

I - Ik (Ek)

You - Je (Ya)

Me - Mij (May)

We - Wij (Way)

Sorry - Sorry

Beautiful music - Mooie muziek! (Moy muzeek) (Be sure to tell Jan!)

Good - Goed (Hood)

Very Good - Zeer goed (Zair hood)

That was great! - Prima (Preema) (You can tell Jan that as well!)

children - kinderen

child - kind (kint)

How many children do you have? - Hoeveel kinderen heb je? (Hoovale kinderen hep ya?)

Have fun speaking Flemish & please visit Belgium, which is a best kept secret. It is a lovely country, full of culture, history, beautiful landscapes, and wonderful people. Some of the main trades in the Flanders area are technology, farming, textiles, beer brewing, and chocolatiering, of course! Tot ziens!