Meet Philip- A film producer learning Dutch at UvA Talen
A conversation with Philip, a Dutch course student at UvA Talen.
Can you tell us something about yourself?
My name is Philip, I'm American but I have lived in eight different U.S. states, along with Sweden, Tanzania and India. The longest I have ever lived anywhere was in Los Angeles, so, if pressed, I would identify as Californian.
I work in film and television. I am currently in pre-production on a feature film as a writer-director. I have mainly worked in television comedy as a producer and editor- trying to make funny people funnier!
Why do you want to learn Dutch?
I would love to stay in Amsterdam, so learning Dutch is clearly very important. It is not just a question of the Inburgering exams, but of cultural fluency. The Dutch I have learned at UvA Talen has given me the confidence to subscribe to Het Parool, which has helped me to better follow national and local politics. Without local media, I would have much less of an understanding of the goings on of both the Formatie and the Stopera. Additionally, I have found panel shows on the NPO useful to understanding fault lines over national issues.
What course are you following at UvA Talen?
I have taken A1 & A2, B1.1, B1.2, and B2.1 so far at UvA Talen. The teachers have been fun and relatable- always open to discussion, while also not disguising their own opinions behind euphemisms. The courses are fast paced, and the grammar that I understand in exercises does not always manifest when I speak extemporaneously. But, I think those are the normal growing pains of language acquisition. Overall, though, I clearly value the courses as I have continued to enroll in them.
How do you combine work and language courses? What should all potential students know to help keep the balance of work and learning?
Acknowledging that this is hard for everyone is the first step. I have found it helpful to shift a lot of my media diet to Dutch programs and articles. Then even if I am procrastinating, I am hopefully learning via osmosis. I have also found thinking in a new language helpful for creativity– struggling to communicate an idea in Dutch can sometimes make me look at that idea in a new way.
What’s your favourite word or expression in Dutch?
As a film enthusiast, I love the verb draaien when used to refer to playing a movie. Using the physical turning of film through a projector as a verb is a lot more evocative than “screening a movie.”
I also love the slang that I hear on cheesy reality TV shows like First Dates. It is great to learn how different generations speak. I especially love cribbing idioms from the Gen Z'ers on the program, like the way “chill” can be a verb, noun, adjective, anything else depending on the situation.
It is also always fun to modify any and all things with a -je.
What is your end-goal with learning Dutch?
I want to fully understand what I am reading and watching in the media around me, not to just get by with context clues and vibes. I would also love to be able to grapple with more complex conversations. Like, I am curious about the Groene Amsterdammer and discussions at places like SPUI25 and de Balie. I would someday like to be able to read a relatively easy novel, like a detective story, in the original Dutch text.
But, fundamentally, my priority is to get my language to a level where I could credibly operate in a Dutch-based work environment.