The 'h' isn't silent in think!

Something that did not occur to me until I started learning Dutch is that there are some sounds in English that are just not replicated in other languages and I suppose the opposite holds true.  In this case I often hear An fail to pronounce the 'th' sound when she speaks English.  You have to form this sound by placing your tongue between your teeth and then expel out as you say the 'th' bit.  It is hard to describe but then not having to think about it, you just know rather than have to explain.  In An's case she 'tinks' about it and does not put her tongue between her 'teet'.  She trows things, tanks people and is very 'toughtful', most of the time.

I can't think of the equivalent in Dutch but they do have the long ij in makkelijk (easy).  In English this combination ij is not found, as far as I know, therefore we don't readily know how to pronounce this or even how to try.  When I was learning I found out that it is essentially the same as saying 'air'.  In this case you extend it out, there is the shorter version which is 'ei' as in eieren (eggs).  As a general rule in Dutch when you have double vowels it means that the sound is longer, single vowels are pronounced shorter.  It is here that I miss-pronounce my wife's name I actually say Aan but it is spelt An, it is meant to be abrupt, almost curt really.  I say it with a longer 'a' sound.

It works both ways I remember going to the baker for my father-in-law's salt free bread, which had been pre-ordered.  When I asked the lady behind the counter, 'u heeft een bestelt voor Rene, zout vrij brood?'  she did not understand me, I probably said it a bit quietly and now I was beginning to question whether I was in the right shop or whether the order had been placed at all.  I repeated several times and the thing is it was the name she did not understand.  Eventually another one of the ladies came through and said who it was for, at which point the other lady did a fantastic impression of the waitress Yvette in Allo Allo as she growled out 'ah rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrennnnnnnneeeeeeeeee'.  I should have rolled my 'r' and held it but then I would feel rather stupid saying that as though he were a long lost relative...

By the way if you have not heard of Allo Allo then catch this from Youtube at the link  here.