Inleiding

Tijdens deze proefles krijg je een indruk van de cursus Engels voor gevorderden op niveau B1. Je gaat aan de slag met je leesvaardigheid, woordenschat en de grammatica aan de hand van het thema nieuwe vrienden maken. Ook leer je over fooi geven in de Verenigde Staten van Amerika. Tijdens het lezen van de lesstof kun je jezelf testen door vragen te beantwoorden.

A friend in need is a friend indeed

Learning goals

• Reading about what you could do to make friends in a new city
• Learning new grammar and revising some familiar grammar
• Learning new vocabulary
• Culture note: how to give tips in the USA

Reading

Read the following text and answer the questions:

New in town?
If you have ever in your life moved to a new town, you know it is one of those things that can be both exciting and a little scary. On the one hand you look forward to finding out about the fun new places to go in your town and getting settled into your new place. On the other hand, the thought of making friends in a new area can be a little bit daunting. It is not always easy to connect with new people but you can do it, and the following advice may help you on your way.

Inform other people you’re new in town
Start off by telling your colleagues or the people behind the counter of your favourite coffee place that you are new in town. Ask them for the best place to eat, shop, or see the sights when you’re out. When people hear you are new to the area, they will usually go out of their way to help you find places to go, which in turn allows you to meet new friends.

Turn your solitary pursuits Into group activities
Find groups in your area centred around an activity you would normally do by yourself. Maybe you enjoy reading, so visit bookstores and libraries. They may have free book clubs you can join. If activities like knitting or scrapbooking give you pleasure, look up craft groups at places like your local community centre or hobby shop. If you like to work out, get healthy while you meet new friends! Become a member of a gym, but don’t just do your exercises and then go home. When you register, ask the attendant to introduce you to some of the regulars. The gym may also have leagues or groups you could join.

Join a business group
Sites like Linked In offer several online forums that can help expand networking opportunities. You could become friends with someone through one of the online discussions and then meet in person later. To join a Linked In group, go to the top of the screen and click on "groups" and then "groups you may like." Linked In has several groups you might enjoy. You will find some groups based on various things you’ve indicated on your profile. Get involved with the groups that meet in person with things like business book groups, networking events, or social mixers.

Vocabulary English - Dutch text 1

How could you use LinkedIn to meet new people?

It has got advertisements It has got forums It has got cookies

Vocabulary Dutch – English text 1

Wat betekent het Engelse woord "Craft"?

Breien Handwerk Uitbreiden Opzoeken

Grammar

Het eerste onderwerp gaat over de vertaling van het woordje "zich(zelf)" als in

Hij zag zich in de spiegel
Ik moet mezelf dwingen om er over te zwijgen.
We hebben het zelf gedaan.
Waarom luisteren jullie niet eens een keer naar jezelf?
Ze hebben zich pijn gedaan.

In het Engels wordt dat dan:

He saw himself in the mirror.
I have to force myself to keep silent about it.
We have done it ourselves.
Why don’t you listen to yourselves for once
They hurt themselves

In dit overzicht treft u alle vormen:

Let vooral op de vorm "himself" (nooit hisself) en "themselves" (nooit: theirselves of theirself).
In het meervoud "we, you, they" wordt de "-f" dus "-ves".
Als voor het wederkerend voornaamwoord het voorzetsel "by" staat, dan betekent het: "alleen".
Bijvoorbeeld:
I did it by myself = I did it on my own
He was there all by himself = He was there all on his own.

Dan is er ook nog het woord "elkaar". In het Engels wordt dat "each other" (twee woorden). U ziet het verschil met het wederkerend voornaamwoord in het volgende voorbeeld:

We don’t force ourselves (=onszelf) to see each other (=elkaar) regularly.

Er zijn behoorlijk wat werkwoorden die in het Nederlands "zich" krijgen (wederkerig zijn), maar in het Engels niet. Zie de volgende voorbeelden:

Hij herinnerde zich niet hoe zij er uit zag = He did not remember what she looked like.
Ze voelde zich niet lekker = She didn’t feel well.
Hij maakte zich niet druk = He didn’t worry.
Ze kon zich niet voorstellen dat hij van haar hield = She could not imagine that he loved her.
Ze vroegen zich af wat het was = They wondered what it was.
Hebben ze zich gewassen? = Have they washed?

Het tweede onderwerp vinden we in de volgende twee zinnen uit de eerste tekst:
Moving is one of those things in life that is both exciting and a little scary.
And yet, the thought of making friends in a new area can be a little bit daunting
Al eerder hebben we gesproken over de vertaling van het woordje "veel". Daarvoor kennen we in het Engels "many" en "much", afhankelijk van het feit of het zelfstandig naamwoord dat volgt telbaar of ontelbaar is. Bijvoorbeeld:
many new houses (huizen zijn telbaar)
much more time (tijd op zich is niet telbaar)
many more times (als "time" betekent "keer" is het natuurlijk wel telbaar)

In plaats van "many" of "much" kunt u voor beide "a lot of" of "lots of" gebruiken.
Het tegenovergestelde van "veel is "weinig. En daarvoor zijn in het Engels ook twee vertalingen: "few" als tegenovergestelde van "many" en "little" als tegenovergestelde van "much.
"Few" en "little" gaan vaak samen met het woord "only":
I’m afraid there’s only little money left.
There were only few people who had seen the accident.

"Few" en "little" kunnen ook "a" ervoor krijgen. De betekenis is dan echter anders:

There were a few (= een paar, enkele) problems on the way here.
It took a few days to settle in.

We should take a little (= een beetje, wat) time to take a good look at this.

Could I have a little milk, please?
In plaats van "a few" en "a little" kunt u voor beide "some" gebruiken:
There were some problems on the way here.
It took some days to settle in.
We should take some time to take a good look at this.
Could I have some milk, please?

"A little bit" betekent "een klein beetje". Het komt eigenlijk alleen voor bij bijvoeglijke naamwoorden of bij niet telbare zelfstandige naamwoorden:
a little bit of luck (= een klein beetje geluk)
a little bit strange (= een klein beetje vreemd)

Culture Note

Understand tipping etiquette in the USA
Many visitors to the USA do not always know how to deal with tips. However, it is quite a good idea to carry some extra $1 banknotes to hand to cabdrivers or hotel bellboys. Of course, it is entirely up to you if you wish to tip someone who somehow helps you out but there are some unwritten rules.

In restaurants you can often decide for yourself how much extra you want to give but it is not done to give nothing extra. Sometimes there is already an extra amount on your bill. You recognize it from the words 'service charge' or 'gratuity'. If it is not already on your bill, it is customary to offer between 15 and 25% on the total amount. By the way, it is not done to give coins. It is considered an insult.

The reason why tipping is seen as a matter of course is that wages in the USA tend to be very low and many people in the service industry depend on tips to earn a decent wage.

Now answer the following question.