Auteur: Nicci Severens

The entire Netherlands is now dealing with the effects of the corona virus. It is a far-reaching situation which is having a huge impact on people and organisations. The country-wide measures being taken also have consequences for any language training courses you have planned or wished to plan. Training sessions...

“Today we’re going to talk about everyone’s favourite word.” If I start my lesson with these words, most students know what’s coming. “Does anyone happen to know what that word is?” The response to this question is usually nervous shuffling, eye-rolling and deep sighs, but eventually someone always says “er…”....

What does mastering a language actually involve? Chances are that on reading that question you’re thinking about correct use of grammar and an extensive vocabulary. That’s certainly true, words and grammar rules are the building blocks of language, but to master a language you also need to be able to...

We are all negotiators, whether we know it or not. Asking for a raise, selecting a restaurant for lunch or bargaining with your child are several examples of negotiation we engage in regularly. However, while negotiations are daily practice, the appropriate language used for effective bargaining doesn’t come easily for...

Prepositions can be a recurring nightmare for English language learners; there are about 150 prepositions in the English language and they are more often used than other individual words.

Arranging words in the right order If you think you know everything there is to know about the English language – think again! This article will introduce a binding rule of English syntax (i.e. the arrangement of words and phrases in a sentence)

Making and taking telephone calls in your second language can be a daunting task, especially when a call catches you by surprise. We’ve all been there; stammering, searching for words, awkward silences, and even opting to write an email just to avoid all of the above.

Mastering the art of presenting takes time and practice. Nobody is born with natural presentation skills and even the best orators, such as Cicero, Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, and Barack Obama, had many years of practice before they became excellent public speakers.

Idioms are phrases used as a form of expression which appear natural to a language, person or group of people. They are not easily explained using grammar rules and cannot be easily understood by defining the individual words (e.g. when we say it’s raining cats and dogs, there will be...

Are you learning Dutch? Do you find yourself confused or amused in the Netherlands or Belgium? Are you trying to puzzle it out by communicating with other expats who know a thing or two about hagelslag? Have no fear, it’s not just you! Dutch is even stranger than you thought....